Omega Bananza yeast - for Hefeweizen

[Kealia]

I came across this the other day and I'm very interested in testing this in a Hef. I stopped making them because I couldn't get the massive banana with little clove profile that I was looking for. I messed with temps, pitch rate, open fermentation, etc. and the clove was always just more than I wanted. So this strain, that had the phenolic capabilities bred out (for lack of a better description from me) is exciting.

With any luck, I'll pick some up this week and dial up a hef this weekend for the first time in a long time.

https://omegayeast.com/yeast/ales/bananza-ale

[Beer-lord]

I too am anti clove and not even a huge fan of banana's in beer but I would give it a shot.
I especially like the fact that it's almost a 'set it and forget it' yeast and there's less worry about tight, temperature control.

[berryman]

This has my interest too as I always make atleast one Hef a year. I think I ferment to cold to get the Banana, and have used both wyeast and Whitelabs. Also I think I over pitch for that style of beer.

[mashani]

This has my interest too as I always make atleast one Hef a year. I think I ferment to cold to get the Banana, and have used both wyeast and Whitelabs. Also I think I over pitch for that style of beer.

Yeah, with "normal" yeast you have to pitch at a low-moderate rate (not my typical rates), and ferment very warm to banana without much clove.

Cool and/or high pitch rates will get you mostly cloves and very little banana.

I can also recommend Wyeast 3638 as an alternative kind of yeast, it makes other fruit flavors besides banana (apples, pears, stone fruit) and has some vanilla like flavor as well that mellows out the cloves.

[berryman]

On the last hef I made last May I used wlp-300 with a 1 LT starter. Yes got banana but clove also and rather have a touch more banana, so I see morebeer has this yeast and will try it on the next one closer to summer. Want to hear what Kealia thinks on it before am ready to.

[mashani]

Probably doesn't matter to most of you, but just in case (and it does to much of Europe which is why that Omega yeast is likely for sale in the US only) - it's very much a GMO.

[Kealia]

Probably doesn't matter to most of you, but just in case (and it does to much of Europe which is why that Omega yeast is likely for sale in the US only) - it's very much a GMO.

That's a great callout for those that will want to take that into consideration. Not a concern for me, but a good callout nonetheless.

I should be picking up my supplies on Wednesday for a weekend brew. I was going to do a small 2.5G batch, but if I'm brewing I might as well make it a full 5-er. I can always share/give some away, but I won't have that option if I don't brew a full batch. So, go big or go home, right?

[Kealia]

I picked up the supplies and yeast today for brewing this weekend. I'll keep this thread updated with results.

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[Kealia]

Made my starter last night and brewed this morning. Pitched at high krausen of the starter and off it goes!

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[Kealia]

@berryman - what I can tell you so far is: leave plenty of headspace!

I haven't done a hef in so long I forgot how much krausen there is. Fortunately I use a blowoff tube because it pumped a ton of yeast through the tub and into my jar of Starsan. No harm done, but had I not had a blowoff tube this would have been messy. Pitched at 12:00 on Saturday and it's done blowing yeast out, but still bubbling away solidly today (Tuesday).

[berryman]

@berryman - what I can tell you so far is: leave plenty of headspace!

I haven't done a hef in so long I forgot how much krausen there is. Fortunately I use a blowoff tube because it pumped a ton of yeast through the tub and into my jar of Starsan. No harm done, but had I not had a blowoff tube this would have been messy. Pitched at 12:00 on Saturday and it's done blowing yeast out, but still bubbling away solidly today (Tuesday).

Kealia, I think you have the same Ss fermenter I use and a 7 gal. I put 5.5 in it and have used a blow-off sometimes. What temp and OG on this? Why I am asking, I want to try it too.

[Kealia]

Yes, I do have that same fermenter.
I put 5.5G in @ 1.052 and set my fermentation temp at 72 (range on this yeast is 64 - 75 so that gave me a couple of degrees to raise it near the end to help it finish).
So yeah, you definitely want your blow off this time!

[Kealia]

@berryman, I just got around to kegging today and this is what the fermentor looked like.

I'm currently soaking my blow off tube in PBW and there was 4 inches of yeast in the blowoff jar.

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[berryman]

I just ordered the grains for a Hef and the OYL400 yeast from Morebeer but the yeast was out of stock in PA and is coming from Cal., hope not to cold between there and here next week. I am going to build a 2 L starter and pitch 1/2 and save the other for another Hef or maybe try it on something else.

[Kealia]

I've been derelict in updating this thread....sorry.

The yeast performed really well in terms of a quick and clean fermentation. It throw off crazy banana smells during fermentation, but they didn't carry through much to the final product. I was expecting damn near a banana-heavy wheat beer, but it's much more subtle. There is a little something 'earthy' in the aroma that I thought at first WAS clove, but I think it's from a very small late-addition of hops I did (screwed up, didn't mean to).

There is a hint of maybe orange citrus in the flavor, but definitely no clove. It turned out lighter in flavor (banana) than I intended, but it makes for a nice light wheat beer. It's almost like a session-hef (not that they aren't already low ABV).

So I slightly tainted my hef with that small late addition, but overall it made for a nice, light, subtle banana/citrus wheat beer.

I'm interested to hear berryman's review to see if the earthy tones I'm getting are in fact from the hops, or from the yeast.