Conan Yeast Experiences

Just had Conan (giga yeast Vermont ipa) on two five gallon IPAs one 1.062 and 1.057, they fermented round 64-66 for a week. Down to 1.008, and 1.006 respectively. Smells amazing!


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I fermented a Pliny the Elder clone on Conan from a can culture recently. I called the brew The Bastard Son, came out great. I rinsed some of the yeast from the trub (there were a lot of hops that needed rinsing)and stepped it up. Now I've got a batch of Zest Bomb on there. I'm excited to see how this one comes out.

Elky: drinking that now. I called mine Heady the Elder. Basically did the PtE clone, using hop shots instead of most of the Columbus and added Conan as the yeast. Tastes like unicorn tears...

I ordered a vial from The Yeast Bay. I pitched it a batch of NB's American Wheat kit. It took off right away and is still in the primary.

That'll give me enough slurry for an AG batch of our Ruthian Summer Ale (think Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin meets Sam Summer), and an American Stout. Depending on how this beers turn out we might try it more beers in the fall.


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stonebrewer said:

Elky: drinking that now. I called mine Heady the Elder. Basically did the PtE clone, using hop shots instead of most of the Columbus and added Conan as the yeast. Tastes like unicorn tears...

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It sure did. My keg kicked last night. It was a sad time.

BleacherBrewing said:

I ordered a vial from The Yeast Bay. I pitched it a batch of NB's American Wheat kit. It took off right away and is still in the primary.

That'll give me enough slurry for an AG batch of our Ruthian Summer Ale (think Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin meets Sam Summer), and an American Stout. Depending on how this beers turn out we might try it more beers in the fall.


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Bottled today and the samples were amazing. Not having temp control it fermented at the high end of the range, definitely got the peach.


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My ECY029 experience:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
9 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM) 40.0%
6 lbs Pilsner (Weyermann) (1.7 SRM) 26.7%
2 lbs Munich (Dingemans) (5.5 SRM) 8.9%
2 lbs Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) 8.9%
1 lbs 4.0 oz Honey Malt (Gambrinus) (25.0 SRM) 5.6%
1 lbs Oats, Golden Naked (Simpsons) (10.0 SRM) 4.4%
11.7 oz Caramel Malt - 30L (Briess) (30.0 SRM) 3.2%
8.0 oz Acidulated (Weyermann) (1.8 SRM) 2.2%
1.60 oz Galena [12.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min 34.0 IBUs

11 gal batch, half used for Conan APA and other half for saison/farmhouse

the ECY029 yeast, dated 4/22, was added to 1200ml of starter the day before. likely resulted in over-pitching. brewed on monday, 23 june 2014.

NOTES FOR APA: OG 1.056. At end of boil, split 4 oz Exp 5256, 2 oz Cascade and ~1.75 Simcoe into 3 additions: 5 mins, flame-out and 150*F whirlpool (should have been 180*F, woops). pitched around 63-64*F. little signs of activity the next morning, at 8 pm that night almost full krausen at 65*F. kept at 64/65 for first 3 days, then 68. around day 5 i had it touching the saison's heating pad, which slowly raised the temp to 74'ish by day 6. added half pound of boiled raw sugar. kept it there until sample taken on on day 8 (7/01) = 1.011 at 74*F, or 1.012 temp corrected. With sugar OG is 1.061, so ABV = 6.4%, 80.33% AA (65.39% actual). who knows, maybe it'll still go down a point or two.

tasting notes to follow... at some point.

AnOldUR said:

Giving the ECY version of Conan another shot.

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I'm officially done with this yeast. For me it's been crap. For the second time I ran it through three generation from two original fresh pitches of ECY29. Both time same results. Low attenuation that got worse with each successive pitch. In all six batches of beer, all with the same off flavor that can come from under attenuation or poor fermentation. I have tight temperature control and tried high, low and in between. Same results. I even did a side by side with the same wort pitched with WY1056. The WY1056 finished at 1.011, the ECY at 1.018. Loved the 1056 beer. Dumped the ECY.

