Heady Topper

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Is there a way to determine the canning date from the code on the can?

I finally got to try some HT through a trade, and I have to admit I was pretty underwhelmed. It was a good beer, a nice well crafted DIPA, but not worthy of the cult status, IMO. Trying to determine if maybe I just got an old can.

FWIW, I get a minty/citrusy hoppiness, but nothing tropical. Certainly nowhere near anything I've dry-hopped myself with Citra, Galaxy, Nelson, etc.
 
Sounds like a faded can, g-star. I've had a few, and your description fits. I had a faded one, followed by fresh last night, and it was night and day. As for the coded being linked to a date, I'm not sure but I will see what I can find out. I sent an email to The Alchemist asking if there's a way. As for the hops you mention, I don't believe that any of those are used in Heady Topper. From a fresh HT, I get a lot of pineapple from the hops, apricot from the yeast (not hops like NS). And fresh HT is definitely one of the more tropical IIPAs I've had. I will post back any findings on figuring out the dates, we were wondering just that last night.
 
Yup, no citra, galaxy, or nelson in HT. It's something like Columbus, Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe, Nugget, Amarillo, Centennial + hop extract. Thinking Simcoe's pineapple notes might be getting multiplied by Conan's fruit powering power.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned glacier - I've dry-hopped with Simcoe/glacier and it had quite the pineapple/peachy note.

I also agree that there are some similarities b/t HT and Hop Stoopid - I may lean towards a high percentage of Columbus in the dry hop
 
skibb said:
I also agree that there are some similarities b/t HT and Hop Stoopid -
Click to expand...

I thought so to, until I tried then side by side. No dice. HS has way more caramel sweetness and nowhere near the hops character, even compared to the faded can of Heady I had. There may be some hops in common, but I think that's the extent of it.

I do agree that Heady has a good deal of simcoe, and that combined with (what I've read about) Conan is what gives it that big tropical nose. Well, that and the insane amount of hopping hot side and cold.
 
theveganbrewer said:
Yup, no citra, galaxy, or nelson in HT. It's something like Columbus, Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe, Nugget, Amarillo, Centennial + hop extract. Thinking Simcoe's pineapple notes might be getting multiplied by Conan's fruit powering power.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking the same thing about Simcoe + Conan. The beer tastes a lot to me like the classic C-flavors, plus Simcoe, enhanced by Conan.

I've never done a single-hop with Simcoe and I've been wanting to... fermenting with Conan should be something special.
 
Well I tgink my attempt at culturing conan was a flop and now I am out of Heady. Anybody in southern NH, Portland, ME or Boston area succesfully cultured this and maybe has a yeast cake I could get some yeast from? To make this worth someones while, I have a primary with ECY bugfarm that I will be transferring to a secomdary soon, so I could share the yeast. Anyone?
 
othellomcbane said:
I've never done a single-hop with Simcoe and I've been wanting to... fermenting with Conan should be something special.
Click to expand...

I've done a couple all simcoe IPAs and I got a $hit ton of pineapple. The second one I did was almost overly pineapple-y (in a good way). That had a FW, a ten min and a whirlpool addition, 3 oz dry hop. IME, load up late on simcoe and you make pineapple juice!
 
A couple more thoughts:
The reason why we haven't tasted a beer like this before is b/c he may not neccesarily be using the same old hops we constantly see being used in todays IIPAS...

Perhaps it has Ahtanum? (I'm not sure when this hop came into being) - it exhibits a nice citrusy/orange/mango flavor to me, and it is recommended by a lot of people to be a decent substitute for Amarillo.

Also, Galaxy hops are like the Simcoe of the south - and they've been out since 1994. Pineapple/tropical/mango are very common descriptors.

Has it been suggested that the only hops hes using are exclusively American?

Edit: I snagged this off a thread in BA
I have been in touch with John himself. Lab tested IBUs are 75-80, not 120 or whatever the website says. NZ hop use was "quite possible" according to source. If it is, the brewery has been known to use Moteuka and Riwaka. (sp?) You can get 80 IBU with all your hops at 5 minutes or less and one bittering charge at 60, or perhaps 90 minutes.
Click to expand...

