Can You MAKE HEADY TOPPER AT HOME?? | How to Brew an INCREDIBLE Double IPA | Do EXTREME IBUs Matter?

[@crabmansteve6844]

If there is one lesson that stands out amongst all the stuff your channel has taught me, it is to be patient. So far every time you initially thought you had a problem with a beer, be it infection, stuck ferment or bad characteristics, it has been time and time again that seems to resolve all. The lacing on this brew is gorgeous.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you! I should try something like this again actually. Fun beer to brew. Time heals all!

[@RuwinduGunatilake]

Oxygen molecule: Oh hello you delicious brew! New England IPA: I guess I’ll die

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Lmao this comment wins

[@netttostar]

I love how well you are explaining your thought process of making this beer! Great video!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks! It was a lot of fun to make!

[@cmcurran5]

It’s funny how much hazy/neipa has changed since heddy topper. I remember it has a hoppy beer but now most are “juicy”. It’s a great beer but in my opinion it’s like Cuban cigars. Great rep because they were so hard to get. Great video!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It really is interesting! This beer is still amazing, but its a very different beer than Julius or Juicy bits and the other super juice bombs that are popular nowadays. Cheers!

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks 😃

[@dudestewbrews]

Greatly appreciate your take on making the Heady Topper. I live on the west coast and unfortunately that means I don't have access to Heady Topper IPA. Having recently heard about it I thought to myself, "If I can't have the real thing, maybe I can make something close." Obviously no one has perfected the recipe and no one will with the way the pick their hops each year, but even a slight taste of the highly renown Heady Topper sounds like a fun challenge to take on. And who knows, maybe someday I'll be able to make my way out to try the real thing. Until then, I look forward to making a variation of the beer that you made here. Cheers!

[@Bullsbrew551]

It’s all about a fun enjoyable hobby. There is no “right” or “wrong” way. It’s about a different path that leads to who knows where. It’s all about the journey. Very enjoyable video. Cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I couldn't have said it better myself. Plus in the end you get beer, every time!

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks 😀

[@HOMEBREW4LIFE]

ha, i have this video written down as well. Stealing the recipe!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Do it!

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks

[@coasterking473502644]

I was waiting on this video before brewing my attempt. Started the brew day an hour after the video was uploaded, and I was amazed at just how green the wort was from all the hops! Thanks for the tips, especially regarding realistic expectations for clone beers. Really excited to see how this one tastes in 28 days!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Wow, you really got after this one fast!! Best of luck with it and be sure to give it enough time for the bitterness to fade! Cheers and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks 😁

[@intothenightrecords9954]

Was so pumped for this one after it was announced on Instagram a few weeks ago! Great video!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Sweet! Thanks for watching it!

[@jspeir4799]

Really liked this video and I hope you do more like this. You do a great job explaining your thought process and even if it wasn't a perfect clone, there was a lot of great information here.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you enjoyed, I plan on doing something similar for Pliny the Elder eventually, hopefully it goes well!

[@jspeir4799]

Nice! Hope you do some other styles too. Would like to see your take on a Duvel clone.

[@jimmacdonald1526]

Thank you. Great video. You make the most entertaining grain to glass videos. Very complete! I love not waiting for the follow up tasting video that never gets made. A big thank you for that big plus. Relax, Don't worry, have a home brew. Cheers Jim

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Wow, thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the video and that you like my content. Cheers, that means a lot!

[@zacharyvincent6111]

This is the video I've been waiting for since you got that fermenter and you did not disappoint!!! I can't wait to try out these lessons!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Cheers!! I'm glad that you enjoyed it, I had a ton of fun making this beer, and I think the fermenter helped out quite a bit with the whole process. I wouldn't say it was necessary, but it definitely made life easier.

[@bumpy-isms]

Very nice..... heady is my favorite from the Alchemist. Your heavy hopper sounds great Cheers Steve

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks Jesse, Heady Topper is an amazing beer! My beer didn't quite achieve that level of awesomeness, but its not a bad DIPA. Cheers and thanks for watching!

[@DarwinsBeerReviews]

Great video. Maybe you only had a can of Heady, but having it side by side at the end of the video would be fun. I also really appreciate your tasting notes. Heady is a very unique beer. For sure drastically different from modern interpretations of NE IPA. More of a unique take on West Coast than what "NE IPA" is these tastes for context.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I would have, but it was going to make this video so much longer if I had! Glad you enjoyed the video, and heady is really an incredible and unique beer!

[@alf5158]

Dude I’m literally brewing a Heady Topper clone this week! Great timing!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Awesome! I hope it turns out well for you!

[@alf5158]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Thanks! Unfortunately it’s for a party in mid August so I don’t have time to condition. I’m going to try and ferment under pressure and hope that helps accelerate the conditioning. Great video as well, I appreciate the thorough notes and descriptions.