This yeast has a following, so it must be something in my process or may be the propagation I’m getting from ECY. In any case, no more ECY for me. Just not worth the risk.

I harvested Conan from a can of Heady last year and have been getting 85-92% attenuation from it consistently. My trick is that I always hold back at least 20 billion cells and propagate it fresh every time. That way I always have the same generation. For my last beers I started with 50 billion cells, did a 3-step starter from 1 L to 1 gallon to 2.5 gallons, and ended up with 600 billion cells at the end. I used 500 billion cells for my beers and have 100 billion cells of the same exact Conan yeast. So it cost me $7 of DME to turn 50 billion cells into 600 billion cells. And in addition I have 2.5 gallons of beer to show for that since instead of dumping my starter beer, I dry hop it and bottle it.

ianmatth said:

My trick is that I always hold back at least 20 billion cells and propagate it fresh every time. That way I always have the same generation . . . And in addition I have 2.5 gallons of beer to show for that since instead of dumping my starter beer, I dry hop it and bottle it.

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Nothing wrong with your method, it's a good one, but every time you propagate the yeast; it's a new generation and has all the risks associated with a sample not grown in a lab. For the purpose of generation count, it really doesn't matter if it's a starter or if you're producing beer to drink.

AnOldUR said:

Nothing wrong with your method, it's a good one, but every time you propagate the yeast; it's a new generation and has all the risks associated with a sample not grown in a lab. For the purpose of generation count, it really doesn't matter if it's a starter or if you're producing beer to drink.

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The difference is that the yeast is always pitched in an un-hopped beer with an OG less than 1.040, and I only let it attenuate 50-75% before cold crashing the yeast out. The bottom line is that my yeast has not lost any of it's attenuation ability in over a year. They are essentially doing the same thing in a lab (using sugar derived from barley) when they propagate ale yeast.

ianmatth said:

They are essentially doing the same thing in a lab (using sugar derived from barley) when they propagate ale yeast.

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no

jammin said:

no

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I was thinking of a brewery lab rather than a lab such as White Labs/Wyeast such as explained here: https://www.wyeastlab.com/com-propagation.cfm

This is essentially a multi-step starter. From my understanding when a smaller brewery such as the Alchemist propagates from their stock cultures, they are using a barley-based sugar. If I'm wrong please let me know what sugar they are using.

AnOldUR said:

I'm officially done with this yeast. For me it's been crap. For the second time I ran it through three generation from two original fresh pitches of ECY29. Both time same results. Low attenuation that got worse with each successive pitch. In all six batches of beer, all with the same off flavor that can come from under attenuation or poor fermentation. I have tight temperature control and tried high, low and in between. Same results. I even did a side by side with the same wort pitched with WY1056. The WY1056 finished at 1.011, the ECY at 1.018. Loved the 1056 beer. Dumped the ECY.

This yeast has a following, so it must be something in my process or may be the propagation I’m getting from ECY. In any case, no more ECY for me. Just not worth the risk.

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I will say this on this yeast as I have used it quite a bit and have some cans of HT sitting in my fridge now waiting to get drank and yeast harvested..

I have had GREAT luck harvesting this yeast directly out of a can of HT(again, I understand getting this stuff is hard if you are not local to VT or travel there regularly).
With buying the ECY or other Conan harvested vials online, I had had far less luck with it than getting it directly from the can. Alot of factors in my mind play into this issue, travel time/temp to you, their harvesting and storage techniques, even if it is the real deal to be honest as I could slap a label on a vial of yeast and call it Conan but is it really?

When harvesting this yeast from a fresh can of HT, I have never had a batch stall out as long as I have stepped it up enough and fermented at the proper temp. You absolutely CANNOT under pitch this yeast. A solid starter for the proper cell count to hit your FG is critical.

Without a doubt, this yeast is one to give a go. Its has some very unique qualities I have yet to find elsewhere.
I honestly think that if you harvested directly from a fresh can or 2 of HT and step it up properly I think your results will be much different than your experience with the online options.

