Conan Yeast Experiences

[mtnagel]

I brewed a black IPA and split the batch - 3 gal with Conan and 3 gal with WLP090. They were pitched around 73F and then brought down to 66-67F in a water bath. The WLP090 stopped bubbling this morning about 2.5 days after pitching. The Conan batch is still bubbling 3 days later, but slowly. I assume this is expected based on how fast the WLP090 ferments, correct?

Anyone think I'll see some differences in these?

 

[Stauffbier]

I just can't get past the clovey, almost saison-ish notes that come from it. I don't know if the last batch I made was fermented too hot, or what...

It's just not the bee's knees like I wanted it to be. I tossed some of it in a blonde and got the same note. No infection as it's sat around for a while, but side by side on tap in the kegerator, the farmhouse IPA I made and the conan DIPA, almost taste identical, save for the body left in the DIPA versus the saison.

Ehhh..

That's interesting. I've never got anything even close to that kind of flavor/ester profile when I've fermented with it. What temp do you ferment at with it? I ferment Conan at 59-60 myself...

 

[FATC1TY]

That's interesting. I've never got anything even close to that kind of flavor/ester profile when I've fermented with it. What temp do you ferment at with it? I ferment Conan at 59-60 myself...

I want to say it was around 67-68... Could have spiked, but I doubt it, wasn't that hot anyways.

 

[theveganbrewer]

I ferment at 68, it's not the temps. I have had Conan get bad very late gen and give off clove and a little something odd. What attenuation did you get?

 

[Stauffbier]

I have had Conan get bad very late gen and give off clove and a little something odd. What attenuation did you get?

I was suspecting this as well...

I have a new harvest of Conan that I haven't fermented with yet. I'll have to pay attention to see if it's any different than my first harvest. I'm not really sure what generation it is. My first harvest was super clean, so I'm guessing it was an early gen.

 

[theveganbrewer]

I was suspecting this as well...

I have a new harvest of Conan that I haven't fermented with yet. I'll have to pay attention to see if it's any different than my first harvest. I'm not really sure what generation it is. My first harvest was super clean, so I'm guessing it was an early gen.

I only mentioned it because I thought what you said seemed familiar. I drank mine and knew it wasn't infected, but it didn't pop and it was a little weird. I trashed that batch of yeast (found out it was 18th gen) and found a newer gen that was back to normal.

What I want to do is see if there is a way to bring back the good yeast, or if once it's gone, every bit of it is underperforming.

 

[Stauffbier]

I only mentioned it because I thought what you said seemed familiar. I drank mine and knew it wasn't infected, but it didn't pop and it was a little weird. I trashed that batch of yeast (found out it was 18th gen) and found a newer gen that was back to normal.

What I want to do is see if there is a way to bring back the good yeast, or if once it's gone, every bit of it is underperforming.

I would think even the newest cells in the slurry would be mutated. That's just a guess, though.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Probably true.

 

[ja09]

I only mentioned it because I thought what you said seemed familiar. I drank mine and knew it wasn't infected, but it didn't pop and it was a little weird. I trashed that batch of yeast (found out it was 18th gen) and found a newer gen that was back to normal.

What I want to do is see if there is a way to bring back the good yeast, or if once it's gone, every bit of it is underperforming.

How did you find out it was the 18th gen?

 

[theveganbrewer]

How did you find out it was the 18th gen?

From talking with John he had let me know what gen they were on when I got a set of cans.

 

[FATC1TY]

I ferment at 68, it's not the temps. I have had Conan get bad very late gen and give off clove and a little something odd. What attenuation did you get?

I think I got... mid 70's? It actually came out higher than I expected on my recipe, but I assumed it was because I overshot my OG so much..

Not sure on the gen. I got a vial from you a while back, stepped it up 2 times and used it.

I still have some of the 1st step in a vial in the fridge.

 

[theveganbrewer]

I just looked back in my notes and you had gen 8-10 shipped. I haven't shipped out anything later than 12 since I had the bad experience with the 18th gen. I used that 8-10 stock on my last 3 brews and they got ~82%, but PM me if you have troubles with that bit of 1st step you have.

 

[mtnagel]

Anyway to tell what gen yeast I have if my Heady was bought on April 29th?

 

[theveganbrewer]

Anyway to tell what gen yeast I have if my Heady was bought on April 29th?

Between 1-12, John doesn't use anything higher than that anymore. He told me it was 10 gen, but someone else about a month later, said he mentioned they go no higher than 12 now. The FG was floating up too high in the higher generation batches.

The easiest way to tell, if you can call it easy, is to track your attenuation. Super fresh is going to get near 85%, once you're at gen 10-12, it's going to be down in the 78-80% range.

 

[mtnagel]

Thanks. I just brewed with it on Saturday for the first time so I'll be able to get my % attenuation in a week or so.