[@vruychev]

Monday morning video with my coffee... yumm Excellent as always! Cheers

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Excellent! Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@TwoandaHalfPintsHomebrew]

Glad I finally watched this video! I have heard (from Kimmich) that gen 2-10 of Conan is better than first gen so I wonder if doing a starter for a bit then pitching off that would increase the character. I personally just pitched Barbarian straight from the pack and liked everything about it so who knows. With regards to the crazy sulfate ratio I wonder if you could achieve the character with some Epsom salts to cut down on the calcium and keep your sulfate high but your calcium lower to prevent chalkiness. I went as high as 350ppm with sulfate in a somewhat Heady Topperish clone and it did get chalky from all that gypsum. We got a beer in the (pro) tanks with the Omega version of Conan (DIPA) with Simcoe and Bru-1 so I'll let you know in a few weeks how that turns out. Still haven't had Heady but the Platonic Ideal of it still weighs heavy on my IPA recipes to this day. Cheers, and great video!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Great stuff, I definitely would be changing the way my water profile worked to cut down on some of the less desirable effects. Looking forward to how the pro batch goes!

[@codebowl]

Super over-hyped is so true. When it first came out you could not get it outside of Burlington. I made one trip to B-town (3h each way) to get as many 4 packs as I could going from store to store as they were limiting to 1 4 pack. I was able to get 4 of the 4 packs to drive home with. What a way to spend 6 hours of driving lol. Now I can get it locally but the price kills me. Have to give them credit for being the first though.

[@BeerMan421]

I’ve had this before but I can’t remember how it tasted?! I was always wondering how they bring up the IBUs that high without taking away from the balance… WOW Lots of hops in whirlpool …that will definitely give it the flavor …then the dry hop…nice! Great video! Thanks for sharing! Cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's a pretty great beer if you can find it. But I wouldn't make a huge trip to find it just for the hype

[@nicolascarrillo6328]

Rousing is great for dry hopping, it does slightly scrub your beer however, which means some of those whirlpool hops get scrubbed out. Just something to keep in mind!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats something I didn't consider at all actually. Thanks for pointing it out!

[@MattMcHair]

Great vid, fun to follow! Brewing my first hazy DIPA in the next couple weeks. Question on water profile-- the 20g of gypsum in your recipe leads me to think that maybe it's actually 400ppm of SO2 rather than Chloride-- I feel like 2g of CaCl wouldn't get you to 400ppm of Chloride in your target profile, and you wouldn't really perceive the taste of gypsum at 71ppm sulfate. Am I out to lunch, or is there maybe a mixing up of numbers?

[@TheBruSho]

Elusive beer now made accessible at home! Nicely done will have to try this out 🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its definitely not a complete copy, but its a good beer! Thanks for watching!

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks 😙

[@janstewart2041]

I’ve had this a couple days ago. Very crisp and tasty

[@CB-ck2yg]

Topper isn't easy to get ahold of here in the PNW, but when I had some cans early this year I noticed a lemony characteristic that outweighed the other hop flavors. Maybe a shift in the hop bill towards more Amarillo and lemon drop would get closer?

[@AlexMoss002]

Great video, 2 questions… - noticed you don’t use the hop spider. Hard to clean or too many hops? - why the random beer can crack sounds?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yep, its just easier to clean the bag with that many hops. Those sound effects are supposed to cue the video cards that pops up in the corner

[@AlexMoss002]

@@TheApartmentBrewer makes perfect sense x2. Thank you!

[@paulaxton72]

3" tri clamp sight glass glass 40.00 3" triclamp butterfly valve 45.00 3" ball lock style pressure cap 40.00 and then clamps and gaskets.

[@jsfourdirections]

Great video as usual. FYI the whole you have to drink Heady or Focal from the can thing is just a clever marketing ploy by the brewer!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! John Kimmich is a big believer in a CO2 blanket in the can, which may or may not actually exist. I routinely break the rules written on the can though, cheers!

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks 😊

[@RealGamer336]

Question! There seems to be very little adjuncts in this recipe like most Hazy IPAs. Does this mean that this beer is less susceptible to oxidation? I want to brew a more bitter hazy ipa but I do not have a kegging system which is why I haven’t brewed one yet! Would this recipe do well in bottles?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Not necessarily. While the adjuncts definitely contribute to that in a typical NEIPA, the dry hopping is really where oxygen can get dragged into the beer. If you are able to flush out the bottles with CO2 before bottling then you will be successful bottle conditioning an NEIPA.

[@JoeGraves24]

Wonderful job! Also, I always wondered what would happen if you added a crap ton of a single mineral salt. I guess the verdict is in for gypsum.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you! Yup, turns out there is an upper limit!

