Best Dried Yeast for a Hefe?

[Bassman2003]

Never had their clone, but I used to eat lunch at the Maisel Keller in Bamberg 1-2 times a week for 5 years. I particularly liked their Bamberger Weisse. I've also been to Maisel's in Bayreuth.

All around awesome as Maisel's Weisse is a great one. Thick and chewy with lots of banana. I think TGFB is looking for a recipe clone though.

 

[Bassman2003]

A follow up after reading the above link about Brewing Bavarian Weissbier:

The article talks about a lot of great things including increasing banana flavors. It mentions the Maltase process by Herrmann. You need to read the article but this text has me wondering:

"Home brewers can significantly simplify the maltase process by mashing in at 45°C adding about one third of the extract or 20% of the grain bill in the form of readily available malt extract."

Anybody tried this workaround? I read about some people doing the real mash program but adding 20% DME and doing a normal step mash seems a lot easier.

 

[Saunassa]

Currently have an extract hefeweisen using Munich classic fermenting in a basement closet. Temp is 66-67 in there and I am using half inch tubing through a bung for blow off. Sounds like that old Disney Flubber movie with all the bubbling in the bucket.

 

[Saunassa]

Happy to report it still has the krausen on top even if it has slowed down and now has a has four or five second between bubbles, can still see the yeast or is it their fart bubbles still moving. Much different then US-05 pale ale which lasted a few days then again that was fermented at 72 degrees.

 

[thehaze]

I am now fermenting a new Hefe using Danstar Munich Classic. 50% Crisp Wheat + 50% Crisp Best malts. 15 gr Mandarina Bavaria and 1 sachet of yeast. OG was 1.049 and this was brewed 2 days ago, on June 21 and fermentation started a few hours after pitching the yeast. Yesterday, my oversized airlock with 2 gal headspace inside the fermenter, was again blown up by the fermentation. This time, I mashed at 68C/155F, as opposed to only 65C/149F last time, just trying to get a bit more body in there.

This yeast is a monster and judging by the way it ferments, 1 sachet would be enough for anything up to 1.060. Easily!

I will post back with tasting notes, once finished and carbonated. But for me, this is one dry yeast to use again, simply just for the "mess" and aromas.

Cheers!

 

[Saunassa]

Active fermentation stopped and I installed my airlock yesterday. Krausen has fallen but I still see things moving around. Bubbles are far between. Glad I used the 1/2 in line directly through the stopper for the four days of really active fermentation or my airlock would have blown. Put my head in the bucket when active (sounds strange) and I could smell the banana and maybe a little spiciness. Will take gravity reading tomorrow to see what's up. Maybe a taste too!

 

[Bassman2003]

Always happy to hear when folks have good results with dry yeast. I do not use it much but it is so much more convenient. If it could level up with liquid yeast things would be better for the homebrewing world.

 

[Saunassa]

Since I live over 100 miles from the closest lhbs having dry yeast on hand is my best choice when weather is hot or below zero.

 

[universalfrost]

munich classic has shown to be identical to wlp300 ...

my vote is munich classic....

many years living in germany sampling their heffe and many years brewing it (im headed back to frankfurt area next week in fact).. so my idea of german heffe is spot on to their style..

 

[mulletmaster]

I have a Paulaner clone going now with Munich Classic, i am hoping for more German character than my last hef.

 

[Saunassa]

Just bottled up my Hefeweisen which I used the Munich Classic versus the provided WB-06. Drank

a couple sample glasses from the hygrometer cylinder. Very nice balance of banana to clove. Neither is overwhelming. Will be interesting after it conditions for a week or two to see how the flavors develop.

 

[dbals]

I did a Weizenbock with Munich Classic, my notes and link to my blog with tilt (fermentor) info and a link to my current tilt page with recipe and such

"I like this beer a lot. banana aroma, medium body, low bitterness and super easy drinking with reasonable ABV. This is a beer one could drink all night! Pretty easy brewday, started ~8:30pm with strike water. Finished about 1:30am with the cleanup. Fermented hard and fast 64-66 degrees and it raced up to 75 as it was finising. Used 2 110V elements, with low boil-off. The wort tasted very good- collected ~6gal. This is a really good and easy drinking beer! This is a keeper. I have received very positive reviews on this beer, most included "I can drink this all night"! "




https://blindmonkbrewing.blogspot.com/

https://goo.gl/JCF1pl


Dan B

 

[thehaze]

I brewed yet another Hefe with Munich Classic and now tasting it. This time I used 50% English Wheat + 50% English Pale Malt. 4.9% ABV, mashed at 68C/154F and it is " rounder " than the first attempt. Next time, I will up the temp. to 69C/156-157F and use a bit more wheat ( around 65% ) and add a bit of Weyermann Abbey malt ( sort of a low diastatic specialty malt, which lends a more " malty " presence to the beer ).

Tasting notes for the present reiteration are: pleasent tart, good wheatty notes, with a rounder malt profile, better mouthfeel, great balance between banana and clove, although, there are subtle fruity notes as well. Even if the 1st one was " drier ", I still liked it a lot. It seems this dry yeast makes good, balanced hefes. Next time, I will use a bit of sucrose, as it seems to help the banana esters. / something I read once.

I will also brew a Weizenbock with Munich Classic, with additions of lactose, vanilla beans, mango, peaches and apricots, just for kicks. Hopefully around 7-7.5% ABV. I'm really looking forward for this.

 

[Smellyglove]

A follow up after reading the above link about Brewing Bavarian Weissbier:

The article talks about a lot of great things including increasing banana flavors. It mentions the Maltase process by Herrmann. You need to read the article but this text has me wondering:

"Home brewers can significantly simplify the maltase process by mashing in at 45°C adding about one third of the extract or 20% of the grain bill in the form of readily available malt extract."

