Thinking about making banana beer.

[Yooper]

lorenae,
Do you know why most banana recipes call for using the peal? This just doesn't sound very good to me.

I think it's just for the extra flavor. Bananas have really very little flavor in wine, but great body.

Let us know how this turns out- it's very interesting!

Lorena

 

[RichBrewer]

I think it's just for the extra flavor. Bananas have really very little flavor in wine, but great body.

Let us know how this turns out- it's very interesting!

Lorena

It will be interesting to see what the mash will do to the banana. Probably more alcohol and less body.

I'll update this as it progresses.

 

[uwmgdman]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=554492

Sprecher Brewery in Milwaukee annouced two African beers hitting the market in the Milwaukee area as a test. One of which uses bananas! I think I'll have to try to find one.

By the way, how was your banana mash? Did it smell like bananas at all or just the malt? Keep us posted!

 

[butler1850]

From the number of google hits, it's been talked about a few times anyway! Along with recipes...

[ame="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-48,GGLD:en&q=banana+beer+recipe"]http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-48,GGLD:en&q=banana+beer+recipe[/ame]

 

[Desert_Sky]

may I remind you fellas that the man law clearly states "There is no fruit in beer!"


but let me know how it turns out....I may have to break the law

 

[Orfy]

The Banana bread beer I had was more of an aroma than taste thing.

 

[Markusface]

A banana beer I once tried had quite a spicy twang to it, but it didn't really have a major banana flavour, more of an aroma. I've found banana and alcohol does work quite well together, I make a banana liqeur by steeping mashed banana in half a bottle of vodka, leaving it for a month, filtering it and topping it up with boiled sugar water. Lush

 

[Orfy]

Just to show you guys the sacrifice I am willing to make for the forum, I am going to drink this now. It's in the glass.

Link to larger picture : http://bp2.blogger.com/_Ywp8W3upUhs/RbEm8CqDe3I/AAAAAAAAANE/Ne47FjtSdiM/s1600-h/PICT0003.JPG

 

[uwmgdman]

Just to show you guys the sacrifice I am willing to make for the forum, I am going to drink this now. It's in the glass.

We truly appreciate your 'sacrifice'

 

[RichBrewer]

Just to show you guys the sacrifice I am willing to make for the forum, I am going to drink this now. It's in the glass.

Link to larger picture : http://bp2.blogger.com/_Ywp8W3upUhs/RbEm8CqDe3I/AAAAAAAAANE/Ne47FjtSdiM/s1600-h/PICT0003.JPG

So how was it?

 

[butler1850]

may I remind you fellas that the man law clearly states "There is no fruit in beer!"


but let me know how it turns out....I may have to break the law

First off, if the man laws we're talking about here are thoe ones in the Miller commercial, they should be ignored anyway... afterall, they come from MILLER! And I'm not taking any advice from either Miller, or Burt Renyolds.

And if you're going to have a commercial, with the men of Miller, include the NASCAR driver of your car!

Otherwise, I'd say fruit the beer. Report on results. Goodness knows my #9 clone is mighty tastey with Cherry flavor.

 

[RichBrewer]

First off, if the man laws we're talking about here are thoe ones in the Miller commercial, they should be ignored anyway... afterall, they come from MILLER! And I'm not taking any advice from either Miller, or Burt Renyolds.

And if you're going to have a commercial, with the men of Miller, include the NASCAR driver of your car!

Otherwise, I'd say fruit the beer. Report on results. Goodness knows my #9 clone is mighty tastey with Cherry flavor.

The beauty of home brewing is that other than basic brewing techniques (and those set fourth by the ATF), we don't have to follow no stinking laws!

 

[RichBrewer]

I just racked it to secondary and here's my observations:
It attenuated quite well the gravity is at 1.011. The alcohol is 4.87% ABV.
The first thing that I have learned is 1 1/2 pounds of banana has no effect on the flavor or aroma of the beer. I'm drinking the beer from the hydrometer and I get grapefruit up front followed by yeasty flavors and it finishes with a light grapefruit bitterness. It's been my experience that bitterness mellows over time so this is going to be a very bland beer. I think it will be clean and drinkable but nothing special. Believe me I will drink it.
I'm thinking that the banana fermented out quite a bit and I've actually heard that yeast like banana.
My hydrometer sample came from the bottom of the carboy hence the yeasty flavors. I'm going to reserve judgment on this until it is finished but I've got serious doubts as to it ever tasting of banana.
Time will tell...

 

[Orfy]

How about doing a strong banana ferment on it's own and adding to secondary? It's gonna take a lot longer but it should work.

