Tasteless Hefe-Weizen

[kgaugler]

I recently brewed an American Hefe-Weizen that came out conspicuously devoid of flavor. I'm talking like watered-down Coors Light! I'm really confused. Everything seemed right. OG was 1.040 and the final was 1.007 but it is flavorless. Any insight on what may have happened? Oh yeah, I used a kit that I received for Christmas from Northern Brewer (who I've never used before and probably will never again.)

[yonkersbrewer]

What kind of yeast was included in the kit? If it was generic dry yeast that my be the reason. While I love and use dry yeast for most of my brewing there are times when the yeast makes all of the difference and contributes most if not all of the flavor. Wheat beers are one of those times.

You need to let the collective know what was in the kit to get the best help.

[kgaugler]

I should have given more information... the kit used 6# of Wheat Malt extract (65% wheat), Tettnang hops (pellets) for bittering and aroma, and White Labs #WLP320 American Hefe-Weizen liquid yeast. I always use the liquid yeast because IMO it gives a more authentic flavor (But not this time.) Primary was at 68F for 8 days and secondary at 66F for 10 days.

[brewmonkey]

White Labs American Hefe will not produce the phenolics that Weinstephen will.

[ZSK]

kgaugler, I've used Northern lots and find their products excellent. If you think you've got a yeast problem, I bet they'll take care of it for you. Did you call them? They have a very helpful "advice" line.

Good Luck! I know how disappointing a bad batch can be.

[kgaugler]

Im not sure that the problem was the yeast or anything else with the kit. Everything seemed fine during the fermenting and everything else. Just doesn't have any flavor. It is drinkable and would actually be very refreshing in the summertime, just not what I had expected. I'll probably bottle it up from the keg and save it for a hot summer day (it's cold here in the Northeast right now.) I have an Redhook ESB clone brewing now that I should have ready next week.... Thanks for everyone's input.

[danno]

This from White Labs website:

"This yeast is used to produce the Oregon style American Hefeweizen. Unlike WLP300, this yeast produces a very slight amount of the banana and clove notes. It produces some sulfur, but is otherwise a clean fermenting yeast, which does not flocculate well, producing a cloudy beer."

I noticed you switched from the default yeast that came with the kit, Wyeast 3333, which I believe is closer to WLP300. I think that's why you didn't get what you were aiming for...

[kgaugler]

Thanks Danno, like I said, it was a gift from folks. Not sure why they would have switched yeast strain though. Probably the old man.... he's kinda an American Macro Brew guy who don't like alot of flavor in his beer;)

[mmmBeer...]

I have done about 6 hefe’s (one of my favourite beers) and I have stayed away from the American Hefe yeast because I really like the banana and clove notes. I have tried the whitelabs WLP300 and the WLP 380 (HefeIV). I find I prefer the 300 as I really like the banana flavours.

Hefe’s have very minimal hops and minimal specialty grains…therefore most of the flavour comes from the yeast. I can only imagine that with the 320 yeast you are getting very little of the flavours the others produce…therefore your beer would not have a great deal of flavour.

I have had a few beers that are called wheat beers and to be honest they taste exactly as you describe. I can only contribute this to the strain of yeast.

[paul84043]

Unfortunately, that's what you get when you make an "American" style beer.....beer with no taste.

We love Hefe's in our house and stick primarily to the white labs Hefe IV, or the traditional German style Hefe... Good stuff!!
I made the American style once just to try it and it was okay, but I ended up mostly giving it to visitors that don't really know what beer is supposed to taste like.

[kgaugler]

Thanks everyone. Next time I will use a German style Hefe and see the difference. That's the great thing about homebrew, you keep what you like and make little changes to make good even better.

[mmmBeer...]

Be prepared for a big difference! As I said I love the stuff…but most people I know (even people that experiment with different beers) had never tasted a true hefe, and are shocked by the flavour profile.

One thing I wanted to ask, and see if anyone else has had the same experience. I have found that with Hefes, people either love it or hate it…I have never had someone say “its okay”. The reaction I get is either “wow, that is really good” or “yuck…beer shouldn’t taste like banana”.