There is also a GREAT home brew store in Waterbury where they sell HT(in very limited quantities per person so bring a friend or 2 to get more) as well as very nice SS Alchemist growler for $15. If you have not been to Waterbury or to VT in general, I would highly recommend it. GREAT place to visit(and pick up some HT). Be sure to stop by Arvads Tavern if you do visit for a fresh glass of Heady on draft as well as their Jalapeno Mac and Cheese made with Cabot(Local dairy) cheese! Its a mandatory stop when I travel to see family in VT.


:fro:

Harvested Conan from 1 can of fresh Heady. Stepped starter up to a target of 300B cells. Blew the stopper off of my 2L flask on a stir plate. Crashed, decanted and pitched at 63F. Increased temp in 1F increments to 68 after 5 days. Recipe was a Lawson's Finest Double Sunshine clone (Citra centric). OG 1.082 (a tad high) to 1.016 as I racked to secondary after 10 days. May get a few more points but as it stands, apparent attentuation of around 80%. Very tasty brew at this point with prominent peach and tropical notes.

I pitched 1L starter into a 1.058 Pale Ale 1 week ago and it finished at 1.010. Fermented around 70F. I did not notice the peachy/apricot that this yeast boasts BUT I had some juniper berries in the beer and they are probably masking it. No blowoff during fermentation but a good 2-3 inch kreausen

I just pitched another 1.5L starter onto a 1.075 DIPA, it's been about 6 hours and the bubbler is already quite active. 12 hours later and I needed to attach a blowoff tube. EDIT: I let this double IPA sit in primary for a week, then moved into secondary for some dryhopping. After 2 weeks of dryhopping it has gone from 1.075 down to 1.011 and tastes fantastic. I am very happy with the results of this yeast. No off flavors due to stressed yeast.

I built up a 1L starter over two weeks progressively from 3 super-fresh cans of Heady. I brewed a quick 1.5gal batch of a basic IPA from that starter(it's carbing in a 3gal keg now) and then harvested the yeast off of that.

I brewed a sort-of Heady clone last week with the harvested Conan and it finished out in about 3 to 4 days. I went to dry hop last night and checked gravity and it's gone from 1.068 to 1.010 in 7 days and it was crystal clear, smelled and tasted very nice. I can't wait till it's all done.

I'm quite happy I finally got some Conan after a few unsuccessful attempts before.

I've got a lambic starting with Gigayeast Vermont IPA (Conan), just pitched the pack (they're double size) into 7 gal at 1.047. It's going like crazy at about 66F. I'll bottle 2 gal clean, save the yeast and age the rest with bugs for a really long time. Excited to see what this yeast tastes like basically naked. Heady Topper clone in the near future.

My Conan in action. Weirdest fermentation I've ever seen. The airlock is chugging along nicely but I'm not getting my normal swirling and churning in the carboy. Those big chunks near the bottom are just suspended in the beer and the layer of yeast halfway up is just where the water level of my water bath. The krausen is like chunky yogurt.

I am now on day 10 of my first attempt with Conan. The krausen is still chunky and covers pretty much the whole of the surface. I started to get a bit concerned so just took a quick sample for a reading. Took my all DME Amber beer from 1.051 to 1.010 so no attenuation issues. The beer is crystal clear and tastes fantastic but when the hell will the krausen drop? I've read through the thread but cannot recall anyone with stubborn krausen issues; anyone else had the same issue? I'm guessing it will drop eventually but never had a krausen like this.

Just rack from underneath it when the gravity is stable. You can lightly swirl the fermentor and see if any of the yeast rafts start to sink, but I wouldn't worry about it if the beer is fermented out as intended.

Anyone try Omega OYL-052 yet?