[@Leo99929]

Hop creep is dependent on hop variety. Cascade and Amarillo are the currently known worst offenders due to the high concentration of dextrin hydrolyzing enzymes. Apparently Mosaic is the opposite end of the scale. The research on it is incomplete, so as far as I'm aware we don't have a chart of all hop varieties dextrin hydrolyzing enzyme content.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Did not actually know that, that's very interesting. I have noticed it more on beers with more cascade in them now that you mention it

[@marktucker6368]

Great video mate !

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you found it enjoyable!

[@paulaxton72]

"We're not going to do that!" Lol

[@vladdimpaler8821]

Adding this to the list of to brews. 🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Cheers!

[@SBG420]

The Alchemist has some really nice beers

[@TheNumbers400]

If remaking this, would you use the same mineral additions?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Not really, I'd probably give this a more typical hazy IPA water profile with a balanced SO4 to Cl ratio or go heavier on the Chloride. Less overall calcium would definitely be fine too

[@needtospeed1]

How do you like the clawhammer compared to your “indoor system” (rims) that you used in previous videos? Are you finding similar efficiencies with the full volume mash’s? Cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Efficiency wise, it's definitely much better. I usually get around 68% brewhouse efficiency with the Clawhammer. Overall I've found the system a lot better, but it's hard to work with the 120V power (or lack thereof). Really wish I had a 240 line!

[@irishsn0w]

If you enjoy Heady Topper you should give Sip of Sunshine a shot from Lawson’s Finest, just a town over from the Alchemist.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I've had it, its a great beer! Still think I like Heady better but thats personal preference.

[@benjaminfaulknor7272]

What would be the recommendation if you can't get a hold of any 'hop shots' ? Is there a calculation I can do to get the equivalent in pellets? or perhaps cryo if more appropriate?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If you can't get ahold of hop extracts, I would recommend using the highest alpha cryo bittering hop you can get.

[@iraph]

The brewery that I work at, takes ~4 weeks from making the beer through to packaging it. I wouldn't be surprised if heady topper took that long, I know other 'hype hazy' ipas that take that long.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I think it really helps smooth it out. Sometimes those younger hops can be pretty harsh

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

I’ve been trying to get my hands on a can of this for a while!! Maybe I’ll just brew a clone 😂

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I wish I could send out cans to everyone out west, I would if I lived closer to the brewery! Cheer Brian, thanks for watching!

[@cas1994]

@@TheApartmentBrewer do you feel they still hold up? I just visited the alchemist last week and was really disappointed in the heady....not like how I remember it from years ago

[@manoellage7317]

Nice video! Only one thing is that I read an article with the heady topper headbrewer saying he does not use adjuncts in it. Maybe he was just faking...who knows.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yup, like I said, nobody really knows exactly what John kimmich is doing at the alchemist, and a lot changes over time as well

[@pinkstars2185]

The alchemist opened the door for unbelievable beers. Second heady is better then the first. Is there a local shop you buy from, or online?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Only way to get it is to be in a 30 mile radius of stowe, VT or to know someone who lives near that area

[@mattklanica4957]

Great video. Do you know what kind of hop the Hopshot extract was? Thanks

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It was Columbus extract

[@maxe6538]

Not sure why i laughed so hard watching you put in all that yeast nutrient

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Watching it back it looked like I put a ton in there too lol

[@quinnpink5429]

Was interested in that comment about making a diacetyl bomb! I've always soft crashed to 55 to drop most of the yeast out of suspension at the end of fermentation and then transferred to a keg where I dry hop at that same temperature. I usually leave it for like two days, cold crash, and then transfer to a serving keg immediately... Haven't had issues with diacetyl yet, but was curious on your opinions of this process!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its happened to me a few times, usually it takes a few weeks to notice the diacetyl, so I just avoid the risk

[@vizzo7]

how was your conditioning during the 2-3 weeks. Did you add CO2 during this time?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I had it in a keg with the headspace purged, so there was a little CO2 in there, enough to keep oxygen out, but the beer was not carbonated until I was ready to serve it.

[@janstewart2041]

That’s a ton of hops and water profile ingredients

[@vizzo7]

Somewhere I read that the alchemist does not use wheat malt anymore because his wife is celiac. so I guess carapils/carafoam would help for that

[@Vykk_Draygo]

Problem with that theory: barley isn't safe for celiacs either. Same for rye. They contain similar proteins to the gluten in wheat, and can trigger the same issues.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

As Vykk Draygo said, there is also gluten in barley malt. I'm pretty sure this has been debunked somewhere, might have been somewhere deep in that forum post

[@vizzo7]

@@TheApartmentBrewer yeah well , the most gluten is in spelt and then in wheat. rye is the lowest in content and barley is in the middle. most of it gets removed during mashing and brewing but yes a bit is always there

[@ritchmcgrew9473]

Could you help me scale to 1 bbl .. I currently use brewfather.. not real confident on the water additions

[@jockojockoson9995]

If it’s Hazy and yella you’re all good there fella If it’s sad looking and brown you’re in oxidation town.

