Heady Topper- Can you clone it?

CornyKegs 728
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I find it odd that the article about Vermont breweries in the Oct 2013 BYO states, "Conan is no longer the yeast being used" and recommends fermenting with 1056, US-05, or Bry-97 around 62F to produce peach and other stone fruit flavors.

But then in the Heady Topper clone recipe in the SAME article (along with 4 of the 6 other clone recipes), the recommended yeast is Wyeast 1028, White Labs WLP013, or Nottingham yeast.

What's up with all this?
 
Just brewed up vegans 4.0, after being to the cannery multiple times I can say with full confidence that THIS is what is smelled like. I literally sniff my blow off at night.....DELICIOUS!!

Subbed out 12oz oats for wheat and did 10gms nugget in mash 2oz nugget FWH and 14gms @60 for an bittering charge of ~80IBU. I know it supposed to be 120 but Im going the old route on this one. Im more a fan of a smoother bitterness than that punch and im sure with the 8+ oz 5min-steep ill have tons of flavor coming out of this one.

Will post results soon!!
 
NathPowe said:
Just thought I'd post about my experience with Conan cultured from HT cans. I've made three different batches with the yeast. I don't use gelatin or cold crash - just whirlfloc in the boil. All three of the batches I fermented with Conan have been the clearest I've ever made. Very strange I know. I was particularly surprised on the first one when it came out crystal clear after about 10 days cold in the keg, having observed Heady's cloudiness and heard about how Conan doesn't floc well. I have a RR Blind Pig clone in the kegerator right now that I fermented with Conan. It was also very clear at 10 days, and now after about 3 weeks in the kegerator this stuff looks commercially filtered.

I can't explain it, but I can say that it's very consistent, and that the beers still have a distinct Conan flavor. They've all been absolutely delicious.
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My ht clone was very cloudy which I attributed to the wheat. I made a pale ale with harvested yeast from my ht clone and it was crystal clear after 10 days in the keg.
 
Got my BYO mag today and it has a heady clone in it. No where near what is believed to be a clone but I'm willing to try it. Looks like a good DIPA anyway.
 
The heady clone seems far off in the BYO, but I'm wondering how close the HF stuff is.. or the lawsons for that matter.
 
savylemons said:
My ht clone was very cloudy which I attributed to the wheat. I made a pale ale with harvested yeast from my ht clone and it was crystal clear after 10 days in the keg.
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I don't think so... I've made many wheat beers, and many are clear as a bell. In fact, I have a honey wheat right now that's 60% wheat and it's as clear as Budweiser.
 
FATC1TY said:
The heady clone seems far off in the BYO, but I'm wondering how close the HF stuff is.. or the lawsons for that matter.
Click to expand...

:off:Care to share via PM the recipes? Or even if someone could snap a photo and post it, I would appreciate. More interested in the HF since the HT clone seems like a dead ringer at this point. I have Beer Advocate and Zymurgy but not BYO. :off:
 
novafire said:
I find it odd that the article about Vermont breweries in the Oct 2013 BYO states, "Conan is no longer the yeast being used" and recommends fermenting with 1056, US-05, or Bry-97 around 62F to produce peach and other stone fruit flavors.

But then in the Heady Topper clone recipe in the SAME article (along with 4 of the 6 other clone recipes), the recommended yeast is Wyeast 1028, White Labs WLP013, or Nottingham yeast.

What's up with all this?
Click to expand...

I agree, I find a few things in the article incorrect. Firstly, for all the documented interviews, the Mitch Steele IPA books w/ recipes; I find it very odd that all of a sudden Kimmich goes away from what has been a house yeast since Greg Noonan way back when. I have to figure this is misinformation; some brewers being funny with the author (whoever it is). The clone is also immediately off; as we KNOW they use Pearl Malt, also quite documented, and there is a photo of them using Fawcett Caramalt. So not off to a good start.

And yes, then the contraditory yeast suggestions, use US-05 at low temp; but no mention of that in the actual recipe. Poorly done I say, disappointed in BYO.

As a result, I'd question the other recipes as well. Both Lawson and HF list their hops and sometimes even the grain bill (for most beers) on their websites, so those are easy to figure out. Outside that, I'd wonder if they are even in the ballpark.
 
FATC1TY said:
The heady clone seems far off in the BYO, but I'm wondering how close the HF stuff is.. or the lawsons for that matter.
Click to expand...

Magazine must be waiting for me at home in the mailbox.

What HF recipes are in there? Please say Double Galaxy... or Harlan. Columbus and Galaxy are my two favourite hops.
 
droder1 said:
I agree, I find a few things in the article incorrect. Firstly, for all the documented interviews, the Mitch Steele IPA books w/ recipes; I find it very odd that all of a sudden Kimmich goes away from what has been a house yeast since Greg Noonan way back when. I have to figure this is misinformation; some brewers being funny with the author (whoever it is). The clone is also immediately off; as we KNOW they use Pearl Malt, also quite documented, and there is a photo of them using Fawcett Caramalt. So not off to a good start.

