Heady Topper- Can you clone it?

[Monkfish]

I hold it between 160-180, depending on how quickly it drops. Usually I turn on the chiller for a couple minutes, get it to 180, drop the additions in, then it settles in around 170-175. Hold it there for 30, then turn the chiller back on and get it down to pitch temp.

That approach worked for me.

Thanks again VB and team

I kegged 3.0 a few days back and this is crazy close to the original. I don't have any Conan and tried to ferment US-05 at 62* - unfortunately it came out really clean and didn't throw any peach as I had hoped (it also seems to have dropped my attenuation %.) It really highlights how Conan is the soul of this brew.

I will definitely follow Signpostbrewing's progress and brew their current version once I get a hold of some Conan.

 

[Petekiteworld]

Sugar in the raw is 100 percent turbinado sugar.

 

[hbr2547]

Thanks all - I ended up having to add to boil before feedback and went with 4oz light brown and 4oz corn sugar - hopefully all goes well

 

[NuclearRich]

I've got my hops on order, my grains weighed out, conan fully cultured, and a case of heady waiting to compare! Brew day soon.

 

[jglazer]

Phew this is a long thread and I hope no one has asked this before but doubtful... if I only have access to Caramel Malt 45-55L - Fawcett can I just use less of it to sub for the 12 oz Caramalt (5.7%)- SRM 17 listed in the updated recipe?

Will there be any differences? Thanks!

 

[TyTanium]

Anyone use Simpsons Caramalt? How close/different from T.F.?

 

[eandersen]

Drinking my first heady in nearly a year. It's crazy how much better I can break down what I'm tasting and smelling thanks to this thread

 

[ja09]

Great thread, can't wait to contribute...possibly tomorrow if I can find the hops I'm missing. If anyone can help, I have a question about conan since this was my first harvest attempt, and my first time working with conan...

- Just stepped up to ~ 2.8L, and tasted my decanted 1.2L previous step because I had some funky looking krausen. (pics below) Normally my decanted starters look and taste like miller high-life or some other bland light beer, but this one's all bread with some medicinal/band-aid flavors, plus it's a greyish color. Really more unpleasant than normal. I don't think it's infected, but I have no experience with infections. Any thoughts? Could this be normal?

Some background: All my starters/steps are on a stir plate ~ 70 degrees ambient. I did highly stress the yeast on too large of a first step because I didn't really know what I was doing, but it eventually got going and I was told it should be fine after a few steps. I don't typically worry about my beer, but concerned about this one. I'd be happy to dump this batch cause I have a 2nd harvest attempt that appears to be going much better, with a good first step, and doesn't look greyish. Thanks for the help

 

[mtnagel]

Your pictures aren't showing up for me.

This is what one of my starters looked like. I can't comment on the taste as I've never tasted a starter before.

And here's right after harvesting before cooling in the fridge.

 

[D_Nyholm]

Only place local that got ht ran out before I got there. Hoping to find another source so I can harvest and then make a batch of this!

How many cans are you using to make the starter? I am assuming it will take a while with only one can?

 

[mtnagel]

I used 2 cans, but I did them separate. It took me 12 days to go from the first starter until it was crashed and I separated them out.

 

[Brewbien]

What happens when you get to strain #1000?

They can use letters and add an additional 45,656 strains...

 

[ja09]

Your pictures aren't showing up for me.

This is what one of my starters looked like. I can't comment on the taste as I've never tasted a starter before.

Thanks for the pics. Your jars look a little greyish too? I'm guessing you're on the mobile app which doesn't show remotely hosted images for some reason. I've uploaded my pics to this post. Thanks for the help.

How many cans are you using to make the starter? I am assuming it will take a while with only one can?

1 can worked fine for me with this schedule:
200ml ~ 1.025 ~ 3-4 days
600ml ~ 1.030 ~ 2 days w/ stir plate
1.2L ~ 1.040 ~ 2 days w/ stir plate
2.8L ~ 1.040 ~ 2 days w/ stir plate

 

[mtnagel]

Thanks for the pics. Your jars look a little greyish too? I'm guessing you're on the mobile app which doesn't show remotely hosted images for some reason. I've uploaded my pics to this post. Thanks for the help.

Nope, Chrome on a laptop. I'm at work, but image sites are usually blocked. I see them in your new post. Looks normal to me, but I haven't made too many starters with lots of different yeasts. I did just make a starter with some rinsed yeast from a porter and it was darker than other starters, but it's because there was some porter still in the rinsed sample.

 

[DNuggs]

Great thread, can't wait to contribute...possibly tomorrow if I can find the hops I'm missing. If anyone can help, I have a question about conan since this was my first harvest attempt, and my first time working with conan...

