What Hefeweizen yeast gives off a banana flavor

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pat2002tii

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I am brewing a hefeweizen and want to get a little banana flavor. I know there is a yeast that give off a banana flavor, but can't remember what number it is.


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WY3068 will have more banana flavor if pitched low and fermented at high temperature, within the yeasts optimum range though.
 
Wyeast 3056

I just used this in a wheat beer, and it produced a lot of banana flavors.

The banana flavor has mellowed out a bit after a couple of months int he bottle, but at first it was very strong.

Fermented it about 68 degrees, but the natural heat rise of the fermentation process brought it up to the low 70's.
 
You will get banana out of most Belgian or hefe yeasts if you ferment them toward the upper temperature limit for the yeast. Just watch that it doesn't get too high for risk of fusels etc.

Remember, temperature is of the fermenting beer, not the ambient air!
 
Im using WLP 380 right now not sure about the flavour to much because its still fermenting but my whole closet smells like Bananas Holy!!!
 
I recently used wyeast 3638, and I think I found a winner!

I used 3068 a few times before with good results, but the 3638 is far superior in flavor imo. Plus, it isn't as stinky while fermenting...
 
Im using WLP 380 right now not sure about the flavour to much because its still fermenting but my whole closet smells like Bananas Holy!!!

Second that. I've done this one hefe recipe a few times and it tastes like it's been racked on a whole bushel.
 
Only thing you need to be careful with if you go ith WLP 380 - leave lots of space for krausen. I read reviews that said to and didnt expect how high it actually got luckily i got a 11 gallon fermenter so I was in the clear but just an FYI

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**Dont mind the pink towel poor ex student here stole it from moms!!
 
I have Wyeast 3068 fermenting a batch of German Hefe right now and it's giving off a very banana like aroma.
 
Second that. I've done this one hefe recipe a few times and it tastes like it's been racked on a whole bushel.
What temperature did you ferment at? I'll be brewing one in the next few weeks and i'm curious to a ferment schedule or just one temp. Then cold crash.
 
Lalbrew Munich Classic is a good dry yeast substitute for all the yeasts mentioned above. Like any hefeweizen yeast strain it produces banana and clove flavors and aromas
 
What temperature did you ferment at? I'll be brewing one in the next few weeks and i'm curious to a ferment schedule or just one temp. Then cold crash.

He's not going to answer you since he left the forum 8 years ago. So I'll answer:

If you like banana, ferment warm, about 68 F or 20 C.

If you prefer clove, ferment cooler, about 62 F or 17 C.

If you like both, ferment in between.

Do not cold crash a weissbier.
 
I recently smelled my fermentor and thought "wow this really smells like bananas!" and did some googling and read some things that it could be esters or funky stuff going on. Glad to know I'm not the only one though. I used WB-06
 
He's not going to answer you since he left the forum 8 years ago. So I'll answer:

If you like banana, ferment warm, about 68 F or 20 C.

If you prefer clove, ferment cooler, about 62 F or 17 C.

If you like both, ferment in between.

Do not cold crash a weissbier.
I'll be using wlp380 and initally planned on making a starter but read not to. I plan on fermenting at 68 for the banana flavor for my wife. why not cold crash? Just to keep the haze? Or just lower the temp to like 50ish. Then keg.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. i'm planning on brewing this next weekend going to pressure ferment after 2 days and see how it finishes.
 
+1 3068 ferment warm. If you ferment at the low end of the temp range it will produce more clove flavor than bananna. Ferment at the higher end for more bananna. I have fermented this at 90 degrees in the past and it was one of the best wheat beers I ever made.
 
+1 3068 ferment warm. If you ferment at the low end of the temp range it will produce more clove flavor than bananna. Ferment at the higher end for more bananna. I have fermented this at 90 degrees in the past and it was one of the best wheat beers I ever made.
I wanted 3068 but ended up with wlp380. Gunna do 68F and record everything.
 
I see this is an older thread but wanted to add whatever yeast is used you might want to also look into open fermentation. It boosts the overall flavor profile of the yeast. You just have to make sure to transfer not long after high krausen since the protective layer of c02 will mostly be gone by then. I've had some really tasty hefe's that have been open fermented.
 
I was stationed in Germany for 10 years and drank more than my fair share of Hefe Weizens. I have tried all the tricks to get the flavor and aroma of a German Hefe Weizen that I loved but none ever worked until my last batch. I took some to my drinking buddy from Germany and after his first swallow said "Now that's the taste I've been missing'"

Yeast: Lallemand Munich Classic dry yeast @ 68 degrees.
I open ferment in a 15 gallon sterilite container from WalMart. Like bobeer says, I bottle soon after the krausen falls.
 
