Banana Bread Ale

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DeathBrewer

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With all this banana and peanut butter stuff flying around lately, i wanted to revisit one of my favorite recipes.

This recipe came from what was originally an accident. I was experimenting with different things and decided to use belgian munich and british chocolate to get that chewy, bready profile in a dunkelweizen. i also strayed from my usual WLP380 and went with my usual hefeweizen yeast choice: WLP300. then when the fan in my chiller crapped out on me, the fermentation temp rose to the mid 70s and made a fruity mess of my beer!

at first i was angry :mad: my experiment was ruined...i couldn't compare it to my other dunkelweizens! but after letting it carb and get cold, i pulled a pint and got a wondrous surprise. it smelled like banana bread! nice thick rocky head held the aroma in...making me reminisce of my mother's baking throughout the whole glass. it tastes very nice and bready with banana and other pleasant fruity flavors, but the aroma was undeniable. and so Banana Bread Ale was born!

:ban:

i've made it a couple of times, different variations of munich malt and chocolate malt, but this time i decided to take it one step further.

i'm adding oats to make the head even better. i think the oats will work well with the bready character, too. i'm adding carapils for mouthfeel and even more chewiness. last but certainly not least, i'm adding the British 50/60 crystal malt that i get from my LHBS. i've used it in a number of ales and it never dissapoints. the munich, chocolate and crystal malts all have that lovely grainy, bready characteristic, so i think this one will go over the top.

i also changed the hops. my usual is tettnanger or sometimes fuggle for bittering only. i wanted something softer, so i used styrian golding for the 60 min addition. i'm also finishing with EKG, to compliment the chocolate malt and round out the flavor.

in the future, i may throw some bananas and nuts in the mash to further this experiment, but for now i decided to stick with grains.

Here's the recipe. This will be one of my stovetop all-grains. I'll let you know how it goes!

Banana Bread Ale

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

15-B German Wheat and Rye Beer, Dunkelweizen

Min OG: 1.044 Max OG: 1.056
Min IBU: 10 Max IBU: 18
Min Clr: 14 Max Clr: 23 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.75
Anticipated OG: 1.055 Plato: 13.63
Anticipated SRM: 15.8
Anticipated IBU: 19.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.47 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.047 SG 11.67 Plato


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
51.1 6.00 lbs. Wheat Malt America 1.038 2
34.0 4.00 lbs. Munich Malt Great Britain 1.037 6
8.5 1.00 lbs. Flaked Oats America 1.033 2
2.1 0.25 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2
2.1 0.25 lbs. Crystal 55L Great Britian 1.034 55
2.1 0.25 lbs. Chocolate Malt Great Britain 1.034 475

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.00 oz. Styrian Goldings Pellet 1.90 16.6 60 min.
0.75 oz. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 4.50 2.5 5 min.


Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs: 11.75
Water Qts: 13.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 3.25 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.11 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 154 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 0 Time: 0
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 10


Total Mash Volume Gal: 4.19 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

alright, let's get this party started!

BANANADANCE.gif
 
Last edited:
sure, it won't be quite the same, but still be good:

something like this outta do it, cuts down the grains to about 5 lbs:

2 lbs wheat
2 lbs munich
0.5 lbs oats
0.25 lbs carapils
0.25 lbs chocolate
0.25 lbs crystal 50/60

and add 4 lbs Wheat DME

session went ok. i got lower efficiency than expected (60%) due to heavy grains, a hurried sparge (temp was 160°F) and the minimal amount of water. i guess that's what i should expect when i do AG this way without a colander.

still tastes nice and bready...great flavor, can't wait to see what the yeast does to it.
 
this sounds wonderful.... I've never heard of, nor tried a banana bread ale.

Does it really need 2.75 oz of hops?


do ya think I could sub Crystal 55L Great Britian for AHS's Crystal 60L ?? And AHS doesn't have EK Goldings......whats the best sub? Fuggles? or maybe NZ Goldings?
 
this sounds wonderful.... I've never heard of, nor tried a banana bread ale.

