I do not know why the recipe creator did not specify the correct yeast strain for his/her Old Rasputin clone when it is available from Wyeast. Wyeast 1450 Denny’s Favorite 50 (a.k.a. BrewTek CL-50) is North Coast’s house strain. Mark Ruedrich acquired the strain from UC Davis.
I think thats an indication of why I’m suspicious of “clone” recipes. That moniker should mean its going to be very similar. Some times when you look at a clone recipe you can see that it might not make a beer thats even the same style let alone similar to the original
I agree. I don’t feel compelled to duplicate something I can buy anyway. I like to get close but make it my own. All good either way, though.
The recipe is copied from a 2007 issue of Zymurgy, when did Wyeast release 1450?
Trying to think. I’m pretty sure 1450 has been around @ Wyeast longer than that. Maybe not.
Edit - Pretty sure one guy knows. ;D
I tried looking for a release date, but the earliest I could find was references to it being a seasonal strain in 2009
If it’s the zymurgy recipe I brewed it’s also te same as an older byo recipe and is nothing at all like old Rasputin.
More like a strong brown ale. Not enough hops. Not bad but not old Rasputin.
I might well be wrong then. Might explain the recipe at the time.
The strain has been available to home brewers since the nineties.
I remember CL-50 being around longer, Mark. I never used it until Wyeast put it out as “Denny’s”. Hard to remember how long at this point.
Right, but BrewTek shut its doors in the early 00’s and the earliest reference to 1450 I can find is 2008 on HBT. To me that says it wasn’t very available in 2007.
Edit to add link - http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=60279
Looks like it was 2450PC back then, so seasonal at that point.
When I said “One guy knows” I meant Denny, for the nomenclature. Should’ve realized Mark obviously had legit input, too.
Yeah, Denny might know. Pretty sure everybody in Oregon knows one another. 
This is why I do not brew any “clone” recipes from BYO or Zymurgy for that matter.
Some are better than others. When BYO or Zymurgy work with the brewery on the recipe, those are pretty solid. Think the Pliny the Elder and Two Hearted recipes, among others. As for the Two Hearted recipes, most will have a Chico strain. You can grab some of the Bell’s yeast from the bottles, and make a much closer beer. I have been doing that, and recently got a good pitch of that at an AHA rally. It made a tasty mild, and the next use will be for an Expediton Stout.
When it is a guess, well not so much.
As to Mark’s original post - I found that 1450 was the North Coast Strain a few years back with a little time with Google.
Agreed. Many of my beers are inspired by others, but they’re my own recipe. My last beer was an American Porter. The wife twisted my arm to try and replicate 3F’s Alpha Klaus. I threw together a recipe that I feel might be close. It might not be close at all, but I guarantee Mader Brew Work’s Big Gulp American Porter will be mighty fine!
Mark, I’ve suspected that for years but have never been able to verify it. How did you find out?
Trying to remember…I joined the GC in 2006. Dave Logsdon was a member and I started talking to him about the yeast. It would have been at least 2007 when it was released, if not 2008. I have a Wyeast flyer from when it was originally released as a seasonal, so I’ll see if it has a date on it.
I really enjoyed the Expedition Stout I had the other night Jeff. Very tasty beer. Exactly what I like in a big stout.
I never realized the same brewery put out Old Rasputin, Brother Thelonious, Red Seal Ale, Pranqster, and Le Merle.
I wonder what yeast they use for Brother Thelonious; that is one of my favorite beers.