NO BUBBLEGUM ALOWED!!!

I have used Wyeast's standard Belgian Wit strain (I forget the number), and not got any bubblegum from it, even fermented relatively warm (~70).

 

Has Bavarian wheat yeast given you bubblegum? I'm not not adverse to bubblegum, but when I've brewed with this one I haven't gotten that flavor or gotten those comments from others. Caveat: only used it with elderberry wheat recipe.

 

Köln or Düsseldorf strains if spice forward...

 

I do not brew Wit's but I brew Belgian's. WLP530 throws a nice spice without the banana and bubble gum taste. I ferment this strain at 65-66 degrees. Also the Belma hops throw a pepper taste. Good luck on your next batch!

 

I'm about to do a few experimental 2-ish gallon partial mash brews with T-58. I think I'll try some Belma hops (I have plenty of them, they were cheep so I bought three pounds!). Whether T-58 throws off banana is irrelevant to me, but the idea of the peppery taste of Belma sounds good with the style I'm shooting for.

I brewed an IPA with all belma when I first got them, it was quite interesting, if not "ground-breaking." Belma isn't going to be my go-to IPA hop, but I feel like it would work well with saisons. It's fine for straight bittering too.

 

I have brewed many Wit beers with 3944 (their Wit strain). That strain does not produce any bubblegum flavors.

Cheers!

 

All of the above points are sound. In my experience and reading, wheat yeast esters are more complicated than just saying "X" yeast makes too much bubblegum or clove or banana. Oxygenation, temp, yeast count, yeast health, yeast starter, ect. all play a part. If every different wheat yeast you have used had similar profiles, it may be worth investigating your process.

 

I agree that the Belma will work great with a Saison. Take care.

 

If you really want to do a spice forwarrd beer, why fight the yeast at all. When I brew a beer and want to show case a hop, I build a neutral grain bill and use a yeast that will either compliment or stay out of the way of those hop flavors. Why not use american wheat yeast? Its clean and will stay out of the way of your spices. I mean, you're not gonna use citra and amarillo either, right?

 

I've brewed wits with the exact spices you listed, fermented with 3944, and have not tasted bubblegum. As scurvy says, it is more complicated than yeast X gives flavor Y. If you are really serious about your yeast, get a copy of Yeast. Several people here recommended it to me, and it has really solved a lot of the mysteries of how those little critters behave.

 

Like scurvy311 and PortLargo said, with expressive yeast there are alot of different variables that determine the final product.

I think pitching rate is one of the main places to start and perhaps one of the easiest. Do a split batch between 2 different rates and see what you get. Then move to temperature. Then O2.

 

My experience and others with WLP 380 is it emphasizes clove and not banana in hefes. You might try that and see where it takes you. Alternatively, use WLP300 at the low to mid end of the temp range, and see what that does for you. Besides fermentation conditions, mash conditions can influence the expression of yeast characteristics in hefes. Ultimately, you'll need to try different approaches to find out what works for your palate.

 

I have been using extract as my "base malt" and using some six row with my specialty malts in a "mini mash", it works well. Don't let the AG guys get you down.

 

I done a lot of wits with WLP400; no bubblegum with this yeast in my experience.