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This is taking forever, I am so anxious to drink my clone. 2nd stage of dry hops are going in tonight, I hope to have it on tap by the Super Bowl.
 
I live an hour from the brewery...sorry I can't ship you any beer but if anyone does come up to Waterbury, VT PLEASE send me a PM so we can meet up. Prohibition Pig, Blackback Pub and Three Penny Taproom are all 10 minutes from the brewery and are awesome.

Also, drive an extra hour to Hill Farmstead Brewery and get some of the best IPAs you've ever had.

I wrote this blog post back in October detailing 3 of the best VT breweries and how to get their beer. - http://adam-jackson.net/beer/a-beer-lovers-guide-to-vermont-breweries-2012-edition/

Even though I can get Heady whenever I want, I too am interested in a clone.
 
:mug:

Thanks. I would definitely owe you! Ontario is a virtual craft beer desert. A guy in my HB club is from *Utah* and still couldn't believe how bad it is here!

Actually, it isn't, a few years ago maybe. I suggest you make your way an hour south and check out what the "desert" has to offer. Bellwoods, Indie Alehouse, Bar Hop, Volo, Get Well, and many others are making and/or pouring some pretty tasty beers these days.

And I've made the trip to Vermont from Toronto recently. Its a pretty easy day drive, especially if you have a friend or two with you.
 
Just a follow-up on my latest attempt. My first tasting after 10 days in primary was pretty spot on..very exciting. Might have been a little less bitter, and maybe slightly less citrusy, but really close. The aroma from the whirlpooling was insane - like I had already dry hopped. Aroma was near perfect - fruity with a hint of pungent pine hops. I left it in primary for 4 more days and racked to secondary. Going into secondary, no more aroma. In 4 days, just completely gone. The taste changed quite a bit too. Pungent pine hops mellowed and the alcohol punch came through pretty strong, after only going down from 1.015 to 1.012 in 4 days. Still good, but I'm now thinking I may be less close than I first thought, but still too early to tell. Still has a very Heady taste...but not strong enough I don't think. I'm going to do the second round of dry-hopping right in the keg, then cold crash and chill for a week or so. I'll update again when it is done.
 
When you are making your clones, where do you buy your pearl malt?

i see a couple vendors online but not the ones i usually use
 
Adam, why won't you ship?

Because I don't really trade much. I'll send Heady to people maybe twice per month. Too many people message me on my blog and privately for trades so to advertise would be dangerous. I already get about 10 trade requests a week now through various channels and have to say no to almost everyone. It's just expensive even when people offer to pay shipping, I still have to go up and buy the stuff, buy packing materials and it takes a lot of time to pack and send off beer. Best thing to do is to try and make it to Vermont and drink from the source. Great food, scenery, activities and beer. It's worth it to make the trek and I'd be happy to play tour guide for anyone that comes up.

My UPS bills for 2012 were $2,000 and that's after saying no to almost everyone that asks me to send them Vermont beer. It's just too expensive.
 
Brew Brothers sells pearl malt. That's the only place I've found in Oregon that regularly carries it. And I believe do online sales as well.
 
Actually, it isn't, a few years ago maybe. I suggest you make your way an hour south and check out what the "desert" has to offer. Bellwoods, Indie Alehouse, Bar Hop, Volo, Get Well, and many others are making and/or pouring some pretty tasty beers these days.

Don't get me wrong, there are places to get great beer. I was talking in terms of local production.

But the fact I have to drive to the city - I don't exactly live in the sticks - kind of demonstrates what I'm saying. We have a "beer store" that is owned by the biggest multinational beer companies... it's not surprising there's less demand here.
 
Because I don't really trade much. I'll send Heady to people maybe twice per month. Too many people message me on my blog and privately for trades so to advertise would be dangerous. I already get about 10 trade requests a week now through various channels and have to say no to almost everyone. It's just expensive even when people offer to pay shipping, I still have to go up and buy the stuff, buy packing materials and it takes a lot of time to pack and send off beer. Best thing to do is to try and make it to Vermont and drink from the source. Great food, scenery, activities and beer. It's worth it to make the trek and I'd be happy to play tour guide for anyone that comes up.

My UPS bills for 2012 were $2,000 and that's after saying no to almost everyone that asks me to send them Vermont beer. It's just too expensive.

Do you ski?
 