[kgaugler]

Yeah, I do see that. I have a friend who absolutely HATES Hefes. His question to me when we discussed my batch was "Why did you make a Hefe in the first place?" Oh well, as the saying goes.... More for Me!!

[davesarman]

Originally posted by mmmBeer...
One thing I wanted to ask, and see if anyone else has had the same experience. I have found that with Hefes, people either love it or hate it…I have never had someone say “its okay”. The reaction I get is either “wow, that is really good” or “yuck…beer shouldn’t taste like banana”.

Yep, I have experienced the same thing. People I've seen sample it for the first time either love it or hate. I personally love it in the summer and it's one of my wife's favorite styles as well. If she has one at a bar that is poured from a bottle, she always makes sure they get all the yeast from the bottom of the bottle in the glass! Gotta love a woman like that!

[paul84043]

I love Hefe's I think they are fantastic, and I really like that fact that they get done quickly...

Whatever you do, don't ruin it by sticking a lemon in it! That's the American way of giving it a taste.

THe German style White Labs will bive you a good balanced Banana/Clove flavor, the Hefe IV will have less of the banana flavor. I don't really know which I like better, I think probably the classic German style.

I have a Hefe kit that I need to cook up this weekend...I can't wait!!

[mmmBeer...]

Paul…let us know how it turns out! As I said I prefer the WLP 300, but I may have to try and experiment with the 380. From what I understand the temp of the brew has a lot to do with the phenolics the yeast produces. Since I made both in the summer with relatively high temps I had a very strong banana or clove note. (Not that I am complaining…I love it!)

[burritosandbeer]

Originally posted by paul84043
Whatever you do, don't ruin it by sticking a lemon in it! That's the American way of giving it a taste.


see thats the difference between german heffes and american ones.

an american one should be citrusey. a half oz crushed coriander seed, some orange peel, and a sometimes a little fresh orange juice can make a great american heffe. thats why the american one doesnt give you the same banana and clove flavors as the german ones.

just a different style, no worse or better. personally i prefer a good citrus american heffe, i dont care much for sweet or fruity beers (a good cherry wheat exception here)

[paul84043]

It's always fun to give an "un-initiated" person their first real Hefeweizen, their reaction is almost always the same, "WOW....is it SUPPOSED to have that much flavor?" .
Hefe's have got to be one of the most flavorful beers out there, or should be at least.
They made the tasteless American version because that's what we're programmed that beer should be, tasteless. The only flavor you get from an American Hefe is the fruit wedge you put in it. Why not just drink lemon iced tea?

I have actually made two batches since my post, one we've already begun to dip into. It was a standard hefe with the HefeIV White labs yeast. It has a little less banana flavor so the clove becomes very prominent.
I like to keep a batch of both the IV and the standard White Labs German style Hefe around just to mix things up a bit.
I made one batch with White Labs' American Hefe yeast, never again....it sat on the shelf until the other hefe's were gone and even then didn't move very fast...
We go through ALOT of hefeweizen in my house, it's easy, fast, and tastes fantastic.

[mmmBeer...]

Mmmm, you got me thinking about my spring brewing! I have a few ale yeasts to go through and then I can start into my summer beers. You know that a hefe will be at the top of my list!

[Lamprey]

I hear ya. I couldn't wait - trying to hurry summer along - started a hefe a couple weekends ago...my first!

Fermentation is slowing - in secondary - I was wondering if there is any reason to cool, or not to cool, prior to bottling. What do you folks do? I've been having good success clearing other beers by cooling to around 50 - 55 *F for a few days prior to bottling....not sure how appropriate or necessary this is for hefes.

[mmmBeer...]

Well…depending on the yeast you use you will get very little clearing of the beer. Hefe yeast is meant to stay in suspension. The whitelabs yeasts all list flocculation as low. Besides I like my hefes nice and cloudy! It is kinda like ambiance…