Funky flavor in my hefe

[angrybits]

Huh, that's interesting. I have one beer I brew all the time and ferment it at 24C, which is a bit above 73F, and I get mostly phenolics like a Wit-bier. If I rehydrate the pack I don't get very much of anything.. Sort of just slight this and slight that.

My experience had lead me to believe that mash regimen / grain bill has much to do with the flavors of a good Bavarian style hefe. And either way, it's something I love about this hobby -- so much diversity of outcome. Cheers!

 

[okiedog]

I'll have to try top cropping when I can. Currently, I ferment in glass carboys, which makes that next to impossible unless it's a big mouth. I did have a glass big mouth bubbler, but it broke and I never bought another one.

 

[okiedog]

My experience had lead me to believe that mash regimen / grain bill has much to do with the flavors of a good Bavarian style hefe. And either way, it's something I love about this hobby -- so much diversity of outcome. Cheers!

My grain bill for hefe is 60/40 white wheat/pilsner. My mash schedule is 15 min. @ 113F, 65 min. @ 151F, 10 min. @ 168F. I pitch at about 62F, and let free rise to 68F and hold until complete. The only change I have made is the yeast.

 

[angrybits]

My grain bill for hefe is 60/40 white wheat/pilsner. My mash schedule is 15 min. @ 113F, 65 min. @ 151F, 10 min. @ 168F. I pitch at about 62F, and let free rise to 68F and hold until complete. The only change I have made is the yeast.

Personally, I think that is too low of a fermentation regimen since I like the estery notes of the yeast-forward styles.

Have you not had issues lautering with no protein rest? Wheat can go very glue-y if you aren't careful.

 

[Murphys_Law]

My grain bill for hefe is 60/40 white wheat/pilsner. My mash schedule is 15 min. @ 113F, 65 min. @ 151F, 10 min. @ 168F. I pitch at about 62F, and let free rise to 68F and hold until complete. The only change I have made is the yeast.

That's pretty much my hefe, as well. The last batch I used a very small starter (put the numbers into a yeast calc for a "normal" Ale and then pitched abut 75% of that number) and it was probably the best hefe to date

 

[Smellyglove]

Personally, I think that is too low of a fermentation regimen since I like the estery notes of the yeast-forward styles.

Have you not had issues lautering with no protein rest? Wheat can go very glue-y if you aren't careful.

It's more that unmalted wheat can go glue-y because of the beta glucans. Malted wheat already as this "fixed" by malting.

 

[okiedog]

Personally, I think that is too low of a fermentation regimen since I like the estery notes of the yeast-forward styles.

Have you not had issues lautering with no protein rest? Wheat can go very glue-y if you aren't careful.

I have not noticed any lautering problems. I batch sparge - no false bottom. My hefes have always turned out well until the last 2 batches. I used Gambrinus wheat malt which has 12% protein.

 

[okiedog]

Personally, I think that is too low of a fermentation regimen since I like the estery notes of the yeast-forward styles.

Have you not had issues lautering with no protein rest? Wheat can go very glue-y if you aren't careful.

What is your hefe fermentation regimen? Perhaps I'll try that.

 

[angrybits]

What is your hefe fermentation regimen? Perhaps I'll try that.

72F ambient and let it rise as high as it wants to go

 

[okiedog]

72F ambient and let it rise as high as it wants to go

I like the higher yeast profile for hefes too, but have been cautious about fermenting too high. One of my favorite hefe batches was fermented at 71-72F, though. That was with WLP351. What is your preferred yeast for hefes?

 

[angrybits]

I like the higher yeast profile for hefes too, but have been cautious about fermenting too high. One of my favorite hefe batches was fermented at 71-72F, though. That was with WLP351. What is your preferred yeast for hefes?

I use WB-06, which I like for it's attenuation and lack of egg farts.

Some people under-pitch a hefe to juice the ester profile, but I prefer using a higher temperature. It just feels like a better choice for the health of the ferment.

 

[Smellyglove]

I use WB-06, which I like for it's attenuation and lack of egg farts.

Some people under-pitch a hefe to juice the ester profile, but I prefer using a higher temperature. It just feels like a better choice for the health of the ferment.

Do you get a pronounced banana and clove-phenolics from it? Like from a fresh Paulaner? I use WB-06 quite often but not for hefes, as I can't find close to any resemblance with a bavarian Hefe using that one. But people use it, so I wonder how they use it. To me it's easier to make it look like a wit.

 

[angrybits]

Do you get a pronounced banana and clove-phenolics from it? Like from a fresh Paulaner? I use WB-06 quite often but not for hefes, as I can't find close to any resemblance with a bavarian Hefe using that one. But people use it, so I wonder how they use it. To me it's easier to make it look like a wit.

Mostly the banana parts, which is what my wife likes. I ferment high and let it rise even higher, but otherwise it's just a hefeweizen.

EDIT: Do you mash your grains for a hefeweizen? If so, do you follow a traditional decoction regimen? Hefeweizens are the one style we still do as extract due to not wanting to do a complicated mash. Now I have no idea what mash schedule the extract producers use, but I do know that every extract hefe we have made with WB-06 (and Danstar Munich for that matter) has tasted like an actual hefeweizen. I wonder if that could explain how we get different outcomes?