Snowboard. Want to hit Killington with me? I live 5 minutes from Dartmouth Skiway as well.

Killington is too far south I think. I am flying solo on my annual trip to VT late Feb. Will probably:
-Jay on the 20th
-Hill Farmstead
-Stowe on the 21st
-Alchemist
-MRG/'Bush on the 22nd (depends on snow)
-Lawson's Finest

My travel plans are flexible, but I must end up at the MRG/Sugarbush/Waitsfield area for the last couple of nights as I'm friends with a crotchety old B&B owner that I need to hang out with.

But I always welcome new adventures and new people to show me around mountains and where they hide the good stuff. I'll send ya a PM closer to the date and we'll see if we can work something out. Thanks for the offer.
 
Killington is too far south I think. I am flying solo on my annual trip to VT late Feb. Will probably:
-Jay on the 20th
-Hill Farmstead
-Stowe on the 21st
-Alchemist
-MRG/'Bush on the 22nd (depends on snow)
-Lawson's Finest

My travel plans are flexible, but I must end up at the MRG/Sugarbush/Waitsfield area for the last couple of nights as I'm friends with a crotchety old B&B owner that I need to hang out with.

But I always welcome new adventures and new people to show me around mountains and where they hide the good stuff. I'll send ya a PM closer to the date and we'll see if we can work something out. Thanks for the offer.

Sweet! Sounds like a great trip! I leave for Belgium on Friday the 23rd but I'd love to meet up for a few drinks before then. Please message me if you want to do something. Waterbury is just over an hour from my place. Easy to come up for the evening.
 
I'm actually an hour north of Toronto now, so make that 9 :D

I might have possibly gone had I decided to go to NHC this year. I was going to, but after hearing it's in Grand Rapids next year I decided I could wait another year!

A nearby brewery (~30 minutes further north, really the only great or even good brewery in the entire province) makes a pretty good all-citra IPA. They're only a few years old, but I still haven't gone to the actual brewery yet. Maybe I should...

What brewery is that? I'm in Buffalo and open to road-tripping to anything decent...
 
What brewery is that? I'm in Buffalo and open to road-tripping to anything decent...

Flying Monkeys I'd assume. Probably talking about Hoptical Illusion or Smashbomb? Not worth a road trip IMO.

There's also muskoka brewery (IIPA is great) and lake of bays - in fact there's a ton of good breweries in Ontario.
 
I live an hour from the brewery...sorry I can't ship you any beer but if anyone does come up to Waterbury, VT PLEASE send me a PM so we can meet up. Prohibition Pig, Blackback Pub and Three Penny Taproom are all 10 minutes from the brewery and are awesome.

Also, drive an extra hour to Hill Farmstead Brewery and get some of the best IPAs you've ever had.

I wrote this blog post back in October detailing 3 of the best VT breweries and how to get their beer. - http://adam-jackson.net/beer/a-beer-lovers-guide-to-vermont-breweries-2012-edition/

Even though I can get Heady whenever I want, I too am interested in a clone.

Vermont is the best, maybe the only state that I would consider packing up and moving to at this point in my life, if the opportunity arose. I'm hoping to make a trip up in the spring, I might have to take you up on that tour guide offer. Can you recommend any good places to camp near the Lawson's / Hill Farmstead / Alchemist Triangle of Beer Perfection?
 
Vermont is the best, maybe the only state that I would consider packing up and moving to at this point in my life, if the opportunity arose. I'm hoping to make a trip up in the spring, I might have to take you up on that tour guide offer. Can you recommend any good places to camp near the Lawson's / Hill Farmstead / Alchemist Triangle of Beer Perfection?

Being a local, I actually haven't camped in any of those areas. Most of it is day trips. There are tons of parks, hiking and trails throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. The NEK is gorgeous! I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a place to camp out. Also check out some of the ski resorts. lodges at resorst are cheap in the summer since there's no ski traffic going on.
 
Lots of good places to camp in the spring. Some are run by State of Vermont and some private. I live here in Waterbury and we have many hikers that head up here in warmer weather. There are 4 of the "4k's" (the 4000+foot peaks) nearby and some people are in the quest to climb as many of those as possible.