[@russflynn]

Regarding tweaks: what about just forgoing the dextrose entirely rather than raising the mash temp and/or adding dextrin?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It would definitely reduce the dryness, but then of course you would need to increase the overall grain bill to compensate.

[@CraftB33RReview]

I'm doing reviews of craft beers and mixed drinks from all over the world if you have any recommendations feel free to drop them in the comments I dropped a link below thanks for watching and supporting kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2e2cpyeqrqUZ5I If you have drinks suggestions go to my channel and put it in the comments thanks

[@davidleonard7439]

I'll be EVEN MORE impressed, if you can do this with Pliny The Elder.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It's on the list. Nobody can truly clone beers like this but its fun to try regardless!

[@davidleonard7439]

@@TheApartmentBrewer bro...you did a phenomenal job with cloning this beer!!! Of course it may not taste exactly the same because you need the exact same EVERYTHING they use- from equipment to ingredients to the process, etc...but you are super dope!!! Clone Pliny The Elder and Wesvleteren 12.....then I'll fly to wherever you are, BUY the kegs, reimburse all your costs and we can drink both kegs, together 💪

[@davidleonard7439]

@@TheApartmentBrewer there's absolutely NOTHING better than a 1 day old Pliny the elder.......except for Wesvleteren 12- the greatest beer ever made

[@ninelivesbrewing]

That water profile! 🤯🤯

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Nuts, right?

[@ninelivesbrewing]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Speaking of Heady Topper - I put up my first ever homebrewing video today, covering NEIPA yeast (starting with Conan ofc). If you have a free 15 min, would love your feedback, and anything I missed. cheers.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'd love to watch it, but I'll have to wait for a while. I'm at a location with bad reception for a few weeks and my vids are all scheduled but ill get to it! Congrats!

[@ninelivesbrewing]

@@TheApartmentBrewer 🙌

[@vizzo7]

fantastic video. I just did not get when you start the carbonation. After 28 days?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Nope, I carbonated when I transferred to the keg. 28 days was the earliest the recipe recommended drinking, and I would echo that statement

[@vizzo7]

and what ph did you get during mash?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

5.4

[@vizzo7]

@@TheApartmentBrewer sorry to ask again. So after the 5 days dryhopping you transferred it to a keg , put co2 on and increased the temperature to remove diacetyl. this was done for 18 Days?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

@@vizzo7 it was less of a diacetyl rest and more of a maturation phase. It was a total of about 3 weeks, one week at room temperature and two weeks cold. It wasn't 28 days from brew day exactly, that doesn't really matter. More like a month roughly.

[@paulaxton72]

Dry hopping under pressure is easy the price is not. For around 150.00 your done though and will have awesome components.

[@jasonwarthman7786]

second time watching this one. One question on the water profile.How do you go about finding the amount of each additive to add

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Various different water profiles are buried in that forum post i mentioned and I pieced it together from those. I wouldn't recommend using the same water profile though

[@tommanning7337]

Nice!!!!!!! 👍🏻👍🏻🍺

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you! Cheers Tom!!

[@janstewart2041]

Bet you can cut the time in half by using kveik yeast

[@emlortnoctonod8401]

Hey, I brewed a beer with pacific jade, which made my wort super acidic. So I adjusted with bicarbonate of sodium, but I exagerated, now it taste of sodium. What can I do to save that 5 gallons of beer? I need the suggestion of an expert. Please

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's not really something that will change over time unfortunately

[@jasonwarthman7786]

looked awesome. so i'm asking,how do you know about the syringe? lol

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Lol, just take my word for it. You do not want to taste nothing but bitterness for two straight days

[@jasonwarthman7786]

@@TheApartmentBrewer haha

[@scottmckinnis5250]

Oral use not recommended? But you have to try it don't you? =) I've never used a hop shot, but I think I would have to taste it... for science.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I would definitely not recommend haha

[@josephkirby1621]

10/1/23 Summit.. check it out.. I'm going try a bit in an American wheat.😉

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I brewed with summit in a hazy IPA I made roughly around the same time as this one, it was amazing, and much more affordable than other mainstream IPA hops

[@matthewchow4991]

You can’t clone it exactly because he has access to the best ingredients and advanced equipment

[@3BsandAK]

Heady topper was hyped and good beer until they scaled then it never tasted the same. Love your take on it man

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I really wish I had the opportunity to taste it back when it was a new beer. I'm sure its changed a lot since then. Thanks for watching!

Mmm, chalky beer. Pass.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Not for everyone