So doing a little research, Motueka fits a tropical/mango description.

I just ordered a hopshot (good for 50 IBU)... this is a draft for my clone attempt, a 6 gallon batch

OG: 1.071
FG: 1.010
IBU: 126
SRM: 6.5

90% Golden Promise (sorry don't have pearl)
5% Red Wheat malt
5% Honey malt

5 ml Hop Extract @ 75 (50 IBU)

2 oz Motueka @ Whirlpool (15 minutes)
2 oz Centennial @ WP
2 oz Chinook @ WP

2 oz Simcoe @ Hop-back
2 oz Ahtanum @ HB

Dry hop with 2 oz each of Simcoe, Ahtanum, Motueka, Chinook, Centennial

I will likely split the dry-hop into two additions, one at 7 days and the other at 10 days
 
I no longer suspect obscure hops, it is some combo of Simcoe, Centennial, Columbus, Nugget, Amarillo, Chinook, or Cascade. Maybe not all of them, but at least 6. I still think there is a distinct familiarity with parts of Hopstoopid and Heady Topper, most notably the Columbus dryhop and the hop extract which gives a different bitterness and mouthfeel of that bitterness. Not talking about anything else though, just the hints of similar dryhops and how the hop extract tastes.

But to each his own. Hill Farmstead uses galaxy and has an all galaxy DIPA that has a lot of citrus, mango, pineapple flavors.
 
I'm also leaning towards no NZ hops, but I'm not ruling out the possibility. Speaking of Hill Farmstead, S&S 5 was a blend of American and NZ hops and had that huge pineapple/tropical thing going on, so it's at least worth consideration that NZ hops could be used. I do think that there's a hefty dose of simcoe and columbus for sure in HT.

Vegan, I see what you mean about HS and HT. There were similarities, but not many. They are still very different side by side though. I have another Hop Stoopid and I got some more (very fresh) Heady in the mail today, so I will try them side by side again to see about the way the bitterness is perceived.
 
Well my damn extract didn't show up again today, I will hold up ranting about the company for a time being, but no brew again while Conan is dying as each day passes.
 
Yeah I had a hard time leaving out the Columbus - If I were to add it, it would be in the dry hop only. I just don't taste its boiled flavor...

I thought it's been established that Amarillo is highly unlikely due to to its birthday.

People keep saying Nugget, I just don't get that character at all in this beer. I've had 100% nugget beers, and were very dank/herbal/pungent/sticky
 
NordeastBrewer77 said:
Vegan, I see what you mean about HS and HT. There were similarities, but not many. They are still very different side by side though. I have another Hop Stoopid and I got some more (very fresh) Heady in the mail today, so I will try them side by side again to see about the way the bitterness is perceived.
Click to expand...

It's good knowing NordeastBrewer77 is out there

Tough job man, but glad to know someone is doing it.:mug:
 
skibb said:
Yeah I had a hard time leaving out the Columbus - If I were to add it, it would be in the dry hop only. I just don't taste its boiled flavor...

I thought it's been established that Amarillo is highly unlikely due to to its birthday.

People keep saying Nugget, I just don't get that character at all in this beer. I've had 100% nugget beers, and were very dank/herbal/pungent/sticky
Click to expand...

I personally hate Amarillo, it completely disgusts me, and since I love HT, I would imagine it's not in it.
 
NordeastBrewer77 said:
Can't make a better offer than that. I live in Minneapolis, it's not easy for me to source Heady. I have to trade beer and pay shipping on what I send. Shipping beer ain't cheap. :mug:
Click to expand...

I ended up with Heady completely randomly. I live in Oregon and was in North Carolina for business. I was headed out to do a consultation with a customer and speaking with a local employee getting background on the customer before the meeting. They mentioned the customer was going to Vermont the next day and needed to finish the meeting in time to get to the airport.

