Bubblegum flavor in hefes

How can I style a beer around the bubblegum hefe flavors? I'd like to really bring those out in a future hefe.

banana, not clove, eh?

Interesting idea. I never thought of it being bubblegum-like, but now that you mention it, I can sort of see it. Truth be told though, I'd be afraid of that flavor without having the clove to balance it out. I just can't imagine how else you'd balance it....

Maybe call it Juicyfruit ale?

I alway thought of bubble gum as well.

Yeast determines this to a degree during fermentation:
Warmer = More Banana
Cooler = More Clove

I guess you need to map out a flavor curve or something.

Then I definitely want to brew this weekend. Temps are suppose to hit in the 70's next week, so I can leave my bucket in the garage, where it'll hit 80 tops.

I brewed 5 gallons Belgian Wit six weeks ago and bottled 3/4 of it in 12 oz brown plastic bottles for a party at a park. 1/4 of it I bottled in glass, and it tasted just like any wit you would get at the store. Today I cracked open one of the plastic bottled beers to test it, and noticed a mild but distinct bubblegum flavor. Searched the flavor wheel and didn't find it, so I googled "bubble gum flavor in beer" and found this thread.

Anyway, the wit in the plastic bottle has a definite mild bubblegum flavor, a little bit like the bubblegum inside a blowpop. The bubblegum comes across in the odor as a mild spicy/alcoholic scent.

Not really sure if the flavor difference between glass and plastic is from the bottle material or that I was drinking the glass bottled about 2 weeks earlier than the plastic bottled...

This is a BIAB at nice warm summer temps.

EDIT: I should probably note that I pitched this onto yeast that I used for a previous batch of the same recipe. The only difference between the two was I used Strisselspalt in the first batch and the second batch was over-pitched from the cake. For this batch, visible fermentation started very quickly and it began blowing-off within 4 hours. Visible signs of fermentation were gone after about 30 hours but I let it sit for 2 weeks anyway before dry hopping.

Whitey Deux

Selected Style and BJCP Guidelines
16A-Belgian And French Ale-Witbier

Minimum OG: 1.044 SG Maximum OG: 1.052 SG
Minimum FG: 1.008 SG Maximum FG: 1.012 SG
Minimum IBU: 10 IBU Maximum IBU: 20 IBU
Minimum Color: 2.0 SRM Maximum Color: 4.0 SRM

Primary 2 weeks
Dry-hopped in the primary 1 week
Bottled 3 weeks

Recipe Overview
Wort Volume Before Boil: 3.50 US gals Wort Volume After Boil: 3.25 US gals
Volume Transferred: 3.25 US gals Water Added To Fermenter: 1.75 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.00 US gals Volume Of Finished Beer: 5.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG Expected OG: 1.050 SG
Expected FG: 1.009 SG Apparent Attenuation: 81.8 %
Expected ABV: 5.4 % Expected ABW: 4.3 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 9.8 IBU Expected Color (using Morey): 3.9 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.20 Approx Color:
Mash Efficiency: 61.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 74 degF


Fermentables
German Pilsner Malt 3.25 lb 35.1 % 0.8 In Mash/Steeped
German Wheat Malt 3.25 lb 35.1 % 1.0 In Mash/Steeped
Belgian Aromatic Malt 0.25 lb 2.7 % 0.9 In Mash/Steeped
US Flaked Soft Red Wheat 0.25 lb 2.7 % 0.1 In Mash/Steeped
US Rice Hulls 0.25 lb 2.7 % 0.0 In Mash/Steeped
Extract - Light Dried Malt Extract 2.00 lb 21.6 % 1.2 Start Of Boil


Hops
German Hallertauer Mittlefruh 3.8 % 1.00 oz 9.8 Bagged Whole Hops 60 Min From End
German Hallertauer Mittlefruh 3.8 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Whole Hops Dry-Hopped


Other Ingredients - From the bulk section of the Co-Op
Orange Peel, Sweet 0.50 oz In Boil 60 mins
Orange Peel, Sweet 0.25 oz In Boil 10 mins
Irish Moss 0.01 oz In Mash
Coriander Seed 0.50 oz In Boil 60 mins
Coriander Seed 0.25 oz In Boil 10 mins


Yeast
Wyeast 3942-Belgian Wheat

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Extract with Mini-mash
Schedule Name: Single Step Infusion (66C/151F)

Step Type Temperature Duration
Rest at 151 degF 75


Recipe Notes

80 is WAY to high for hefes. Your going to get a phenolic bomb , and it may taste similar to V2 rocket fuel. Just kidding but its going to have a strange flavor profile to be sure.

I talked to the brewmaster at the Hofbrauhaus here in Cincinnati, and he told me that they were fermenting at 64, and Munich called and told them they wanted it to lean toward banana so they started fermenting at 68. So, there's a 4 degree difference between clove and banana. I believe the bubblegum flavors come through with the clove, but I'm not sure of that. They use Wyeast 3068.

BenjaminBier: You replied to a thread from a a guy who's been banned from this site for over a year...and the previous post to yours is over 3 years old.

I get a bubble gum flavor when I use WLP300.

Nice write-up though.

homebrewer_99 said:

BenjaminBier: You replied to a thread from a a guy who's been banned from this site for over a year...and the previous post to yours is over 3 years old.

I get a bubble gum flavor when I use WLP300.

Nice write-up though.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment! :fro: And yeah, this thread has huge potential so I'm bringing it back from the grave!

Based on the various threads I've read it's pretty much assured the high fermentation temps are to blame for the bubblegum taste.

I just thought it was interesting that the bottles in glass that I drank a week or two earlier didn't have the bubblegum flavor at all. Like not one bit. Three connoisseurs said it was a great brew. One person said there was a "bacon" taste. Is it possible to have the bubblegum flavor develop later in the bottle?

Can we go from Bacon to Bubblegum in a few weeks? Yum!

I used Wyeast 3638 once instead of my usual 3068 and I thought it came out candy/bubblegummy.