Hefeweizen tastes like wine

Aje1967

Aje1967

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Hello,
I just tasted my hefe and it tastes like wine. I am a little early tasting it (brewed 1/30) as it my first "original" recipe and I wanted to see how it turned out. Nothing special just 57% red wheat, 25% pilsner, 8% caracrystal wheat malt and1% acidulated malt. Long mash as i tried to step mash and that did not work so well. Probably mashed vor nearly 2 hours starting around 110F and finally getting to 152 for at least 45 minutes. 1 pack of wyeast 3068. I think I fermented too high, around 74F. It was very actively fermenting and had to use blowoff tube. Ugh. Am impatient or is this beer going to be not so good.

Thanks,
 
It's infected. Probably acetobacter. Drink it as long as you can then dump it.
 
Nosybear said:
It's infected. Probably acetobacter. Drink it as long as you can then dump it.
Click to expand...
Maybe...
Warmer fermentation can produce odd flavors sometimes. Give it some time, maybe even rack to a secondary if off flavor begins to fade any at all.
 
Winelike flavors are generally either acetic acid (think vinegar) or oxidation (think sherry). A Weizen yeast at that temperature should produce a bubblegum-flavored beer, not exactly the flavors I'd associate with wine. I don't know how old the beer is but a wine-like flavor generally won't improve over time, regardless of the cause, and if it is an infection, it will only get worse. I still think the OP should drink it as long it's palatable and then dump the rest.
 
UGH! I have been quite careful with sanitation. This is disappointing news...
 
Aje1967 said:
Hello,
I just tasted my hefe and it tastes like wine. I am a little early tasting it (brewed 1/30) as it my first "original" recipe and I wanted to see how it turned out. Nothing special just 57% red wheat, 25% pilsner, 8% caracrystal wheat malt and1% acidulated malt. Long mash as i tried to step mash and that did not work so well. Probably mashed vor nearly 2 hours starting around 110F and finally getting to 152 for at least 45 minutes. 1 pack of wyeast 3068. I think I fermented too high, around 74F. It was very actively fermenting and had to use blowoff tube. Ugh. Am impatient or is this beer going to be not so good.

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Yes, you fermented too high. 74 is the top of temp limit for this yeast. I use 3068 for most every brew and it doesn't like being at that high of a temp. 64-65 is optimal starting temp for this yeast for first 3-4 days. Then can be broughtup to 70 or so to finish off for last couple of days, then it's ready to be bottled/kegged.
Over pitching hefe will result in off flavors also, which if you had to use a blowoff you may have done.

From Wyeast pag:
STRAIN:
3068
WEIHENSTEPHAN WEIZEN
™
Species: Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The classic and most popular German wheat beer strain used worldwide. This yeast strain produces a beautiful and delicate balance of banana esters and clove phenolics. The balance can be manipulated towards ester production through increasing the fermentation temperature, increasing the wort density, and decreasing the pitch rate. Over pitching can result in a near complete loss of banana character. Decreasing the ester level will allow a higher clove character to be perceived. Sulfur is commonly produced, but will dissipate with conditioning. This strain is very powdery and will remain in suspension for an extended amount of time following attenuation. This is true top cropping yeast and requires fermenter headspace of 33%.

LOW
FLOCCULATION

ATTENUATION
73-77
TEMPERATURE RANGE
64-75
10
ABV
 
I used to be a beer lover. Every weekend, I would hit up local breweries, trying out new flavors and soaking in the lively atmosphere. However, as I got older, my tolerance for alcohol started to wane. I found myself getting drunk quicker and feeling hungover for longer.
 
JasonBrooklyn said:
I used to be a beer lover. Every weekend, I would hit up local breweries, trying out new flavors and soaking in the lively atmosphere. However, as I got older, my tolerance for alcohol started to wane. I found myself getting drunk quicker and feeling hungover for longer.
Click to expand...
Drink more water.
 
Nosybear said:
It's infected. Probably acetobacter. Drink it as long as you can then dump it.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. could be any number of wild yeasts or bacteria, but something went wrong if it taste like wine. that recipe should be a good one, and fermenting on the high end will bring out the banana in the yeast. something you prolly want for a hefe.
 
Medarius said:
Yes, you fermented too high. 74 is the top of temp limit for this yeast. I use 3068 for most every brew and it doesn't like being at that high of a temp. 64-65 is optimal starting temp for this yeast for first 3-4 days. Then can be broughtup to 70 or so to finish off for last couple of days, then it's ready to be bottled/kegged.
Over pitching hefe will result in off flavors also, which if you had to use a blowoff you may have done.

From Wyeast pag:
STRAIN:
3068
WEIHENSTEPHAN WEIZEN
™
Species: Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The classic and most popular German wheat beer strain used worldwide. This yeast strain produces a beautiful and delicate balance of banana esters and clove phenolics. The balance can be manipulated towards ester production through increasing the fermentation temperature, increasing the wort density, and decreasing the pitch rate. Over pitching can result in a near complete loss of banana character. Decreasing the ester level will allow a higher clove character to be perceived. Sulfur is commonly produced, but will dissipate with conditioning. This strain is very powdery and will remain in suspension for an extended amount of time following attenuation. This is true top cropping yeast and requires fermenter headspace of 33%.

LOW
FLOCCULATION

ATTENUATION
73-77
TEMPERATURE RANGE
64-75
10
ABV
Click to expand...
fermenting too high wont cause what he is tasting.

have made a few hefes with that strain and fermented the whole time at 72F. turned out great, very much a banana bomb
 
@Aje1967
It's not clear to me if the beer is already bottled or still in the fermenter?
Uncarbed warm beer does taste quite strange.
 
JasonBrooklyn said:
I used to be a beer lover. Every weekend, I would hit up local breweries, trying out new flavors and soaking in the lively atmosphere. However, as I got older, my tolerance for alcohol started to wane. I found myself getting drunk quicker and feeling hungover for longer.
Click to expand...
That's when I discovered drinking kava. At first, I was skeptical. I had never heard of kava before and wasn't sure what to expect. But after trying it for the first time at a Kava Bar, I was hooked.
 
Ah, the bot makes it's move.
Ya know, URL links are allowed on the first post here, no need to wait or post a bunch first. But now you know that...
 
JasonBrooklyn said:
That's when I discovered drinking kava. At first, I was skeptical. I had never heard of kava before and wasn't sure what to expect. But after trying it for the first time at a Kava Bar, I was hooked.
Click to expand...
At first, I was skeptical about drinking my own homebrew, but after drinking shitloads of it, I was hooked LOL.
 
Nosybear said:
Winelike flavors are generally either acetic acid (think vinegar) or oxidation (think sherry). A Weizen yeast at that temperature should produce a bubblegum-flavored beer, not exactly the flavors I'd associate with wine. I don't know how old the beer is but a wine-like flavor generally won't improve over time, regardless of the cause, and if it is an infection, it will only get worse. I still think the OP should drink it as long it's palatable and then dump the rest.
Click to expand...
I am so glad someone has acknowledged the two common tastes I had with my early homebrew batches! Bubble gum and white wine flavors! It was discouraging. I kept mentioning it to people, but no one ever explained it how Nosy just did. Thank you! But just for argument sake, I found with my earlier "terrible" bubble gum wine tasting bottled brew would mellow out and taste a lot less like those two things if I would let it bottle condition for a couple of months. I say drink what you can or want then store it and check it in a couple of months.
 
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