First time using Belgian ale yeast

[samale]

I have been brewing a fair bit of time. First time trying a Belgian ale yeast. It was cml. I went for a recipe with what I had
4kg base malt
500g cara-munich 1
50g sladek flameout
50 sladek dry hop after 5 days

I am struggling with the taste. It's only two weeks in the bottle it's just not what I am used to. What should I get from a Belgian yeast flavour wise.

 

[Cwrw666]

I'm about half way through drinking my first attempt at Greg Hughes Belgian Witbier. Not to my taste either, so I bought a bottle of that Blue Moon stuff from Tescos to see how it should taste. Almost exactly the same. Don't think I'll be making this stuff again.
Yeast : fermentis wb-06.
Just tastes of bananas...

 

[Oneflewover]

This probably isn't very helpful, but its a bit like asking what should I get from English yeast taste-wise. There is such variation and then it depends upon temperature, pitching rate etc.

 

[Alex.mc]

especially if it's higher in ABV..... Belgians often short age quite well. Duvel ages 90 days straight off the bat.
I did one recently and fresh it's bananas all the way! But I like that so it's no problem for me. A month down the line though and the banana aspect has muted somewhat, and is a bit less "in yer face!"
Stick them in the cellar and try one in a month.

 

[prog99]

I have been brewing a fair bit of time. First time trying a Belgian ale yeast. It was cml. I went for a recipe with what I had
4kg base malt
500g cara-munich 1
50g sladek flameout
50 sladek dry hop after 5 days

I am struggling with the taste. It's only two weeks in the bottle it's just not what I am used to. What should I get from a Belgian yeast flavour wise.

This may seem like a particularly daft question but what were you expecting, have you tried many belgium ales?
I've used cml belgium and thought it was right on the mark.

 

[MickDundee]

I'm about half way through drinking my first attempt at Greg Hughes Belgian Witbier. Not to my taste either, so I bought a bottle of that Blue Moon stuff from Tescos to see how it should taste. Almost exactly the same. Don't think I'll be making this stuff again.
Yeast : fermentis wb-06.
Just tastes of bananas...

Isn’t WB-06 a German Hefeweizen yeast rather than a Belgian Witbier yeast? T-58 is the Fermentis Witbier yeast IIRC.

 

[samale]

This may seem like a particularly daft question but what were you expecting, have you tried many belgium ales?
I've used cml belgium and thought it was right on the mark.

Your spot on I didn't have an expectation. It was a try it and see what happens. First time trying a yeast that wasn't S04,05 or cml real ale yeast. It's definitely different. And your right I have nothing really to compare it to. Think this might sit a while.

 

[Cwrw666]

Isn’t WB-06 a German Hefeweizen yeast rather than a Belgian Witbier yeast? T-58 is the Fermentis Witbier yeast IIRC

GH gives Wyeast 3944 in the recipe, but also WB-06 in the yeast pages as an alternative. As it's a dry yeast I went with that.

 

[Ajhutch]

GH gives Wyeast 3944 in the recipe, but also WB-06 in the yeast pages as an alternative. As it's a dry yeast I went with that.

I’m surprised that is offered up as an alternative. 3944 is a Witbier yeast, WB06 is a German hefeweizen yeast. That’s a bit like suggesting chicken as a substitute for lamb in a curry recipe. Banana flavours shouldn’t be anywhere near a witbier or any type of Belgian ale to my mind. MJ do a specific dry yeast for Witbier.

 

[Ajhutch]

To attempt to answer the OP’s question about Belgian yeast character, you might expect some level of fruity esters which may be pome, citrus or stone fruit in a pale beer or more red fruit in a darker beer. The other very typical Belgian flavour is a sort of spicy character which is derived from phenols. Westmalle Dubbel and Duvel are respectively good examples of a darker and a pale Belgian beer available in most supermarkets, to give you an idea of whether what you’ve brewed is in line with the norm.

 

[Sandimas]

It's worth doing what Cwrw did, get a bottle of a commercial witbier and try that to compare it with. I do like the style and did make the GH Belgian Wit myself recently, but if you haven't tried the style before it will taste a bit different. I'm rubbish at beer descriptions but I'd describe it as slightly tart/sour, certainly not sweet.

I was in Belgium at Xmas and had a bottle of Gruut Witbier, after a couple of nice malty Dubbels and Triples it was quite a shock, but nice once I got used to it.

 

[the_quick]

The OP didn't mention Witbier at all, no trace of wheat malts in ingredients either. Bit idea with buying similar beer and compare is spot on.
I will be brewing clone of Brudge Zot next weekend, it calls for orange peel and coriander seeds. I defo could taste those in the original.