Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale recipe questions

BADS197 · 09-02-2008, 12:04 AM

I used Yuri_Rage's recipe for pumpkin ale.

We brewed it and finshed up a few minutes ago.

I want to say that the grain bag i used as a strainer was a PITA after it got clogged up. I sanitized my hands and squeezed and man handles the bag to get the wort to go through leaving behind the crap.

I don't know if I did any harm but hope it turns out good.

Q1: My OG reads around 1.026, so should I have just poured the whole thing in and not filtered it out? Is that why my specific gravity reads lower than 1.053?

We poured some water in initially, then poured the wort in, then topped it off... possibly allowing the water poured in afterward to float on top. I just shook the container up to get it mixed better but wont' crack it open till after the fermention is over.

Q2: Do those nice kettles with the temp reading gauge and valve built in, allow you to siphon out the wort and leave behind the crap? I noticed they are not quite on the bottom of the pans... or am I dreaming?

It's nomally not that hard to filter wort... must have been the pumpkin making it harder.

Many thanks to Yuri who's recipe inspired us to make a batch.

__________________________________________________ _____________
Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: WLP002 English Ale
Yeast Starter: Yes - at least 1L
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.015
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
IBU: 32.1
Color: 14.3
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 - rack off of trub to clear

5 lbs Amber Dry Extract
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
8.0 oz Biscuit Malt
4.0 oz Wheat, Flaked
30.00 oz Pumpkin, Canned (Boil 60.0 min)
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (60 min) 20.0 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (20 min) 12.1 IBU
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50%] (15 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)
0.50 tsp Nutmeg (Boil 5.0 min)
1.00 tsp Allspice (Boil 5.0 min)
1.00 items Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 min)
2.00 items Cloves, Crushed (Boil 5.0 min)
1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002)

Spread the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F before adding to the brew.

During clearing stage, add a spice tea of 1-1/2 tsp "Pumpkin Pie Spice" or Pampered Chef "Cinnamon Plus." Steep spices in 1 cup hot water for 10-15 minutes, cool then add.

There will be several inches of trub almost regardless of how you try to contain the pumpkin. Your yield may be slightly less than 5 gallons.

**Coastarine** · 09-02-2008, 12:16 AM

I'm not sure I can answer your questions exactly but I can attest to the fact that pumpkin is sticky nasty stuff to brew with. I kept the pumpkin in a hop bag during the boil, and I still have about 2.5" of trub at the bottom of the fermenter right now. My equipment was all so sticky after that brew.

**shecky** · 09-02-2008, 12:37 AM

Can't answer your questions either, but I also did this recipe today. It was quite sticky and messy, but good Lord did the hydro sample taste great. Hit my Beersmith OG of 1.046 (I tweaked the recipe a tad) nd have high hopes for this.

BADS197 · 09-02-2008, 12:59 AM

I'm bothered by the low OG.

Do you think by putting water in after the wort was in the fermenter, that it didn't mix properly for the OG to read 1.054 or somewhere in that neighborhood?

1.054 - 1.026 = a difference of .028

That, to me, seems like a big difference expecially looking at the marks on the hybrometer of where it should have fallen compared to where it is.

BADS197 · 09-02-2008, 01:07 AM

I just retook a hybro sample and it was 1.030, probably the difference in temperature perhaps.??

**r2eng** · 09-02-2008, 02:31 AM

I am not sure about adding the water... isn't the recipe for a full boil?

I haven't done extracts for quite a while, but can you post your technique? Be sure to include the volumes of water and temps used in the process. I cannot imagine that 5# of DME, the grains and pumpkin could only manage 1.026... that's pretty low.

Eric

**shecky** · 09-02-2008, 02:56 AM

I'm kind of new to this, but I would guess the water combined with leaving some behind in straining might have something to do with your OG. I started straining, but it was going so slowly that I decided, screw it, the pumpkin will fall to the bottom with the rest of the trub eventually.

At what temp did you take your hydro sample? Most hydros are calibrated to read at 60 degrees and need a temperature adjustment higher than that.

BADS197 · 09-02-2008, 04:53 AM

i plugged the numbers into a calculator and they were only off by a small amount.. 1.031 adjusted.

In looking at the recipe it doesn't say full boil but then again, whats the difference between 5 gallons of wort boiled vs. say 3 gallons added to two gallons of cold water?

wouldnt that be the same thing?

I'm picking up a 8 gallon heavy duty kettle tomorrow i think so full boils will be possible.

dr_finklestein · 09-02-2008, 05:00 AM

I don't know if I read your post correctly, but you want to be careful in squeezing your granin bag. You don't want to introduce tannins into your wort.

BADS197 · 09-02-2008, 06:11 AM

I didn't squeeze the grain bag.. I squeezed/manipulated the wort being strained through a mesh bag.

I've never squeezed a bag of grain... that much I know.