First Taste

Tonight I tried my first ever home brew that I made myself. I made a Midwest Supplies "Hanks Hefeweisen" using "White Labs" yeast. The reviews stated bubblegum and banana. I thought to myself that's never going to happen its a beer. First sip it hit me instantly with bananas, and finished with bubblegum. I have it to my wife who had no idea what it would taste like and she says the same thing. It was interesting for the first glass, had no desire for a second..Not sure I like that flavor combo very much, I know next time to believe what the reviews say.

Guess we will see how I feel tomorrow

The banana is esters that are typical and DESIRED for a Hefewiezen yeast.

The bubblegum would indicate an error in fermentation, typically fermenting too high. Did you ferment at room temp?

The Hefeweizen would have had more of a clove character with no banana or bubblegum if you had fermented it low.

That ester production is completely controlable, you just didn't control it.

Reading up on it now, I fermented it way to high, I had a buddy help and he told me to keep it low 70s for the first couple days, which I did. I read yesterday up at this temp it turns into "bubble gum bomb" and for the correct flavor ferment in the low to mid 60s.

It was my first batch and I did no research on it, just followed the direction and advice of a brewing buddy.. Always learning from mistakes allows it to not happen again

As for the banana flavor, I guess I am just not used to that in the commercial Hefs that I really like. The one I made tastes nothing like the Pyramid and Widmer Brothers that I am used to..

I feel very confident in my brewing up until fermentation and kegging, that I still need much practice in, but I will get there, I just need more research and experience

If the yeast flavors really don't appeal to you (the flavors you mention come from the yeast) you could simply substitute a yeast with a cleaner flavor.

High 70's ferment temps with Hefeweizen yeast = Banana Bomb.

I try to keep my Hefe ferments near 65 degrees. Gives a decent trade off of banana and clove.

White Labs and Wyeast both have "American Wheat" yeast strains that will give you more flavor profile like a Widmer Hefe. Which has little to no banana or clove.

Gary

Traditional Bavarian and German Hefewiezens, like Paulander, Tucher, Erdinger, typically feature the banana flavor. I personally haven't had the Pyramid, and I know I've had the Widmer, but honestly can't remember it.

Basically, a Hefe yeast is "designed" to purposefully give off esters, which are desireable in the Hefe style. Ferment on the low end of the optimum fermentation range, and Hefe yeast gives off esters that taste like kindy smokey, spicy cloves. Ferment at the high end of the optimum fermentation range, and the yeast gives off esters that taste like banana. Ferment in the middle of the optimum range, and you get a combo of both.

The Widmer Bros. and Pyramid would exhibit one of those three characteristics, or they couldn't call themselves Hefewizens.

Like the last poster said, if you don't want those characteristics, you probably want to use at least a wheat yeast that is a little more neutral, or just pick a different style altogether where the yeast isn't the primary flavor of the beer.