I've never tried one, but I loveee anything pumpkin. I'm curious how they are? I'm thinking of doing one for my 3rd brew, don't want to go off a recipe just yet, still want to stick with a kit for now. The midwestsupplies kit looked decent, any opinions?
Also, what's the difference between the propagator yeast, activator, and pitchable tube?
I've never tried one, but I loveee anything pumpkin. I'm curious how they are? I'm thinking of doing one for my 3rd brew, don't want to go off a recipe just yet, still want to stick with a kit for now. The midwestsupplies kit looked decent, any opinions?
Also, what's the difference between the propagator yeast, activator, and pitchable tube?
Activators and vials are equivalent products from different manufacturers. Propagators are like tiny activators that contain something like 1/4 of the yeast cells. I always go with vials or activators - they are only about $1 more. It would cost more to build the larger starter required to build up the cell count of the propagator to sufficient levels.
To use pumpkin in a beer, you have to mash it with some base malt to convert its starches into sugars - otherwise you'll get a starchy, hazy mess. But most pumpkin beers don't contain any pumpkin at all (they don't have much of a taste or aroma), but rather pumpkin pie spices.
__________________ The Fiesty(sic) Goat Brewery est. 2007 & Clusterfuggle Experimental Ales est. 2009
Planned: Falconer's Pale, 7C's Pale, sLambic I, Dortmunder Export, Himmel un Ääd Kölsch #8 Primary: - Kegged: Zythos Pale, Amber Lager, Cider, German Pils, Chili Smoked Porter, Pumpkinfest, Berliner Weisse w/ Brett #3, Black or Blue EyePA #5 (with Citra), Smooth Jazz Peanut Butter Porter
The kit itsself calls for canned or fresh pumpkin...What I'd really like to know is, if it's difficult to make (or rather, easy to make mistakes with), and if it even gives off any pumpkin flavor?
Well, what you can do if you don't want to (or can't) mash it, is it bake the fresh or canned pumpkin on a baking sheet in the oven to caramelize it, which brings out some of its fairly elusive flavor. Then add that to the wort late in the boil. Doing that wouldn't be any more difficult than any other extract batch (assuming you don't burn the pumpkin if you bake it). Your final beer will probably be hazy from the starch though.
You'll still need spices (which probably come with the kit) to get much flavor, since pumpkin by itself doesn't have a strong taste.
__________________ The Fiesty(sic) Goat Brewery est. 2007 & Clusterfuggle Experimental Ales est. 2009
Planned: Falconer's Pale, 7C's Pale, sLambic I, Dortmunder Export, Himmel un Ääd Kölsch #8 Primary: - Kegged: Zythos Pale, Amber Lager, Cider, German Pils, Chili Smoked Porter, Pumpkinfest, Berliner Weisse w/ Brett #3, Black or Blue EyePA #5 (with Citra), Smooth Jazz Peanut Butter Porter
kirscp, thank you very much for the feedback. I'm very tempted to try it, but everyone I've spoken to thus far hasn't had the greatest opinion of it...so I'm hesitant...
I've had some really good ones and made a really bad one. I'm planning to try the punkin porter recipe from extreme brewing.
It's a good one, its been the favorite for roommates/friends from what I've made so far. My GF's uncle could not stop asking me to open em up on Thanksgiving and said that it overshadowed the ice wine he had brought...
Totally use fresh pumpkin though...I boiled and then blended and added to wort!
__________________
Planned - Black & White IS, Braggot
Primary- Backyard Berry Wheat
Drinking - Vanilla Blonde, Wee Heavy, But Brown
Conditioning/Drinking -
Pumpkin Ales
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