If you'll just be using a tent, then the Little River State Park (run by State of VT) is about 3-4 miles away from The Alchemist. It's right on the Waterbury Reservoir....Motor boats are allowed. Swimming is great as is fishing too. LIttle River also can accommodate campers and RV's......Prices are reasonable but call ahead and make a reservation

In Stowe, you've got Nichols Camp Ground. That's on Route 100 and its about 5 miles to The Alchemist. You're also 5 miles closer to Hill Farmstead (and you'd go right by Rock Art Brewery).

Either way, you're striking distance to a lot of fun spots, breweries, Stowe, Burlington etc.
 
I second Little River, especially since the bars in Waterbury have great tap lists and some decent food (especially at the Prohibition Pig). If you are looking for something a little closer to Hill Farmstead, check out Lake Elmore. It's way more "out there", but it's a beautiful spot.
 
Flying Monkeys I'd assume. Probably talking about Hoptical Illusion or Smashbomb? Not worth a road trip IMO.

There's also muskoka brewery (IIPA is great) and lake of bays - in fact there's a ton of good breweries in Ontario.

Yeah, I meant Flying Monkeys. Smashbomb, specifically, as the all-Citra IPA. Like most IPAs though, it is best consumed very fresh. I don't buy it in bottles too often because it pales in comparison to a fresh keg when I pick it up from the LCBO. Picked up a bottle of their limited edition Barenaked Ladies chocolate RIS about a month ago, which I have high hopes for.

Speaking of the LCBO, the only Muskoka stuff I've had has been from there. Haven't been hugely impressed with their regular offerings, but some of their seasonals/limited releases have been good... definitely among the better stuff from Ontario, IMO.
 
Getting back to the clone attempt. I brewed my 2nd attempt Sunday night and my airlock died off this morning so I just checked the gravity. I'm at 1.015, coming from 1.071 at 63 degrees. Fairly pleased with fermentation this time around. Tasting is much closer to the bitterness I expected and was lacking in the first attempt. It creeps up at the end just like I remember Heady. I attribute this to a little more hopshot and a 10 degree hotter whirlpool. Flavor getting closer, more of a fruit juice this time around, I guess something like Orange, Pineapple, Apricot and a little pine. I will alter my dry hop to get some more pine in there I think, it's pretty fruity now. Final product up to the dry hop though, so far so good.

Yeast has not dropped at all, bottom of the carboy is clear, the entire mixture looks like a pair of khakis.
 
Getting back to the clone attempt. I brewed my 2nd attempt Sunday night and my airlock died off this morning so I just checked the gravity. I'm at 1.015, coming from 1.071 at 63 degrees. Fairly pleased with fermentation this time around. Tasting is much closer to the bitterness I expected and was lacking in the first attempt. It creeps up at the end just like I remember Heady. I attribute this to a little more hopshot and a 10 degree hotter whirlpool. Flavor getting closer, more of a fruit juice this time around, I guess something like Orange, Pineapple, Apricot and a little pine. I will alter my dry hop to get some more pine in there I think, it's pretty fruity now. Final product up to the dry hop though, so far so good.

Yeast has not dropped at all, bottom of the carboy is clear, the entire mixture looks like a pair of khakis.

If the yeast hasn't dropped at all, I would think you'll get a couple more gravity points out of it.
 
What was this recipe?


Getting back to the clone attempt. I brewed my 2nd attempt Sunday night and my airlock died off this morning so I just checked the gravity. I'm at 1.015, coming from 1.071 at 63 degrees. Fairly pleased with fermentation this time around. Tasting is much closer to the bitterness I expected and was lacking in the first attempt. It creeps up at the end just like I remember Heady. I attribute this to a little more hopshot and a 10 degree hotter whirlpool. Flavor getting closer, more of a fruit juice this time around, I guess something like Orange, Pineapple, Apricot and a little pine. I will alter my dry hop to get some more pine in there I think, it's pretty fruity now. Final product up to the dry hop though, so far so good.

Yeast has not dropped at all, bottom of the carboy is clear, the entire mixture looks like a pair of khakis.
 
See, this is the kind of crap that really pisses me off. I've read ever single page of this, for months. Been subscribed to it. And everyday, I read the freaking updates.
Now all I asked was how his variation 2 was different than variation 1. But if you are going to jump on me , then EXCUSE ME!




This has been a great thread that I follow intently and very much look forward to brewing in the very near future.
If I missed how you changed the 2nd brew, I'll go back and look.
Thanks for all the POSITIVE contributions to this thread.

