I brewed another batch of my Blood Orange Hefeweizen and decided to use WLP300 this time since I keep reading about how this is a great Hefe yeast. I under pitched, according to BeerSmith, using 2 packs instead of the recommended 3 based on the yeast age, no starter, and no aeration, hoping to stress the yeast to get more banana. I fermented at 68F for the first couple of days and then raised the temp to 70F. I took a hydrometer sample today, 7 days after pitching, and I had reached the predicted final gravity. OG was 1.047 and FG is at 1.011. I plan to add the 3# of Blood Orange Puree tomorrow.
At this point, it has none of the character I would expect of a Hefeweizen. I get no banana at all, and little to no clove. I would describe it as maybe a slight spiciness. Not at all what I would expect from a Hefeweizen. I raised the temp to 74F, hoping that once it begins to ferment the sugars in the puree, that the higher temp will bring out some character from this yeast. Funny thing is, the fermentation chamber smells like someone set off a banana bomb in it, just none of it is in the beer.
Based off the way it tastes now, I will be going back to WB-06 when I brew this again. I had high hopes for the WLP300 based on reviews, but it seems to be a very disappointing yeast.