Does it really need 2.75 oz of hops?


do ya think I could sub Crystal 55L Great Britian for AHS's Crystal 60L ?? And AHS doesn't have EK Goldings......whats the best sub? Fuggles? or maybe NZ Goldings?

i've never heard of it either. dunkelweizen is one of my favorite recipes and i make it pretty often. this one was just a fluke.

it only uses to ounces of hops for bittering because i'm using 1.9% alpha acid styrian goldings. you could definitely use a different bittering hop. fuggle or any noble hop would work fine as a replacement for bittering or aroma.

as for subbing crystal, yes that would work and give you a similar flavor. i simply wanted to go with all british grains because of their bready, biscuity qualities.
 
i pitched the vial of yeast by itself last night. any minimal stress caused by underpitching will simply add more banana. the carboy is sitting at about 70°F right now. i'll throw an ice pack to cool a few degrees ONLY if it goes above 75°F.
 
started fermenting away last night at 74°F. was at a little over 76°F this morning, so i threw some ice packs in. will check on it at lunch to ensure its in the mid-low 70s.
 
sure, it won't be quite the same, but still be good:

something like this outta do it, cuts down the grains to about 5 lbs:

2 lbs wheat
2 lbs munich
0.5 lbs oats
0.25 lbs carapils
0.25 lbs chocolate
0.25 lbs crystal 50/60

and add 4 lbs Wheat DME

curiously..... you say 2lbs of wheat grain.... what kinda grain? Like if I was to buy it from AHS, what should I get? White Wheat? Red Wheat?


What do ya think about something like this?

2.00 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 22.86 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt (7.0 SRM) Grain 22.86 %
2.00 lb Wheat, Torrified (1.6 SRM) Grain 22.86 %
1.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 11.43 %
0.50 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5.71 %
0.50 lb Red Wheat (6.5 SRM) Grain 5.71 %
0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
2.00 oz Styrian Goldings [2.90 %] (60 min) Hops 11.8 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU
1 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP300) Yeast-Wheat
 
This is sounding daaaamn interesting, particularly because I'd be fermenting it in my room temp apartment closet. I think this one's next in the pipeline after the 60/-. Keep updating!
 
curiously..... you say 2lbs of wheat grain.... what kinda grain? Like if I was to buy it from AHS, what should I get? White Wheat? Red Wheat?

I used red wheat malt in the recipe.

What do ya think about something like this?

2.00 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 22.86 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt (7.0 SRM) Grain 22.86 %
2.00 lb Wheat, Torrified (1.6 SRM) Grain 22.86 %
1.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 11.43 %
0.50 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5.71 %
0.50 lb Red Wheat (6.5 SRM) Grain 5.71 %
0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
2.00 oz Styrian Goldings [2.90 %] (60 min) Hops 11.8 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU
1 Pkgs Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP300) Yeast-Wheat

that looks ok, albeit a little more complicated than my brew. torrified wheat is good stuff, but not sure it belongs in banana bread. replace all your torrified and white wheat with red wheat and it's looking more like my recipe.

make sure the crystal malt and chocolate malt or british, too...they give it that nice grainy/bready taste.

if you want to go your own way, however, that looks like a fine recipe...i would brew it!
:mug:
 
temperature is steady at 73°F. i don't think it will change unless we have a heat wave.

i roused the yeast twice, monday night and this morning. shook the hell out of it, let the krausen fall back into the beer and watched it bubble. smells terrific. the krausen has this lovely tan/brown color and the beer has a nice dark reddish-brown hue in the carboy.
 
I must make this.
In return for your offering of the recipe -- you shall receive a loaf of my Banana Bread and a round of beers on me in the future.
 
that would be awesome. i love banana bread...haven't had it in years. i could send you a bottle of mine, too, we could do a comparison.

this batch is strictly for bottle conditioning. so is my SMaSH, i'm sending them to family and friends i promised beers but have not yet delivered.

just checked the beer...fermentation is all but finished and it JUST dropped below 70°F. didn't ferment as high as my first batch, but still plenty of banana in the nose. it's going to be consumed very young, too.

i'm going to rack my SMaSH this week and then bottle both of them in about two weeks. they should be ready 4 weeks after. nummy.
 
I'm working on this batch right now. Well.....I made a couple changes, some of it on accident. I poured double the carapils and 60L on accident.

Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 17.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 8.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.50 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 24.39 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (7.0 SRM) Grain 29.27 %
3.00 lb Red Wheat (6.5 SRM) Grain 29.27 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.88 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.88 %
0.50 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 4.88 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2.44 %
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.30 %] (60 min) Hops 4.5 IBU
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [2.90 %] (60 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.30 %] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU
1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) Yeast-Wheat




whatcha think? Look ok?
 
mmm...i love me some styrian goldings. you should use them as a flavor hop, tho.

that goes against my standards for a true dunkelweizen, but this is BANANA BREAD ALE!!

looks like you're going for a little less alcohol, using liquid and only 2.5 lbs LME.

that's going to be nice and chewy from the carapils.

looks good, let me know how it turns out!
 
You think opposite of what I had??? use 1oz fuggles for 60 mins? and .5oz styrian for 5 ?
 
ok...well here's what I did.... i ended up accidentally putting too much carapils and 60L. Also put one too many gallons....hahaha, I must be drunk:drunk: Ended up hitting 1048....so it should put me right around 5%ish.



Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 16.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 8.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 67.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.25 lb Wheat Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 2.38 %
2.50 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 23.81 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (7.0 SRM) Grain 28.57 %
3.00 lb Red Wheat (6.5 SRM) Grain 28.57 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
0.50 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2.38 %
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.30 %] (60 min) Hops 8.2 IBU
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [2.90 %] (5 min) Hops 0.6 IBU
1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) Yeast-Wheat


Room temp is about 67-69f.

Wish me Luck!:mug:
 
wow....fermentation only a half day in.....is firing off like mad death star on cocaine!!!
 
unfortunately.....I don't have a "see-thru" fermenter.


This first day fermenting, the airlock smells sweet and bananaish..... but now heading into day 2, it's starting to acquire a sulfurish or maybe skunkish smell.
 
no worries, fermentation isn't always the most pleasant process ;)

I wish I had a picture of SWMBO's face when she experienced a Dunkelweizen Krausen kicking in while in the condo :rockin:
She called me at work, saying my beer exploded into that little cider bottle with the tube in it.. is it supposed to do that? It smell yeasty , like bread.. is that good?


lol.
 
What kind of final gravity am I looking for with this? Do I want it dry, like 1.010 or a little more residual sugar, around 1.015?
 
what temp do you mash at?

1.055 - 1.015 (around 73% attenuation) is what i expect for mine.

usually my beers are more dry, but i mashed this guy at 154°F
 
I did mine at 158f and it dropped to 150, over the course of about 60 minutes....

But I rinsed them off with room temp water...... yeah I know, I need to get another large pot so I can "sparge" at a higher temp.

Beer smith said about 1.052 at 5.5 gallons...., I ended up at about 1.049 at 6 Gallons.
 
wow. room temp water, eh? and still got good efficiency...hmm...

158-150...it'll probably finish pretty high.

mike, have you brewed yet or are you planning?
 
I got a question....

I got a bunch of Challenger hops for super cheap in today...... should I maybe dump a little in for dry hopping? Or is that over kill?
 
i wouldn't. i don't bake my banana bread with challenger hops :p

i think the aroma might take away from the banana. besides, dunkelweizens aren't supposed to have any aroma hops.
 
just got back from vacation and im glad to see you really did update the recipe. How sweet does this usually finish? The oats will be interesting and i picture a very bodily beer. An odd way to put it but the "thickness" is almost palatable. Post a pic when you finally pour it into a glass....looks promising:ban:
 
wow. room temp water, eh? and still got good efficiency...hmm...

158-150...it'll probably finish pretty high.

mike, have you brewed yet or are you planning?

Alright, just pitched the yeast and I'm in the process of cleaning up.

I did a 3 gallon batch due to financial constraints ;)

3.5 lbs Wheat malt
2.5 lbs Munich
2.5 oz crystal 60
2.5 oz cara pils
2.5 oz chocolate
.5 lbs flaked oats

.5 oz Kent Goldings @ 60 min
.5 oz Kent Goldings @ 5 min

Mashed at 154 for 60 min with 2 gallons
Batch sparged at 180 with 2 gallons

Pre Boil: 3.5 gallons
Post Boil: 3 gallons

OG: 1.050

Yeast: WLP300 (vial only)

Ambient temp in my closet is 70, hopefully the ferment won't take it over 73. What do you think Deathbrewer? Looking alright?
 
So I've been struggling to keep temps down in the house for months, and it finally gets cool, and I now I find this recipe? :(

I will definitely try this when it warms up in hop-planting season. :D

I wonder if some victory malt would be in order to make banana-nut bread ale? :confused:
 

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