Wheat beer tastes like Juicy Fruit gum!

Bavarian HefeWeizen w/ Wyeast Weihenstephan Weizen 3068, extract kit. 1 week primary, 2 weeks second, 3 in bottle and I can't drink it unless I use 1/4 lemon to overcome the sickening sweet Juicy Fruit smell/taste.

Any ideas? Very frutrated. Thanks.

What was your fermentation temp?

A little on the high side, I'm guessing.

Exactly what cweston said. I was fermenting 3068 a few months ago and anything above 70-71F made it smell like bubblegum. Interestingly enough, I'm fermenting on 3068 again and had maintained sub-70 temps for two weeks without the bubblegum...the last few days the temps have really been up outside, and now I'm sitting at 72-74 but I'm getting more banana than bubblegum.

Hefe yeast is strange, indeed.

I have a 3068 just 24 hours in the primary at ~70 deg, but my basement is pretty constant at around 62-65. Anyone know if that's still in a workable range for 3068?

skifast1 said:

I have a 3068 just 24 hours in the primary at ~70 deg, but my basement is pretty constant at around 62-65. Anyone know if that's still in a workable range for 3068?

Click to expand...

It's fine. The workable range is actually quite broad, it's just a question of how phenolic it is and exactly which flavors you get from the yeast. There are also other factors besides temperature such as degree of oxygenation of the wort, open vs. closed fermentation, and free ferulic acid in the wort that affect hefeweizen flavors, so in the broad analysis RDWHAHB applies quite strongly.

ochowitz said:

Bavarian HefeWeizen w/ Wyeast Weihenstephan Weizen 3068, extract kit. 1 week primary, 2 weeks second, 3 in bottle and I can't drink it unless I use 1/4 lemon to overcome the sickening sweet Juicy Fruit smell/taste.

Any ideas? Very frutrated. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Let it sit for a couple of months...it will eventually mellow out.

Baron von BeeGee said:

It's fine. The workable range is actually quite broad, it's just a question of how phenolic it is and exactly which flavors you get from the yeast. There are also other factors besides temperature such as degree of oxygenation of the wort, open vs. closed fermentation, and free ferulic acid in the wort that affect hefeweizen flavors, so in the broad analysis RDWHAHB applies quite strongly.

Click to expand...

Haha - I'm feeling quite proud that I was just able to decipher your code Thank you Mr. Papazian!

skifast1 said:

Haha - I'm feeling quite proud that I was just able to decipher your code Thank you Mr. Papazian!

Click to expand...

I don't actually speak well in person as my mouth doesn't have the patience of my brain, but I do tend to ramble at the keyboard!

Well, I took the first swig of my wheat (used 3068) and guess what, it was like bubblegum! So I do a search on this forum for "bubblegum" and find this post. I just wanted to see if it would kill me. I guess it wont so I'll keep drinking it, but I'll let the rest sit for A WHILE. All day has been a "homebrew" day, and I am dissapointed I have to switch back to the Red Ale...
At least I won't die. Adios!

It's weird, I used to be really anxious, then I read and re-read Mr. Papazians' books. Now, my life is completly devoid of worry, I'm very relaxed and I have an enormous homebrew habit, Thanks Charlie!!!

yes charlie is teh man. his book with his 60's girlfriend brewing beer is cool lol.

FWIW, I've had my 3068 in the primary at about 63 degrees since Monday (brewed Sunday night, spent the first 24 hrs post-pitch @ 71deg). After a furious initial 36 hours, it's calmed down quite a bit but hasn't gotten 'stuck'. I'm curious to know where I end up on the "Laffy-Taffy Banana <--> Fruit Stripe Gum" spectrum

I have a hefe in primary right now. Going into bottles this weekend. Made with the Weinsteffan Wyeast. It will be interesting to see if I get the 'bubble gum' flavor or not. It's been at a fairly constant 68deg for all of it's time in the primary.

If I taste some when bottleing do you think I will detect the bubble gum or does it develope that flavor while in the bottles?

Mine was pretty disgusting from the secondary, but I didnt notice the bubblegum so much then. The bottle I drank had the gum taste. The gum taste is strongest at the finish. Hopefully mine will mellow out because it is nearly undrinkable now.

Update - racked my 3068 to the secondary last night and it smelled GOOD. Definitely more clove-y than banana-y. If it wasn't 40 degrees outside I'd have been tempted to grab a lemon wedge and head out to the patio After a week at 63 degrees, the kreusen (sp?) hadn't completely fallen, but was definitely on the way down. (time constraints meant it had to be last night or a week and a half later). This morning shows a tiny bit of activity in the secondary, not surprising given the somewhat early racking.

Kudos go out to homebrewer_99 for his tip on 'late boiling' a hefe to keep the color right. The color in the siphon tube was golden yellow and appropriately cloudy.

skifast1 said:

If it wasn't 40 degrees outside I'd have been tempted to grab a lemon wedge and head out to the patio...

Click to expand...

Just make sure you try it unadulterated before defiling it with lemon...you might be surprised with a fresh off the line hefe at your fingertips!

Haha - very good point. "Respect el Hefe!"

Check out my favorite New Orleans Brewhouse http://www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com/beer.html the seem to think banana flavor is something special in their Weiss Beer. Quote "Smooth quality with hints of banana and cloves with a spicy finish."

New Orleans is coming back!

Baron von BeeGee said:

Exactly what cweston said. I was fermenting 3068 a few months ago and anything above 70-71F made it smell like bubblegum. Interestingly enough, I'm fermenting on 3068 again and had maintained sub-70 temps for two weeks without the bubblegum...the last few days the temps have really been up outside, and now I'm sitting at 72-74 but I'm getting more banana than bubblegum.

Hefe yeast is strange, indeed.

Click to expand...

That's why I LOVE (I usually don't use this word for inanimate objects) it so much!!! Soooooo many flavors from one yeast!!!

ochowitz said:

Bavarian HefeWeizen w/ Wyeast Weihenstephan Weizen 3068, extract kit. 1 week primary, 2 weeks second, 3 in bottle and I can't drink it unless I use 1/4 lemon to overcome the sickening sweet Juicy Fruit smell/taste.

Any ideas? Very frutrated. Thanks.

Click to expand...

If you ever come up with one that tastes like the Double-Mint Twins (female version only) PLEASE publish that recipe!

Another update...bottled tonight after almost 3 weeks in the secondary. Color in the secondary is definitely is much darker than at racking time, but the color in the siphon is still golden yellow (thx again homebrewer_99) and the odor is predominantly clove, a little banana, and NO juicy-fruit :rockin:

Ok here is an update on my hefe:
Well I cannot believe I almost dumped this on bottling day. The gum taste that once dominated is all but nonexistant. After 5 weeks in bottles this has a perfect balance of clove/bannana and is very true to a german hefeweizen style. The pros at my LHBS were impressed by it. The lemon juiced into the secondary contributed the perfect amount of flavor. It is a strong one ABV wise, but I'm not sure how to get that down except use less extract next time.
6lbs wheat DME
1 oz hallertau plugs @ 60
wyeast 3068 from starter
juiced 6 lemons into secondary
1 week primary
2.5 weeks secondary
5 weeks bottles
enjoy