- Just stepped up to ~ 2.8L, and tasted my decanted 1.2L previous step because I had some funky looking krausen. (pics below) Normally my decanted starters look and taste like miller high-life or some other bland light beer, but this one's all bread with some medicinal/band-aid flavors, plus it's a greyish color. Really more unpleasant than normal. I don't think it's infected, but I have no experience with infections. Any thoughts? Could this be normal?

Some background: All my starters/steps are on a stir plate ~ 70 degrees ambient. I did highly stress the yeast on too large of a first step because I didn't really know what I was doing, but it eventually got going and I was told it should be fine after a few steps. I don't typically worry about my beer, but concerned about this one. I'd be happy to dump this batch cause I have a 2nd harvest attempt that appears to be going much better, with a good first step, and doesn't look greyish. Thanks for the help

Last Conan grow-up I did got a little funky as well...followed a normal step-up schedule and somewhere between my 3rd and 4th step, the starter took on a really bad, old man rotting foot odor so I can only assume something bad got in there. Unfortunately I had to scrap the batch and start fresh with two new cans.

 

[Petekiteworld]

Your conan starter should smell like peach juice. Band aid odor is classic for infection.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Your conan starter should smell like peach juice. Band aid odor is classic for infection.

I don't get peach in my starters, after I've gotten away from the first two steps when I mostly smell the Heady I've dumped in with the dregs, so I wouldn't worry if you don't smell peach. Bandaids on the other hand, could be an issue.

 

[FATC1TY]

I smell fruity belgian clove notes in the starters I've done..

 

[theveganbrewer]

I smell fruity belgian clove notes in the starters I've done..

That's similar to my experiences too, after the first couple small steps that still smell like Heady.

 

[LakesideBrewing]

Last Conan grow-up I did got a little funky as well...followed a normal step-up schedule and somewhere between my 3rd and 4th step, the starter took on a really bad, old man rotting foot odor so I can only assume something bad got in there. Unfortunately I had to scrap the batch and start fresh with two new cans.

Weird, same here. I've harvested Conan a few times with no issues, but something was off on my last attempt. I think I might have stressed out the yeast with my first step. I got a real bready, off odor; just didn't seem right.

 

[g-star]

i don't get peach in my starters, after i've gotten away from the first two steps when i mostly smell the heady i've dumped in with the dregs, so i wouldn't worry if you don't smell peach. Bandaids on the other hand, could be an issue.

+1

 

[ja09]

I don't get peach in my starters, after I've gotten away from the first two steps when I mostly smell the Heady I've dumped in with the dregs, so I wouldn't worry if you don't smell peach. Bandaids on the other hand, could be an issue.

Weird, same here. I've harvested Conan a few times with no issues, but something was off on my last attempt. I think I might have stressed out the yeast with my first step. I got a real bready, off odor; just didn't seem right.

Thanks guys. I wasn't worried about the odor at first, smells fruity, but actually very bready now that I'm smelling again. Should it smell bready at all?

I was more concerned because a) my first step was wayyyy too big, didn't know what I was doing. b) beer turned a murky greyish color on my last step. c) tasted the decanted beer because I was concerned, and it tasted awful.. all bread plus slight band-aid.

Here's a pic of my latest step with the suspect yeast. Any help is appreciated!

 

[jglazer]

If the recipe calls for TF Caramalt with an SRM of 17 and I can only get TF Caramalt 44L-55L...do I just use less of it or will there be a taste difference as well?

 

[abrix]

If the recipe calls for TF Caramalt with an SRM of 17 and I can only get TF Caramalt 44L-55L...do I just use less of it or will there be a taste difference as well?

Are you sure it's Thomas Fawcett? I have the impression that they only make one "caramalt", which is either 10-12L (according to this selfsame thread) or 13-16L (according to Thomas Fawcett's website).

That color range (44-55L) is closest to Crisp's Light Crystal 45.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Are you sure it's Thomas Fawcett? I have the impression that they only make one "caramalt", which is either 10-12L (according to this selfsame thread) or 13-16L (according to Thomas Fawcett's website).

That color range (44-55L) is closest to Crisp's Light Crystal 45.

Make sure they aren't quoting European color numbers, they're different.

 

[jglazer]

Hmm I ended up ordering from brewbrothers: http://www.brewbrothers.biz/Caramalt-British which is still stated as 20-27°L

But this is what I was looking at originally at my LHBS: http://www.atlanticbrewsupply.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ST-10119035 which is actually caramel malt (but I was assuming its the same thing as caramalt? maybe not?)

FYI - if anyone has to order the TF Pearl and Caramalt and Hopshots and Amarillo like I did, brewbrothers currently has all of that so you can possibly save on multiple orders from different sites. Shipping was a bit steep at ~$23 but overall it was cheaper than multiple ordering

 

[theveganbrewer]

Thanks guys. I wasn't worried about the odor at first, smells fruity, but actually very bready now that I'm smelling again. Should it smell bready at all?