And yes, then the contraditory yeast suggestions, use US-05 at low temp; but no mention of that in the actual recipe. Poorly done I say, disappointed in BYO.

As a result, I'd question the other recipes as well. Both Lawson and HF list their hops and sometimes even the grain bill (for most beers) on their websites, so those are easy to figure out. Outside that, I'd wonder if they are even in the ballpark.
Click to expand...

That's why I don't subscribe to byo. Usually Good articles, but poor editing. I think the "no more Conan" has got to be a complete farce. I can imagine someone interviewing kimmich:
Interviewer: so tell me all about your big double ipa
Kimmich: (thinking of something new he wants to start producing, or an old favorite from the pub, since there was no mention of which specific beer) oh I'm excited about it. We play with the hops schedule all the time. The new thing I want to do is use a different yeast for it.
I: (thinking he's got a serious break) wow really?? Tell me more
K: oh well first we start with American two row...
 
kaz4121 said:
:off:Care to share via PM the recipes? Or even if someone could snap a photo and post it, I would appreciate. More interested in the HF since the HT clone seems like a dead ringer at this point. I have Beer Advocate and Zymurgy but not BYO. :off:
Click to expand...


Sure, I'll list the recipes on here, and share them when I get a chance to type them up.
 
paulster2626 said:
Magazine must be waiting for me at home in the mailbox.

What HF recipes are in there? Please say Double Galaxy... or Harlan. Columbus and Galaxy are my two favourite hops.
Click to expand...


I haven't delved into it too deeply, just browsed it while I was killing a couple minutes at the house. Don't remember DG, maybe Harlan.. I know Abner was in there..

I think they had Toast, and Double Sunshine from LF.
 
FATC1TY said:
I haven't delved into it too deeply, just browsed it while I was killing a couple minutes at the house. Don't remember DG, maybe Harlan.. I know Abner was in there..

I think they had Toast, and Double Sunshine from LF.
Click to expand...

Hot damn. Abner you say - great!!! Well that's probably where I can stop my subscription to BYO. Don't see any issue getting more use for me than that. End on a high note!
 
The beers they clone are Heady Topper and Holey Moley from The Alchemist. Everett and Abner from Hill Farmstead Brewery. Double Sunshine and Toast from Lawson's.
 
Bostonian, with all due respect you definitely cannot brew an HT clone with extract, a different yeast, and a different smaller hop bill.

Sounds like you brewed a completely different beer that still tastes good.
 
That's what makes e-mail the best invention ever.
 
There you go...

Heady Topper Clone
5.5 galllons/21L, all grain
OG=1.076 FG=1.014
IBU=100+ SRM=6 ABV=8%

15 lbs(6.8kg) British Pale Malt
6 oz. (170g) Caravienne malt
1 lb (.45kg) turbinado sugar (10min)
7AAU Magnum @60 min -.5 oz/14g @14%
13 AAU Simcoe 30min -1oz/28g 13%
5.75 AAU Cascade @knockout -1oz/28g @5.75%
8.6 AAU Apollo @ knockout -0.5oz/14g @17.2%
13 AAU Simcoe @ knockout -1oz/28g @13%
10.5 AAU Centennial @ knockout -1oz/28g @10.5%
7 AAU Columbus @ knockout -0.5oz/14g @14%

1 oz each
Chinook,Apollo,Simcoe dry hop in primary
1.25oz Centennial and 1.25oz Simcoe in secondary.
1 tb polyclar
Wyeast 1028 London Ale or White Labs WLP013 London Ale or Nottingham.
Mash @153F/67C
60 min boil
Whirlpool the knockout hops for at least 30 min in hot wort.
Ferment @68F
 
I haven't read through all 150+ pages, so forgive me if this has been kicked around already...

A buddy of mine is the head brewer at our local, and was at a few other places here in the northeast not to be mentioned. He gets stomach issues after drinking beer with one particular yeast type...ringwood(1187).
He gets the same issues after drinking Heady.

Just sayin'.
 
Samophlange said:
I haven't read through all 150+ pages, so forgive me if this has been kicked around already...

A buddy of mine is the head brewer at our local, and was at a few other places here in the northeast not to be mentioned. He gets stomach issues after drinking beer with one particular yeast type...ringwood(1187).
He gets the same issues after drinking Heady.

Just sayin'.
Click to expand...

Perhaps they have a similar lineage? Conan is supposed to have been derived from an English strain, afaik.
 
Took my first hydrometer reading today. Been 7 days and primary still is going strong. Very yeasty and had a green color to it. Had great aroma and flavor though. 2 weeks till bottling.

ForumRunner_20130922_152759.jpg
 

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