I was stationed in Germany for 10 years and drank more than my fair share of Hefe Weizens. I have tried all the tricks to get the flavor and aroma of a German Hefe Weizen that I loved but none ever worked until my last batch. I took some to my drinking buddy from Germany and after his first swallow said "Now that's the taste I've been missing'"

Yeast: Lallemand Munich Classic dry yeast @ 68 degrees.
I open ferment in a 15 gallon sterilite container from WalMart. Like bobeer says, I bottle soon after the krausen falls.
I'm 7 days in and 1.012 FG. Do you think i should leave it in for 7 more to clean up? Or go to 70F for 2 days and keg? It's still off gassing and really stinky like egg farts but tastes amazing . Krausen fell after like 3 days.
 
I'm 7 days in and 1.012 FG. Do you think i should leave it in for 7 more to clean up? Or go to 70F for 2 days and keg? It's still off gassing and really stinky like egg farts but tastes amazing . Krausen fell after like 3 days.
Are you open fermenting? If so, I'd definitely close it up and let it finish. 1.012 is probably close to or at terminal gravity but it could clean things up for another few days imo. If not open fermenting then I'd let it sit for a few more days at 70 then keg.
 
I'm 7 days in and 1.012 FG. Do you think i should leave it in for 7 more to clean up? Or go to 70F for 2 days and keg? It's still off gassing and really stinky like egg farts but tastes amazing . Krausen fell after like 3 days.
When I open fermented my last two I bottled after the krausen fell, at about 10 days.
 
I see this is an older thread but wanted to add whatever yeast is used you might want to also look into open fermentation. It boosts the overall flavor profile of the yeast. You just have to make sure to transfer not long after high krausen since the protective layer of c02 will mostly be gone by then. I've had some really tasty hefe's that have been open fermented.

I'm planning to do a weizenbock soon (although the wheat malt I thought I had is actually rye malt. I'll use it anyway and I guess it will be a roggenbock) using Munich Classic. I usually ferment 4 gallons in a 5-gallon bucket, or 5 gallons in a 6. Then transfer to a carboy when the fermentation slows down or the krausen falls. Is it ready to be bottled at that point instead of bulk aging for a week or so to cleanup and finish?
 
I'm planning to do a weizenbock soon (although the wheat malt I thought I had is actually rye malt. I'll use it anyway and I guess it will be a roggenbock) using Munich Classic. I usually ferment 4 gallons in a 5-gallon bucket, or 5 gallons in a 6. Then transfer to a carboy when the fermentation slows down or the krausen falls. Is it ready to be bottled at that point instead of bulk aging for a week or so to cleanup and finish?

Don't rush it. Don't rack it until it is done-done. It is safe to rack or bottle after it is done-done (gravity is stable) for about 3 days.

I love roggenbock, yum.
 
After 14 days fermentation then another week at 35°f on 15psi co2. It's pretty good. Banana and slight clove flavor with some fruity notes . I think the helga hops may have something to do with it also.
I thought mandarina bavaria hops at one point because they were supposed to have an orang-ish flavor.
 
I'm planning to do a weizenbock soon (although the wheat malt I thought I had is actually rye malt. I'll use it anyway and I guess it will be a roggenbock) using Munich Classic. I usually ferment 4 gallons in a 5-gallon bucket, or 5 gallons in a 6. Then transfer to a carboy when the fermentation slows down or the krausen falls. Is it ready to be bottled at that point instead of bulk aging for a week or so to cleanup and finish?
I'd agree with the 'don't rush it' approach. It'll benefit from another 3-7 days to clean things up and to get some age on it at a slightly higher temp.
 
There's a cheap and easy trick to boost banana in Weissbier even more: just add some Dextrose to the grist. Weissbier yeasts convert pure Dextrose to banana esters.

Lallemand published an article on their experiment where they added Dextrose, 10 g per 1 L of wort, fermented it with Lalbrew Munich Classic at 20°C and registered a significant increase in banana esters. Here's about that: Could adding Glucose give more Banana flavour to your Hefeweizen?

There's also the Hermann Verfahren mashing method aimed to get the same effect without adding Dextrose: you step-mash half of the grains to a complete convertion and then add in another half of the grist in cold water to rest the whole mash at 45°C to naturally produce more Dextrose from the Maltose already present in the mash, and then you proceed with further stepped rests or with decoctions.

UPD:
Today I'm brewing a batch using the Hermann Verfahren Method, will ferment it with Lalbrew Munich Classic. I've been never fully satisfied with the level of esters I was getting from this yeast, so will see if it's different this time and if it's worth the effort of the double, six-stepped mashing. Will share the experience when the beer is ready.
My mashing schedule is like following:

Mash in 50% of the Grist:
Mash 20' @45°C / 113°F (1:3 grain to water ratio)
Mash 45' @62°C / 144°F (1:5 grain to water ratio)
Mash 20' @70° C / 158°F
Add 50% of the Grist + cold water, whole mash is cooled to 45°C / 113°F
Mash 45' @45°C / 113°F
Mash 20' @62°C / 144°F
Mash 20' @70°C / 158°F
Boil 60'
 
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I dont get why its so hard. I do 50/50 pils to wheat and run 3068 with a blow off tube without temp regulating. Ive learned that yeast kicks a bunch of banana at higher that 74 temps.
 

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