I was more concerned because a) my first step was wayyyy too big, didn't know what I was doing. b) beer turned a murky greyish color on my last step. c) tasted the decanted beer because I was concerned, and it tasted awful.. all bread plus slight band-aid.

Here's a pic of my latest step with the suspect yeast. Any help is appreciated!

Can definitely be bready, or yeasty in other words. When you get to the bigger steps, like 1.8 liters and larger, the starter wort should be sort of a orange khaki if that makes sense. Very cloud and creamy.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Hmm I ended up ordering from brewbrothers: http://www.brewbrothers.biz/Caramalt-British which is still stated as 20-27°L

But this is what I was looking at originally at my LHBS: http://www.atlanticbrewsupply.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ST-10119035 which is actually caramel malt (but I was assuming its the same thing as caramalt? maybe not?)

FYI - if anyone has to order the TF Pearl and Caramalt and Hopshots and Amarillo like I did, brewbrothers currently has all of that so you can possibly save on multiple orders from different sites. Shipping was a bit steep at ~$23 but overall it was cheaper than multiple ordering

I was just at BB yesterday and got the TF caramalt, it's not really 20-27l, they posted the European color number, they just never converted them to our standard. It's 9-11 SRM or something like that when converted. You got the right stuff.

 

[jglazer]

Awesome. Jealous you have access to a LHBS that actually has hop extract and amarrilo hops and all the other TF goodness...I ordered like 20 syringes and a bunch of amarillo bc you just cant find that in NC right now :/

 

[TyTanium]

Any thoughts on the difference between TF and Simpsons Caramalt?

 

[hopgoblin4]

Anyone try this? Sorry. Every time I try and add the pic it crashes. Its Crosby & Baker crisp caramalt. Lovibond 13-20 product of the U.K. Guessing they have the L off though as Vegan stated previously. Ill try again later.

 

[hopgoblin4]

My bad. Each time I loaded a pic it said it crashed! When I posted the comment they all came with it. Sorry guys! Just kegged 10 gallons of the clone today. FG 1.016. Smells really good. Ill post back. Split dry hops into 2 additions.

 

[bottlebomber]

I brewed with Conan on Sunday, not the clone recipe but just a run to see how the yeast behaves. Very strange and unique yeast. More like a Belgian strain in it's behavior as others have noted, but the smell is completely unlike anything I've worked with. It doesn't smell Belgian really, it definitely doesn't have the pub ale smell of a British strain, and it's way too estery to compare to an American ale strain. I think Kimmich cultured this from off of an asteroid.

 

[mtnagel]

LOL. Good theory

Does anyone really know where it came from? Or where do/did the other yeast strains come from? Random, genetic mutations that we've cultured to make new yeast strains?

 

[theveganbrewer]

It is really a odd strain, and it doesn't take much to make it act weird. I've won two 1st prizes with it though, so it's weird in a good way. It is some sort of odd mixture of belgian esters, english malt forwardness, and american hop punch. The hops definitely win, but there is a nice malt and definitely some interesting aromas coming from the yeast.

@hopgoblin4- I have used Crisp in two of the last 3 batches and it tastes good to me.

 

[TyTanium]

LOL. Good theory

Does anyone really know where it came from? Or where do/did the other yeast strains come from? Random, genetic mutations that we've cultured to make new yeast strains?

According to vtchuck:

Conan comes from Greg Noonan at Vermont Pub & Brewery.... where the Guy from the Alchemist got his first experience brewing.... Noonan also started the 7 Barrel Brewery in W. Lebanon, NH... Tony Lubold... formerly of Catamount, is head brewer there now. 7 Barrel features a regular Conan special... a high ABV beer on its menu.

 

[ocluke]

ECY29 North East Ale (Conan) doesn't seem to have a problem getting going. It's not a Heady Topper clone (I'll try that later when I get my hands on the appropriate malts), but the smells coming out of this carboy (Southern Hemisphere hops coupled with Conan yeast) are wonderful.

 

[njale]

ECY29 North East Ale (Conan) doesn't seem to have a problem getting going. It's not a Heady Topper clone (I'll try that later when I get my hands on the appropriate malts), but the smells coming out of this carboy (Southern Hemisphere hops coupled with Conan yeast) are wonderful.

i was told ecy29 isnt available yet

 

[theveganbrewer]

It is but as always, hard to find. Will be solving that hopefully with YG001 in 10 days.

 

[namyarb3]

It is but as always, hard to find. Will be solving that hopefully with YG001 in 10 days.

How long will a vial of yg001 stay good for if stored in my fridge? I've never played with liquid yeast before.