So we have our consultation and are small talking on the way out the door and I just came out with it and asked him if he could do me a favor. I said there was a famous beer brewed there that couldn't be found anywhere else. Turns out, the guy was going to tour the Alchemist brewery for his birthday celebration the following week and said he'd pick me up a 4-pack.

Sure enough a few weeks later, the day after he returned, I got a call saying the customer had just brought a 4-pack of beer by the office. :mug: Had it shipped out to Oregon and that was that.
 
theveganbrewer said:
I ended up with Heady completely randomly. I live in Oregon and was in North Carolina for business. I was headed out to do a consultation with a customer and speaking with a local employee getting background on the customer before the meeting. They mentioned the customer was going to Vermont the next day and needed to finish the meeting in time to get to the airport.

So we have our consultation and are small talking on the way out the door and I just came out with it and asked him if he could do me a favor. I said there was a famous beer brewed there that couldn't be found anywhere else. Turns out, the guy was going to tour the Alchemist brewery for his birthday celebration the following week and said he'd pick me up a 4-pack.

Sure enough a few weeks later, the day after he returned, I got a call saying the customer had just brought a 4-pack of beer by the office. :mug: Had it shipped out to Oregon and that was that.
Click to expand...

Nice!!! That's an awesome story, and fitting of Heady... it's a beer of lore! :mug:
 
So what have we decided on the grain at this point.
Mostly Pearl with a little wheat? ....any biscuit, Carpils, Vienna?
I've read that crystal is out, but what are you guys going to use. I'm gona fire one up as soon as I get my extract and can get some Conan going, but I don't want to duplicate exactly what others are doing so we can get as many variations as possible going and narrow this thing down.
 
whitehause said:
So what have we decided on the grain at this point.
Mostly Pearl with a little wheat? ....any biscuit, Carpils, Vienna?
I've read that crystal is out, but what are you guys going to use. I'm gona fire one up as soon as I get my extract and can get some Conan going, but I don't want to duplicate exactly what others are doing so we can get as many variations as possible going and narrow this thing down.
Click to expand...

I've got Pearl, Carapils, Munich, and Dextrose. 11 pounds of Pearl, 12 ounces of both Carapils and Dextrose, and 8 ounces of Munich.

I'm basically only debating my Munich addition. I've read about attempts with Caravienna, C15, or nothing and just Pearl/Dextrose
 
whitehause said:
So what have we decided on the grain at this point.
Mostly Pearl with a little wheat? ....any biscuit, Carpils, Vienna?
I've read that crystal is out, but what are you guys going to use. I'm gona fire one up as soon as I get my extract and can get some Conan going, but I don't want to duplicate exactly what others are doing so we can get as many variations as possible going and narrow this thing down.
Click to expand...

I don't get crystal. Maybe a bit of something other than pearl. I got a little toasty/biscuity thing out of the can I drank tonight. I really need to listen to the can and drink out of it for once.... to cut down on my enjoyment of the hops. They're SO good, it's hard to think of much else.
 
Just saw a facebook post saying their expansion is nearing completion here soon, they just got some new tanks installed and plan to distribute to Boston shortly on a regular basis. Will be easier to get HT soon.
 
I'm screwed waiting for them to distribute to Washington State.

Anyone willing to help me out...I have PayPal or local trades. Feedback is better than most (here and other sites)

I have gotten cans from trade [Thanks h20punk182!] And auction sites. I would love more. PM a brother.
 
So somewhere between 8oz and a pound or so of malt other than Pearl? What's everyone think? Munich, Vienna, Caravienne, other? Carapils?
 
theveganbrewer said:
So somewhere between 8oz and a pound or so of malt other than Pearl? What's everyone think? Munich, Vienna, Caravienne, other? Carapils?
Click to expand...

Of those, my guess.... carapils. Maybe a touch of Munich... maybe. I honestly would not be surprised if it was all pale ale malt or pale ale/carapils ~98%/~2%.