 

[FATC1TY]

I just looked back in my notes and you had gen 8-10 shipped. I haven't shipped out anything later than 12 since I had the bad experience with the 18th gen. I used that 8-10 stock on my last 3 brews and they got ~82%, but PM me if you have troubles with that bit of 1st step you have.

Will do. The first step seemed okay, but I did note that it had a belgian-ish nose to it. Clove like.

It's not good in the two beers I've used it in. I'm about to dump my DIPA that I did with it, as I just can't get over the esters it has, and need room in the kegerator.

Hopefully the last bit I have is good to use!

 

[Stauffbier]

Sorry if someone has already covered this question, but what's the biggest beer you guys have brewed with Conan? I'm wanting to ferment a huge RIS with Conan, but I'm curious what the alcohol tolerance is.

 

[sweetcell]

Sorry if someone has already covered this question, but what's the biggest beer you guys have brewed with Conan? I'm wanting to ferment a huge RIS with Conan, but I'm curious what the alcohol tolerance is.

i'm currently drinking a 9.2% abv DIPA made with conan.

not sure it's the best choice for a RIS. seems too fruity to me.

 

[jglazer]

Harvested from 2 cans into 130ml of 1.04 wort. Stepped it up again by adding an additional 500ml of 1.04 wort. This stuff is fierce...

 

[sybesbrew]

I brewed my first batch with conan on wednesday with a 1.05 OG 32IBU Maris Otter/Amarillo SMaSH American Pale Ale.

Day after I pitched the airlock was bubbling away. I'll wait a week or two to pull a sample but it should be tasting.

I'm looking at pitching my next batch on the cake with either a Heady Topper type clone or the Kern River Citra DIPA clone. Both sound good with this yeast.

Hope to in time try a few different IPA recipes with this yeast (assuming results are good with my first few).

 

[Stauffbier]

i'm currently drinking a 9.2% abv DIPA made with conan.

not sure it's the best choice for a RIS. seems too fruity to me.

I'm definitely only going to do a one gallon test batch. I think the fruity character would be good in a really big RIS with lots of roast in it. I do plan on fermenting extremely cool to keep the esters down as low as possible, though. I just wonder if it can handle 10-12% ABV!?

 

[mtnagel]

I brewed a black IPA and split the batch - 3 gal with Conan and 3 gal with WLP090. They were pitched around 73F and then brought down to 66-67F in a water bath. The WLP090 stopped bubbling this morning about 2.5 days after pitching. The Conan batch is still bubbling 3 days later, but slowly. I assume this is expected based on how fast the WLP090 ferments, correct?

Anyone think I'll see some differences in these?

The Conan batch is still bubbling (albeit, very slowly) 6 days after pitching. The WLP090 is still not bubbling (obviously). They've been in a 67F water bath the whole time. I plan to check gravities today or tomorrow.

 

[jglazer]

Anyone ever ferment cider with Conan?? I was just about to make some cider with the usual Notty yeast but I have some Conan yeast laying around and thought about using it...thoughts?

 

[Stauffbier]

Anyone ever ferment cider with Conan?? I was just about to make some cider with the usual Notty yeast but I have some Conan yeast laying around and thought about using it...thoughts?

I bet it would work great for cider.

 

[MTate37]

Anyone have any tips for shipping yeast? I need to get a couple of jars out for trades in the next day. I'm thinking I'll stick the jar in a zip-loc bag with a freezer pack and pack with a little bubble wrap. I figure with overnight shipping it should stay pretty cold. Thoughts?

 

[mtnagel]

I shipped out 4 samples. I put it in a urine sample jar (hey, they are sterile), sealed in ziplock, wrapped in a small towel and sealed in another ziplock bag, then lots of bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts. I didn't use any ice and I did ground shipping. This was about a month ago and no one has told me the yeast isn't active and one took like 4 days from here to CA. So I'd say you are more than fine.

 

[jglazer]

Pretty sure I am brewing a Pliny The Younger clone with Conan yeast this 4th of July. Anyone have any experience with this combination that can say whether or not its a good idea?

 

[sweetcell]

Pretty sure I am brewing a Pliny The Younger clone with Conan yeast this 4th of July. Anyone have any experience with this combination that can say whether or not its a good idea?

on the whole the recipe for pliny isn't that different from HT - so yes, it'll be a great yeast to use.

 

[terrapinj]

I cannot get my latest IPA to clear. cold crashed for a few days after a 2 stage dry hop in primary and then kegged on top of another 2.5oz of bagged dry hops. i expected some haze from all the late/dry hops but this is super murky despite being in the keg at 38° for 2 weeks.

 

[jglazer]

Its weird, the Conan I recently harvest has been clearing pretty well and fairly quickly in my starters, and it looks like the heady clone I just made is already clearing up after a few days, maybe I just have a later generation. It ferments really strong though so I am not sure what that means