Danstar Munich Wheat vs. 3056, 3068, 3333

[blakelyc]

Hi folks:

I am about to brew a Hefeweizen. My plan is to brew a 5-gallon batch and then split it off in secondary on 5 different fruits, 1-gallon each. The fruits will be tart: tart cherries, raspberries, rhubarb (i know, not a fruit), and two other things to be determined.

I want the base beer to feel like a traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen but maybe with more subtle banana. I don't want anything as neutral as an American wheat, but I don't want crazy over-the-top clove or banana. Something wheaty and balanced and definitely a Hefe without being too amped up, if that makes any sense. The idea is to drag some summer fruit flavors into early fall.

Given what I'm shooting for, Here's the list of yeasts that I can get easily:
-Danstar Munich Wheat
-Wyeast 3056
-Wyeast 3068
-Wyeast 3333

Any of you wheat beer experts have any opinions about which one to use and what environmental manipulation I may want to do (ferm temp, etc.)?

Thanks,
-b

p.s. if you happen to have a particular recipe you'd point me towards, that'd be awesome. I was planning on starting my formulation with Brewing Classic Styles and going from there.

 

[EROK]

I would use 3068, but leave 33% head space in the fermentors, this yeast is a beast ! Keep ferment temps below 70. say 62-63 range for all if you don't want a big banana flavored fruit beer. Lower temps will have a stronger clove flavor and minimize the banana flavor of this yeast.

 

[duboman]

If you want a true Bavarian Hefe I would recommend WY3638 although the slight banana you are looking for may not show up. 3068 is also a great yeast and if you can keep the fermentation temperature at 62-65 you will get only the slight banana you seek, but if you go anything higher the banana notes will increase drastically. Either way you go absolutely have enough head space or use a blow off tube, these are true top cropping yeasts and produce huge krausen!

 

[blakelyc]

Any thoughts on the 3056? That's the one that originally caught my attention because it is supposedly neutral ale and wheat yeasts combined. "mildly eastery and phenolic" is how it is described.

I only have a 6.5 gallon fermenter, so it is no problem to go with a blowoff setup. From the way it sounds i may need a slightly larger waste bucket, though!

 

[solbes]

I use 3333 a lot, but it drops completely clear (like a krystal weizen). Attenuates very well. A tart and refreshing yeast, but definitely not a Hefe.

 

[blakelyc]

Quick update after tasting theses beer for the first time last night... 3056 was the perfect choice for what I was shooting for, which was racking onto various amounts of tart Michigan Montmorency cherries. The base beer turned out great, kind of "half cloudy" if that makes sense. It is obviously not an American wheat but not quite a full-on Bavarian Weiss. All characteristic flavors are there in subdued amounts. The half-strength cherry version (.5 lbs/gallon) was damned amazing. The full-strength version (1 lbs/gallon) hasn't yet been tasted.

3056 @ 74 degrees is probably going to be my house wheat.