Bwahahahahaha!!! Play fair and go back and read the thread. :D
 
Simmer down cheese, Nord was just messing around. I remember when I got on here I was like "where the hell is the recipe assknuckles?" and they were like "We don't have one yet moron" and it's been all good since then. Nobody meant any offense, it's Friday night, lets all just celebrate by drinking whatever awesome beer we can get , even if it isn't Heady.
 
See, this is the kind of crap that really pisses me off. I've read ever single page of this, for months. Been subscribed to it. And everyday, I read the freaking updates.
Now all I asked was how his variation 2 was different than variation 1. But if you are going to jump on me , then EXCUSE ME!

Reeeeeally? Wow, and that was the edited for language version. Sorry to get your undies all in a knot, man, but....

Simmer down cheese, Nord was just messing around. I remember when I got on here I was like "where the hell is the recipe assknuckles?" and they were like "We don't have one yet moron" and it's been all good since then. Nobody meant any offense, it's Friday night, lets all just celebrate by drinking whatever awesome beer we can get , even if it isn't Heady.

Yeah, this guy said it about right. I have a sense of humor, it comes out sometimes, uncontrollably. Admittedly not always the clearest to see in type, but really, wow, I never meant to make anyone hate HBT.


Oh yeah, I'm finally getting around to brewing mine tomorrow. I'd planned on last weekend, but I had a horrible cold and didn't wanna f my yeast in the a with viruses. Going roughly 90% pearl, 5% carapils, 5% corn sugar (I know, BeerSmith made me do it :D ). Hop Shot to ~60 IBU, 6 hops at 5min, 6 at knockout/whirlpool ~15 mins, then into my HLT with leaf hops until it hits ~175F. (I need a Hop Rocket *CoughDangerRossCough*) Probably gonna do the two keg deal to dry hop, sounds like fun.
 
Yea....I think 90 pearl, 5 cara, and 5 something else(sugar,honey malt,melanoidin) and hop shot to bitter seem to be the consensus. It's the hops that are the biggest mystery.

Question....and I know it's almost sacrilege.....but has anyone let a can of Heady sit for a few weeks and carefully pour it like you would with a bottle conditioned beer? If so, is it clearer than a fresh can, or is it still very cloudy? I'm just wondering if the cloudiness is chill haze. It may be that Heady doesn't chill the wort all that fast in order to let the whirlpool hops steep longer in warm wort. It could also explain the proteins that seem to be in there also. I know they keep it cold in the bright tanks, I just wonder how long they take to get the temp down.

Just throwing it out there.
 
This has been a fascinating thread to follow, thanks to all involved! I've only had one can of Heady, and it was marvelous. I would gladly pay for a Vial of Conan if anyone has any extra hanging around:D
 
I'm good. Next round is on me.
I guess I failed to find the humor.

If I may ask my question, and if this has already been asked or stated, then I will be glad to apologize:

Vegan: I saw where you intended to change up your second batch and add amarillo (see post 600). I also made note of your blog where you mentioned that you would be changing your hop additions: (http://www.signpostbrewing.com/heady-topper-clone-tasting).

Bittering: Hop Extract 60 IBUs
5 minute addition: Simcoe/Centennial/Columbus/Amarillo
Whirlpool: Simcoe/Centennial/Columbus/Cascade/Chinook/Amarillo
Dry Hop 1: 4 ounces of a combination of Simcoe/Centennial/Columbus/Cascade/Chinook/Amarillo
Dry Hop 2: 2 ounces of a combination of Simcoe/Centennial/Columbus/Cascade/Chinook/Amarillo run in something similar to a hopback.

Now, if I may, would you mind sharing your recipe for this batch?
 
Question....and I know it's almost sacrilege.....but has anyone let a can of Heady sit for a few weeks and carefully pour it like you would with a bottle conditioned beer? If so, is it clearer than a fresh can, or is it still very cloudy? I'm just wondering if the cloudiness is chill haze. It may be that Heady doesn't chill the wort all that fast in order to let the whirlpool hops steep longer in warm wort. It could also explain the proteins that seem to be in there also. I know they keep it cold in the bright tanks, I just wonder how long they take to get the temp down.

Just throwing it out there.

Heady is still cloudy after a few weeks. After a few months, it's crystal clear (and tastes like a Belgian IPA).
 
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