Whatta you guys think about water? Think it matters? I was talking to one of the dudes in my club and he mentioned water might be important.
 
My saturday brew day got postponed till tomorrow. We've been brewing a IIPA with...

87% Pale
4% Dextrine
4% Crystal60
5% Dextrose
S-05

All Columbus for bittering and Cascade + Citra last 5 min and dry hop.

Going to brew it tomorrow with half the Crystal, Conan, all extract for bittering and a combo of Cascade, Chinook, Columbus and Citra for last 5 min and dry hop.

Even though it appears there may be no Crystal or Citra this should give us a good base-line compared to what we've been brewing.

:mug:
 
I am brewing this Sunday AM. Water will be about 5:1 sulfate to chloride I think. I am thinking 150 for the mash, maybe 149.

85% Pearl
5.8% Carapils
4.7% Corn Sugar
3.9% Munich

5.5mL of Hopshot @60

1 oz Centennial/Simcoe/ @ 5
0.5 oz Chinook/Columbus @ 5

Then 30-minute whirlpool some combo of Centennial/Simcoe/Chinook/Columbus/Cascade/Nugget

Ferment Conan at 62.
 
The peach is an eater that is a big part of the flavor profile of this beer. I fear fermenting at 62 would majorly, if not completely, surpress that.

It has been remarked that John has mentioned there are no crystal malts in this beer...just curious why have the carapils AND corn sugar?
 
skibb said:
The peach is an eater that is a big part of the flavor profile of this beer. I fear fermenting at 62 would majorly, if not completely, surpress that.

It has been remarked that John has mentioned there are no crystal malts in this beer...just curious why have the carapils AND corn sugar?
Click to expand...

I've ready Conan thrives in lower temps and that you will get the most fruit between 60 and 64.

I've heard of some breweries willing to share their proprietary yeast with home brewers. Has anyone ever reached out to The Alchemist about Conan? I don't have anything planned in Burlington anytime soon, but would if that is an option.
 
Just finished a brew with Conan and I fermented cool around 63. The yeast flavor is very Heady. I tried a lower gravity beer with just all galaxy hop as a trial for this yeast before I threw it at a big beer like a heady clone and it turned out great. Nice and dry. But, I'd also recommend fermenting a little on the cool side. The good news is, I still had some of my heady clone that I've been experimenting with on tap so I mixed the two brews together and wow...the yeast makes all the difference in the world. That big hop finish with the conan yeast in the back was exactly heady. I'll be doing my heady clone recipe using this yeast for the first time next week. Fingers crossed.
 
LaFinDuMonde said:
Your recipe looks great.
Out of curiosity, why 62 degrees? I have a starter of Conan going right now and I'm trying to keep it around 70. Does this yeast like cool temps?

Thanks,
Mike
Click to expand...

62's what I've been seeing for Conan too. S'posedly that's where it'll kick the big apricot and tropical fruit notes. I'm doing my harvesting at room temp (68-70), but I plan to ferment at my normal 62-64.
 
I based my 60-62 off of a blog from someone with extensive experience with Conan, I think he may be on here, may have posted on this page, but not sure who it is.

I never saw the part where John himself said there was so crystal or sugar in HT, only people commenting that there wasn't. But I have debated using the sugar, as my numbers on BS are telling me that I might make it to 1.010 without it.
 
theveganbrewer said:
I based my 60-62 off of a blog from someone with extensive experience with Conan, I think he may be on here, may have posted on this page, but not sure who it is.

I never saw the part where John himself said there was so crystal or sugar in HT, only people commenting that there wasn't. But I have debated using the sugar, as my numbers on BS are telling me that I might make it to 1.010 without it.
Click to expand...

I read that blog too. It sounds like dude has used it at different temps and the lower temp produces more Heady-like character.
 
I guess I should also add that carapils and dextrose don't really add any flavor for a beer, they are used for head retention and drying out the beer. That in itself changes the flavor to be dryer, but it doesn't add the crystal taste to the beer.
 
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