American wheat and yeast question

New guy to brewing (2 batches under the belt) with probably either a simple or dumb question.....I am doing extra t at the moment to get a handle of the simple steps and once I have that down I will move to all grain...but as it stands I'm going yo be doing an American wheat extra t kit as it was given to me as a gift....my question is would it workout to use the wyeast 3638 to try and get a bit of banana and clove hint in the beer? I understand the American wheat typically doesn't really have those flavors but I was thinking of trying it out....but would hate to waste time, effort, and beer for something that just wasn't meant to be paired. And comments are/or opinions I welcome.

Thanks....Mike

If you want to, it should be ok .did it come with yeast?

what's "extra T"?

If you want to stay within style you wont want to use 3638. But I say screw following styles. If you would like a bannan/clove in your beer then do it.
The great thing about homebrewing is that you can make something that not everyone can get.
Being a Newbie, One thing to think about is if your worried that the beer wont turn out you might want to follow the recipe.

Yooper said:

what's "extra T"?

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Haha, i think someones 'c' key doesn't work

heferly said:

Haha, i think someones 'c' key doesn't work

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Oh, jeez. I can't believe I didn't think of that! I was thinking it was some sort of new kit, like True Brew.

Sorry for being a doofus. Carry on.

I assume what you're pondering is a German wheat beer that is hopped like an American wheat, since if you go with the Bavarian yeast, there will be nothing left to make it American other than hop flavor/aroma. I can't say that I ever recall having tasted anything like that before, but if you aren't concerned about mixing styles, then go for it, you might like it. Also, keep in mind that from a homebrewing perspective, getting both the clove and banana to come through can be a challenge. Unless you have experience with Hefe's, you're likely to get one or the other, but not both. And my money is on the banana being the flavor that comes through.

Thanks for the feedback....I'm just going to give it a try I guess....although I'm going with 3068 rather than 3638.......it will be a while before I can..but once I have a taste ill let you all know if it was ok or did it find its way down the drain.

I also love that banana flavor you get from a good yeast. Best of luck!

Slightly off topic but, I've had some bad batches (although mostly good) but I'd hate to think how bad it would have to be for me to dump it.

I brewed a porter that foamed so much that I started with 1 oz of beer and 19oz of foam. It took nearly an hour to get it all in the glass.

I brewed a RyePA that was so bitter I had to add a splash of apple juice to every glass just to make it drinkable, but I drank it anyway.

I'm an admitted cheapskate. I can't stand waste. I clean my plate whether I like it or not, even if I have to undo my belt to get the job done. I might be a little OCD when it comes to waste. I definitely don't consider myself normal, so your milage will most likely vary. The thought of dumping a batch that I spent so much time, effort and money on makes me nauseous so I'm going to think about nice things and keep from loosing my breakfast. That would be a waste too.

I hear you...I'm probably full of it and when and if the time came.....I would figure out a way to choke it down....I mean..in a younger time I did choke down a skunked..slightly warm moose head...I believe that was a low for me....if I can drink that then I can drink anything.

My only caution would be if the yeast flavors clashed with the hops. What hops are you using? If something citrusy like Cascade or Amarillo I might skip the German yeast...or sub out the hops too.

JLem said:

My only caution would be if the yeast flavors clashed with the hops. What hops are you using? If something citrusy like Cascade or Amarillo I might skip the German yeast...or sub out the hops too.

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Good point.....I'm bittering with willamette and at 15 going with cascade

tmmeekins said:

Good point.....I'm bittering with willamette and at 15 going with cascade

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Honestly, I'm not sure how the cascade flavor/aroma will mesh with the german hefe yeast flavors. Yoo could switch the hops around - bitter with cascade and add the willamette at 15. You'll get little citrus form the cascade then and willamette is much more "European" in style. Something to consider.