Anybody tried this workaround? I read about some people doing the real mash program but adding 20% DME and doing a normal step mash seems a lot easier.

I do this when I feel like it, about 50% of the hefes I make, maybe more. It works, but it's simpler to add glucose directly to the wort, although it's not as fun

 

[Saunassa]

Took one for the team and just drank a beer 1 week in the bottle. Slightly tart, notes of banana and clove, neither over powering. Really like it, hopefully another week and will be slightly more carbed. Munich Classic, will use again. Btw, next time will do biab vs extract.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Looks great to me!

 

[Bassman2003]

I do this when I feel like it, about 50% of the hefes I make, maybe more. It works, but it's simpler to add glucose directly to the wort, although it's not as fun

Thanks. So when do you add the glucose? Isn't glucose just sugar which seems like a non-German thing to do!

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks. So when do you add the glucose? Isn't glucose just sugar which seems like a non-German thing to do!

Theoretically yes, but in this case it enhances the production of some esthers which then will give you more of the typical Hefe flavour associated with the style. We Germans do utilize a workaround to get more glucose in the wort, but if you are not completely obsesed with this stupid Reinheitsgebot, then I would suggest to simplify the process by adding glucose directly.

I once read a brilliant article about Hefe with basically all up to date informations we have... let me look if I can find it.....

I think it was this one:
https://braumagazin.de/article/brewing-bavarian-weissbier-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know/

Edit:
@Northern_Brewer
Do you think this glucose esther production enhancement thing described in the article could be also aplicable to english yeasts and their esther production? Little english flavour boost by adding glucose?

 

[Bassman2003]

Yes thanks. That was the article I quoted in my post above. It mentions malt extract. What form is the glucose you are speaking of? Corn sugar?

 

[Smellyglove]

You can use corn sugar as it's glucose.

You get more esters from simpler sugars, from all yeasts, afaik.

I haven't tried using pure glucose. I use my own take on a hermann-verfahren mash, and it gets extremely estery when using speise at least. The big ester bomb comes from refermentation in the bottle, speise and time is key.

 

[Bassman2003]

Thanks. I will have to experiment with this approach.

 

[thehaze]

I just wanted to give some feedback on my two brews using Munich Classic. The beers were estery enough, with a bit more banana due to my fermentation temperature.

I have however noticed that the beers tend to clear out pretty nicely in the bottle. If I were to pour only 90% of the beer, the beer would come out alomost clear, like a Kristall hefe, which looks very nice and is very tasty. By adding the last 10%, the beer would turn hazy, like a hefe should be.

My thoughts are that this yeast can be used to make a Kristall hefe without too much effort, seeing that both recipes used 50% Weyermann Wheat malt.

Cheers.

 

[CAvellan]

Note. I've attached a picture of the beer fermenting.

Looks great. A couple of questions:
1) Did you use yeast nutrient?
2) Did you get any tart/bubblegum finish or was it a soft finish?
3) Do you recall what was the pH of your water or wort?

 

[thehaze]

Looks great. A couple of questions:
1) Did you use yeast nutrient?
2) Did you get any tart/bubblegum finish or was it a soft finish?
3) Do you recall what was the pH of your water or wort?

Hi there. Here are the replies to your questions, in the same order:

1. No, I did not use yeast nutrient. I actually underpitched.
2. There was a slight tartness in the taste. The Bubblegum/overripe banana showed itself during fermentation, and especially when it blew up like that.
3. Mash pH water for that particular batch was around 5.2. Defintely too low. I've since adjusted and go for 5.4-5.5.

On December 13, I bottled a Dark Weizenbock using Munich Classic. It fermented at a low temperature. It is now in bottles and I've tried one, at 4 days. Had plenty carbonation, but it was green. It came out at 8.9%, and there is a hint of warming alcohol, but just a hint. It's fruity, a bit toasty and roasty, sweet, a bit of plum/cherry/dark caramel malt thing in there. The phenolics do come through. I'm unsure about the banana. I'll be trying another bottle again soon and check if there are any proeminent esters.

 

[Saunassa]

I just wanted to give some feedback on my two brews using Munich Classic. The beers were estery enough, with a bit more banana due to my fermentation temperature.

I have however noticed that the beers tend to clear out pretty nicely in the bottle. If I were to pour only 90% of the beer, the beer would come out alomost clear, like a Kristall hefe, which looks very nice and is very tasty. By adding the last 10%, the beer would turn hazy, like a hefe should be.

My thoughts are that this yeast can be used to make a Kristall hefe without too much effort, seeing that both recipes used 50% Weyermann Wheat malt.

Cheers.

Two people I share mine with one swirls it up which I think gives it more of a pillowy/softness to it and the other prefers it like a kristalweisen.

 

[thehaze]

Dark Weizenbock - 11 days in the bottle:

 

[thehaze]

It came out at 8.9% ABV. I fermented at around 63F/17C for the first 2 days and then ramped the temperature to 68F/20C for the remaining of fermentation. I bottled it at 13 days.

Aroma: there's clear notes of dark fruit, cherry-cherry stone, not neccessarily banana, but an overall overripe fruitiness and a hint of alcohol. But just a hint.
Flavour: sweet, malty, dark fruity, again the cherry-cherry stew kinda of flavour is there, there are minor phenols, but not banana. A a slight alcohol warnth, not unpleansent though. Overall, it's good. I've never made a Weizenbock before. It will probably be better after 1 month.

I will say that Munich Classic does seem to perform better in lighter styles, but then again, my fermentation temperature was low ( due to conditions I couldn't mitigate ), so maybe when fermented warm, it would be more proeminent.