Here's part of an african recipe.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]2 quarts very ripe bananas[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]yeast[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]5 quarts water[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Mash the bananas and cook
without water[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Cool mixture, add yeast
and ferment in a wooden pot for 4 days[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]On the fith day add the
5 quarts of water[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Strain the banana mixture[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]gradually with the millet or barley[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Let it stand covered, 24
hours.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[RichBrewer]

How about doing a strong banana ferment on it's own and adding to secondary? It's gonna take a lot longer but it should work.

I was actually contemplating something like that. Maybe add the banana directly to the secondary, after cooking of course, and then hopefully the yeast will kick back in for a true secondary fermentation. I would still add at least 3 pounds to a 2 1/2 gallon batch.

 

[LarMoeCur]

The only good thing I can think of when I think of a Banana beer is that if you drink to many and they come up guess what?






















Yep it will taste like Bananas

 

[RichBrewer]

The only good thing I can think of when I think of a Banana beer is that if you drink to many and they come up guess what?


Yep it will taste like Bananas

Wow! Thanks for that contribution.

 

[Yooper]

As you know, I have NO experience with banana beer, but I know a little about banana wine. You're right- bananas are VERY fermentable, and yeast love them. In wine, banana wine is used often to blend with other wines to provide body. That is, banana wine is a white wine without a ton of flavor, but with tons of body. So, people mix it with say, pineapple wine, to give more body to a thin wine. Maybe the bananas contributed to the body of your beer, rather than the flavor?
So, about adding the bananas to your secondary now? I think though, if you boil them, you might set the pectin, and have a permanent haze. Could you freeze them (to make them extremely mushy), and then just heat them enough to sanitize? Would that work? Just a thought. Of course, bananas will ferment and up your ABV as well.
Maybe thief out some of the beer and add a little mashed up banana to it and see if you like it better.
Anyway, my .02.

Lorena

 

[Orfy]

How about using Pectin enzyemes?

 

[the_bird]

So if you add the bananas now to the secondary, they don't need to be converted in any way? There's enough sugars in them that will ferment out, you won't worry about the starches that won't ferment?

 

[t-dogg]

maybe boil some water and steep bananas to kill any nasties

 

[Yooper]

So if you add the bananas now to the secondary, they don't need to be converted in any way? There's enough sugars in them that will ferment out, you won't worry about the starches that won't ferment?

I have no idea- maybe Orfy's suggestion of pectic enzyme would help. I'm not sure about starches in bananas- I never had a starch haze with banana wine, but that doesn't mean a thing, really.

Lorena

 

[Orfy]

Campden tablets.

It looks like we're into wine technologies here.

 

[the_bird]

I have no idea- maybe Orfy's suggestion of pectic enzyme would help. I'm not sure about starches in bananas- I never had a starch haze with banana wine, but that doesn't mean a thing, really.

Lorena

How much starch IS there in bananas relative to sugars?

 

[Yooper]

Well, I don't know. I do know that when you make banana wine, you use overripe bananas, as they have more sugar (supposedly) relative to starch. Bananas do seem to be starchy, but I don't know how much starch they actually have.

Orfy's right- duh! Campden tablets! So, you don't boil the bananas, you would mash them up with a little water that campden tablets have been dissolved in. Let that sit for, oh 12 hours or so, then add that to the secondary.

What about amylase? That would help convert any starch, right? Orfy, are you a closet winemaker?

Lorena

 

[t-dogg]

you can use beano to convert starch but you might have to heat again to stop the process

 

[Orfy]

What about amylase? That would help convert any starch, right? Orfy, are you a closet winemaker?
Lorena

I've done a few kits 25l and 5l. I did the apple juice wine a month ago and a grape juice wine. I've just done my first country wine from carrots.
I did my usual thing and read 5 books before I started.
I like to know the basics before I start.
I fancy a parsnip whine next.

Then it's onto the mead and barley wine.

 

[RichBrewer]

Well, I don't know. I do know that when you make banana wine, you use overripe bananas, as they have more sugar (supposedly) relative to starch. Bananas do seem to be starchy, but I don't know how much starch they actually have.

Orfy's right- duh! Campden tablets! So, you don't boil the bananas, you would mash them up with a little water that campden tablets have been dissolved in. Let that sit for, oh 12 hours or so, then add that to the secondary.

What about amylase? That would help convert any starch, right? Orfy, are you a closet winemaker?

Lorena

Looks like more research required. You have got me wondering if it is even worth it. If all you get is more body from the banana there are much easier ways to achieve that in beer. I may try it anyway. What the heck.

 

[t-dogg]

dont give up you may discover something we never expected.

 

[RichBrewer]

dont give up you may discover something we never expected.

I'm still pondering. When I was at the grocery store I was looking at the bananas. I almost bought some. I think I'll taste the finished product then take in all this great advice before I attempt the next one.