Banana Split
WHC Banana Split is a dry hefeweizen yeast derived from the Weihenstephan wheat strain, and WHC states it is non-diastatic. That matters if you run wheat beers through a shared brewhouse: diastatic yeast contamination is a real problem in craft brewing, and a strain the producer certifies as non-diastatic takes one variable off the table.
The profile is banana-forward, driven by high isoamyl acetate production, with apple, clove and plum underneath. Banana intensity is a lever you control. It scales up with warmer fermentation and lower pitch rates, and dials back when you ferment cool and pitch heavy.
Brewing with Banana Split
- Ferment at 66 to 75F. The top of that range gives the most banana, the bottom gives a more balanced clove and fruit profile.
- Pitch light for more banana: 50 to 150 g/hL, roughly 10 to 28 g for a 5-gallon batch. Underpitching within that range pushes ester production up.
- WHC declares this strain non-diastatic, so it does not carry the overattenuation risk a diastatic strain would.
- Expect a thick krausen. It top-crops vigorously, so leave headspace.
- Rehydration and oxygenation are optional on a first-generation pitch.
Styles: Hefeweizen, Weizenbock, Dunkelweizen, Belgian witbier, American wheat
Comparable strains: Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen, White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale, Mangrove Jack's M20 Bavarian Wheat, Fermentis Safbrew WB-06
Technical specifications
| Species | Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Weihenstephan wheat strain |
|---|---|
| Attenuation | 73 to 80% |
| Fermentation temp | 66 to 75F (19 to 24C) |
| Flocculation | Low to medium |
| Alcohol tolerance | 12% ABV |
| Nitrogen demand | Medium |
| Diastatic | No, declared non-diastatic by WHC |
| Pitch rate | 50 to 150 g/hL (about 10 to 28 g per 5 gal) |
| Format | 500 g vacuum-sealed brick |
About WHC Lab
WHC Lab is an Irish yeast producer supplying dry brewing strains to craft breweries across Europe and North America. This strain ships as a 500 g vacuum-sealed brick with a published technical data sheet, and it can be pitched dry with no rehydration step.