Anyone have Conan just crash out after going strong for about 12 hours? I made a 2 liter starter from part of a conan yeast cake, pitched at high krausen into a well oxygenated (pure 02 for one minute) 1.80 wort. Lag phase was about 10 hours, then it started going producing C02 visibly. And all of a sudden 12 hours later it quit. I took a hydrometer reading and its 1.060. Pitching temp was 64 and I let it run up to 68 on its own and have held it there.

Just can't figure out what happened here and not certain what the next step should be.


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geoffey said:

Anyone have Conan just crash out after going strong for about 12 hours? I made a 2 liter starter from part of a conan yeast cake, pitched at high krausen into a well oxygenated (pure 02 for one minute) 1.80 wort. Lag phase was about 10 hours, then it started going producing C02 visibly. And all of a sudden 12 hours later it quit. I took a hydrometer reading and its 1.060. Pitching temp was 64 and I let it run up to 68 on its own and have held it there.

Just can't figure out what happened here and not certain what the next step should be.


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I'd just keep it at 68 and maybe do the gently rocking thing. I'm sure it'll start back up somehow. That stuff has always powered through everything I've thrown at it. Last week I was doing a batch Friday and Saturday and the Conan starter completely finished before the other starter despite being 24hrs behind.

If you still havent got anything, maybe try tossing a bit of sugar into it? You may not want to increase the gravity too much, but I doubt a quarter or half pound dissolved in like 200ml of water would hurt too much...

are folks happy with the GigaYeast version?

i've got a double-pitch pack coming my way. brewing an IPA with it next week.

Yes on my end. 80% attenuation in 6 days without a starter on 7 gal. Super clean in the mid-upper 60s, going to try it cooler this week on a winter warmer/IPA. See if I get any peach out of it.

sweetcell said:

are folks happy with the GigaYeast version?

i've got a double-pitch pack coming my way. brewing an IPA with it next week.

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Yeah I'm still on my first packet that I've been re-generating. It keeps getting stronger. It was only the first time pitching straight from the packet that it took more than 24hrs to start up. But I also only used like 75% of the double pitch packet and saved the remainder to propogate. Didn't feel like doing a starter

awesome, thanks for the feedback.

GigaYeast writes "The Gold pitch is the first homebrew yeast with a true 5 gal pitch rate for consistent fermentations without the need for a starter (> 200 billion yeast)." So does a double-pack contain over 400 billion cells (2 x 200) when fresh?

I read that as being around 200 bil total, which was good for my 1.047 7 gal brew. I'd use a starter for a HT clone if I didn't have so much slurry to use . Might still if I wait a bit.

sweetcell said:

awesome, thanks for the feedback.

GigaYeast writes "The Gold pitch is the first homebrew yeast with a true 5 gal pitch rate for consistent fermentations without the need for a starter (> 200 billion yeast)." So does a double-pack contain over 400 billion cells (2 x 200) when fresh?

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The bag adversities 200 billion b/c supposedly Wyeast is 100 billion. If its any condolence, I pitched 3/4 of it into a 1.065 beer and it turned out just fine with good notes from the yeast coming through

Also, just FYI, theres no smack pack. I was confused when I got mine and thought it got smacked in storage and immediately ran to the internets to see what was up. I'll save you the worry

m00ps said:

I'd just keep it at 68 and maybe do the gently rocking thing. I'm sure it'll start back up somehow. That stuff has always powered through everything I've thrown at it. Last week I was doing a batch Friday and Saturday and the Conan starter completely finished before the other starter despite being 24hrs behind.

If you still havent got anything, maybe try tossing a bit of sugar into it? You may not want to increase the gravity too much, but I doubt a quarter or half pound dissolved in like 200ml of water would hurt too much...

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For what it's worth: The Conan (and I'm using The Yeast Bay version) didn't crap out on me at all. I discovered that the lid on my fermenter wasn't screwed down tight enough, so the lack of activity in the airlock was deceiving.

geoffey said:

For what it's worth: The Conan (and I'm using The Yeast Bay version) didn't crap out on me at all. I discovered that the lid on my fermenter wasn't screwed down tight enough, so the lack of activity in the airlock was deceiving.

