Hefe flavor change.

[mrchicken]

Made a simple hefe recipe from a member on here. Tasted great but took a while to carb.
Initially it had a great hefe flavor with pronounced notes of banana. As time has passed (bottled 7 weeks now) the carbonation has increased to an acceptable level but the banana notes have almost disappeared and it has less of that Hefe richness.

It now tastes like a cross between a hefe and a light ale.

Is this normal ? I really like the banana/clove character of a good hefe and want to get my recipes/technique down better.

 

[Honda88]

1. If it was bottle carbonated and took 7 weeks to get to an acceptable level, you probably had some yeast problems or you used too little of priming sugar. I can bottle carb beers like this in less than 2 weeks.

2. the decrease in banana notes is normal. Wheat beers are best consumed young unless you aren't a fan of the banana flavor and want more of a wheat profile. I would still think it would be odd for a 2 month old hefe to not have any banana flavor at all. If you are a slow drinker and really like the banana flavor, you could try using a yeast that imparts more esters. Some yeasts really pump it out. I'm not a fan of lots of esters so I tend to stay away from these yeast and I ferment on the cool side of things. A higher temp will give you more esters too if that's what you are wanting....good luck

 

[mrchicken]

Yeah I have been having carb problems. Second batch is a little flatter than the first at 4 weeks since bottling.

Im going to change from using volume to using weight when measuring my corn sugar to carb.

I fermented at around 64' so It may have been a little cool to get that full on hefe flavor.

 

[Honda88]

64 isn't bad at all. Do some research on the yeast you used to see if it is a low ester producer. As far as the carbonating goes...I tend to have really good success using 5 ounces of corn sugar per 5 gallons. You could even go higher than that if your bottles can take the pressure. Make sure you are sucking up some yeast when you bottle and mix everything up good. You don't have to suck tons of yeast up...with a wheat beer this shouldn't be a problem because most yeasts for these beers are low flocculating and tend to hang in suspension.

 

[mrchicken]

I have been super careful to not suck up any trub/yeast when racking to my bottling bucket. Should I try and slurp a tablespoon or so ?

The second batch I made sat 3 weeks in primary before bottling and it had settled surprisingly clear. Could the yeast have settled out too much and given me inconsistent carbonation?

I used Danstar Munich Wheat beer dry yeast.

 

[Honda88]

Its possible that you sucked up too little of yeast to do the job quick. Yeast don't like hanging out in places where they don't have food for a long time..they get kind of sick and sluggish. Id try bottling earlier than 3 weeks. Try bottling after 2 weeks. I usually bottle after 10 days when the yeast are still nice and active. If that doesn't work then it is possible you just need to suck up more of the little guys.