Since switching to White Labs yeast a few years ago I have not made a hefeweizen. My local shop stocks both 300 and 380. My only experience with 300 was from a friend who brewed a lackluster weizen, which was probably due to lack of temperature control.
I want a good balance between banana and clove and would like to know which of the 300 or 380 would be the best option. I plan on starting and holding fermentatiion at about 63 for two days, then letting it rise to about 68F.
You’ll get varying opinions, but using 380 and fermenting at 62 or so gives a great balance between clove and banana. There was an epic weiss bier thread years ago and this was one of the keys to replicating that German flavor.
My method too. Works really well.
The higher temps bring out the banana flavor. Not sure about White Labs, but with the Weihenstephan strain it’s better to ferment (beer temp) at about 68F if you want those banana esters to come out more. Some like 'em clove-y, some like 'em banana-y. I would be part of the latter…