Riddle me this Batman! My Cherry Wheat FINALLY tastes good?

[bergerandfries]

So I brewed a Cherry Wheat last April. It FINALLY tastes the way that I want it to. Below is the recipe for those that care, but why is the Cherry finally popping in this beer the way that I want it to? I can't chalk it up to hops fading because it still has bitterness and I SWEAR the color seems a deeper red than it did before. Is it possible the yeast have done something? Is it possible the beer was stratified somehow? The beer never froze at any time that I am aware of. Thoughts? Thanks!

Brewsta: SemperFrei American Wheat

Recipe Specs
brewer Mike
post boil vol. 13.0 gal
OG 1.045
IBU 24
Colour 2 SRM
BU:GU 0.53
pre boil vol. 15.0 gal
BG 1.039
extract 12.50 lb
grain mass 19.00 lb
Brewday Assumptions
mash efficiency 70%
loss to grain 2.29 qt/lb
mashtun dead volume 0.26 gal
mashtun equivalent 0.66 gal
hop utilization factor 100%
Fermentables
name quantity potential use colour
Weyermann Light Wheat Malt 10.0 lb 38 PPG mash 2 SRM
Weyermann Bohemian Pilsener 8.0 lb 37 PPG mash 2 SRM
Rice Hulls 1.0 lb 0 PPG mash 0 SRM
Alexander LME - Wheat 2.7 lb 37 PPG extract 4 SRM
Hops
name form AA Qty time IBU
Czech Saaz pellet 3.6% 2.0 oz 5 3
Northern Brewer pellet 5.7% 2.0 oz 60 21
total hops 4.0 oz
Other Ingredients
name quantity notes
American Ale Yeast Cake 0.0 oz None
88% Lactic Acid 0.0 oz 2ml to 6G mash water
Calcium Chloride 0.0 oz 2g to mash
Distilled water 0.0 oz 2.5G to mash
12 lbs tart canned cherries 0.0 oz None
4lbs sweet canned cherries 0.0 oz None
Mash Schedule
start
temp grain
mass start
water water
addition target
temp strike
temp minutes notes
75.0 F 19.0 lb 1.0 gal 5.0 gal 152.6 F 192.5 F 60
150.0 F 19.0 lb 6.0 gal 3.0 gal 168.0 F 213.4 F 1 First Runoff est 64
145.0 F 19.0 lb 2.5 gal 6.5 gal 168.0 F 182.4 F 1 Second Runoff est 18
total additions 14.5 gal total time 62
loss to grain -2.77 gal
total 11.73 gal

[BadRock]

Sometimes it just takes time for all of the complex flavors to marry together. That why you should never throw out beer that doesn't quite taste right. I guess that yes the yeast could have done a little for you, maybe even contributed an autolysis flavor that is favorable in this beer. The 4oz. of hops have probably lost some of the punch, at least in the flavor and aroma. And I am sure the cherries have softened a little as well. This beer may have oxidized slightly too, which can sometimes give it a positive complexity. Well none the less congratulations on a great beer!

[bergerandfries]

Sometimes it just takes time for all of the complex flavors to marry together.

That's what my wife said!!! You have a sensitive side you're hiding from us?

This beer may have oxidized slightly too, which can sometimes give it a positive complexity.

May be onto something there too. Thanks BadRock!

[BadRock]

You bet Brotha!

What's wrong with having a soft side!?

[bergerandfries]

What's wrong with having a soft side!?

Not a thing! Shuman ain't the only guy who's got nice smelling soap in his house!

[Test_Engineer]

This might be a long shot, but may be it just wasn't the right yeast for the job. I personally don't like American wheat beers, because they typically use an American Ale yeast like Cal ale. A big part of the flavor profile for me is the yeast in a wheat beer. For me, the American wheat beers that use Cal Ale or similar very clean yeasts just taste too sour and not as smooth as a true Bavarian strain used in a German wheat beer. I would guess that the combination of the sourness of the cherries and the not so right taste of using Cal Ale type yeast just made it worse. By aging it, a lot of the flavors have mellowed out and combined to make a more pleasant tasting beer. But this is a relatively low gravity beer, and a wheat beer, so aging is generally not advised. As BadRock suggested, maybe some oxidation or something else helped balance out those flavors.

As an experiment, next time try a Bavarian wheat yeast strain or at least an English yeast strain to help balance the sour cherries. The Bavarian wheat strains will taste more like a true wheat beer, or an English yeast strain will leave more residual sweetness to help balance the sour a bit.

The best advice about making a fruit addition beer is to first brew a good base beer and then add fruit to it. Bad beer + fruit will be bad beer as a result.

[bub]

<cough> 3068 </cough>
BUB

[Test_Engineer]

<cough> 3068 </cough>
BUB

I like that yeast also, but it might produce to much bananna for a cherry wheat. 3056 might be a better option because it is a bit more mild.