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Yay, go Conan! That's good news. I've had problems with a leaky lid on one of my buckets. I noticed airlock activity had stopped, but found if I pressed the lid down, it started back up. Cut to me drunkenly standing on top of the bucket while trying to duct tape the lid down tight. Needless to say, that bucket is now solely used to keep starsan/PBW in now

sweetcell said:

are folks happy with the GigaYeast version?

i've got a double-pitch pack coming my way. brewing an IPA with it next week.

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I have a batch going right now. I will say a couple of good things for it.
A) it's the most delicious smelling yeast I've ever smelled. Both fresh form the pouch and form the starter. I actually drank the last few drops of starter because it smelled that good.
B) It holds up well. My pouch is at LEAST 6 weeks old, and after 18 hours on the stir plate in 1L of starter wort,it was alive and roaring. When pitched into 5G of 1.089 wort at 65F it was rolling within 12 hours.
C) I'll repost after samples and tasting.

jbaysurfer said:

I actually drank the last few drops of starter because it smelled that good.

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Did you need a blow-off tube for your butt hole?

geoffey said:

For what it's worth: The Conan (and I'm using The Yeast Bay version) didn't crap out on me at all. I discovered that the lid on my fermenter wasn't screwed down tight enough, so the lack of activity in the airlock was deceiving.

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It's worked well for me too. Must have worked well for Northern Brewer too, as they're using Yeast Bay Vermont Ale in their Heady Topper clone, Off The Topper.


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Sir-Brews-Alot said:

Did you need a blow-off tube for your butt hole?

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Requoted for emphasis, but I always appreciate a good potty joke. Point is it smelled and tasted clean and delicious, and I'm looking forward to the beer it makes.

it's the most delicious smelling yeast I've ever smelled. Both fresh form the pouch and form the starter. I actually drank the last few drops of starter because it smelled that good.

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2nd pitch of Gigayeast Vermont IPA, 1/4 of the yeast cake (refrigerated for a week and a half) into 1.080 IPA style winter warmer (think Hopworks Abominable) and basically no lag. Full krausen the morning after (~8 hrs in). 60F ambient temp with the AC blowing on the bucket. Very happy yeasties.

Just an update. Fermenting a 1.079 beer (edit: in my OP I said it was 1.089, but it's 1.079) Used fermcap in the boil. This yeast is going gangbusters. Still smells great. Very aggressive. I added a bit more fermcap and didn't check it for 48 hours only to have it blowing over again when I did.

Part of my challenge is that I'm fermenting a full 5+ gallons in a 6G better bottle, so not much headspace, but there IS some and the amount of blowoff is pretty crazy. Cleaned the fermenter space twice now. LOL..

Added 1lb of Orange Blossom honey today. Giving it a 1.085 total OG. Will keep everyone posted. Fermenting right at 65F

I used conan one time cultured it little by little in 1020 wort once i had a decent ammount i raised the og of the wort to 1036 and built up a 2 liter starter..fermented at 63*F for 5 days then allowed it to slowly rise to 68*f i got decent attenuation around 75-80% beer had some peach/tropical notes but not quite like heady topper..IMO its not worth the trouble to culture conan cause you can buy vermont ale yeast and it produces a very similar beer to cultured conan dregs without all the work..my 2 cents

I had originally cultured from 3 cans and made a 1gal "starter", which came out FANTASTIC. I used that for my next 5 gal, which is still aging, but harvested the yeast off of it and washed it, yielding 3 jars. I kept 1 and gave 2 to friends. My friend and I both brewed last week and pitched this 2nd gen harvested yeast jar. There was about a 36 hour lag in getting started on our 1.070 batches, but then it seemed to be going strong. My friend Tim told me that his stalled around 1.040, so I checked mine and sure enough, same thing. I'm very surprised and disappointed since the starter and subsequent batch both went super strong with 85% attenuation. I'm going to pitch some WY1028 to try to salvage this current batch, an Abner clone from BYO last Oct.