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Aaron · 06-16-2012, 06:19 AM

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Lalvin D-47
Batch Size (Gallons): 1 gallon
Original Gravity: 14% potential
Final Gravity: 2.5% potential
Boiling Time (Minutes): 10 minutes
Color: amber
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10 days
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 20 days
Tasting Notes: The best mead I\'ve ever made. It tasted like pumpkin pie, but was light on the palate

This was an experiment that turned out well. One of my co-workers heard me talking about making a pumpkin pie mead for Thanksgiving, and sarcastically said I should make it in a pumpkin, so I did.

The batch size was limited to one gallon by the size of the pumpkins at King Sooper (grocery store).

Ingredients:
3 lbs honey (ambrosia, I think)
1 oz fresh ground nutmeg
1 oz allspice
0.5 oz cinnamon

Make a jack-o-lantern (without a face [leakage = bad], but feel free to draw a face on it). Bring two quarts of water to a boil. Add ingredients and boil for ten minutes. Cool, and pour into the pumpkin. Add water to nearly-fill the pumpkin. Ferment in the pumpkin until obvious signs of the pumpkin turning bad, such as mold growing around the cut top of the pumpkin (my primary fermentation was ~10 days). Rack into secondary (not another pumpkin).

I did not add any yeast nutrient, because I figured the yeast would have all the nutrient it needed from the pumpkin. Before bottling, I had to clear the mead with TurboKleer (two-part flocculant).

This mead went fast - I need to brew a larger batch. I'm thinking I could get one of those 100+ lb pumpkins around Halloween. I found a bottle a couple years later that I had hidden from myself; boy was that a treat!

sagacity · 06-16-2012, 06:31 AM

Tremendous!

**Proboscidea** · 06-16-2012, 07:46 AM

Clever! Can you cook and eat the pumpkin afterward? Not the moldy part, of course. But the rest of it -- too grody? If edible, one could slice the pumpkin very thin and dry it out in the oven to make a bar snack. To eat during the mead drinking. Circle of life.

Goofynewfie · 07-10-2012, 12:19 PM

How long before this was drinkable? thinking about a batch in the fall

Aaron · 07-10-2012, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goofynewfie

How long before this was drinkable? thinking about a batch in the fall

I drank some at Christmas (3 months, say), but it really improves with a year's time. I find it hard to wait that long. The last bottle I drank was about two years old and simply delicious!

cwhip · 07-16-2012, 08:49 PM

I am making this! thanks

Fizzyizzy · 09-19-2012, 06:37 PM

Did you have any issues with bugs being attracted to the pumpkin? How did you store this? I'm assuming it was a considerably large pumpkin if it held 1 gal...Did you add the yeast in at the same time as the other ingredients? Also, how much yeast did you use? all of it? Sorry for so many questions. I'm new to this and just playing around with projects right now... Considering trying this tonight! Thank you for sharing!

Fizzyizzy · 09-19-2012, 06:53 PM

Also, how does this NOT explode on you? I feel as though this recipe sounds a lot easier than it is...

Aaron · 09-20-2012, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizzyizzy

Did you have any issues with bugs being attracted to the pumpkin? How did you store this? I'm assuming it was a considerably large pumpkin if it held 1 gal...Did you add the yeast in at the same time as the other ingredients? Also, how much yeast did you use? all of it? Sorry for so many questions. I'm new to this and just playing around with projects right now... Considering trying this tonight! Thank you for sharing!

Pitching Yeast: I pitched one whole package of D-47 yeast, which is meant for 5 gallons.

Bugs and Storage: I did not have a problems with any bugs. It was stored inside on my counter top.

Exploding: The pumpkin to was cut open to remove the innerds, like a jack-o-lantern. So it was not sealed, thus no pressure was able to build up. You don't need an air lock; just put the top of the pumpkin back on.

Size of Pumpkin: I found it difficult to find a pumpkin larger than the one I did. It help a bit more than a gallon inside.

One thing I did not mention is that mold began to grow on my cut-open pumpkin after 8-10 days. That's when I decided to rack it. It will not look pretty when you rack it, but hang in there!After the secondary, add the turbo-clear and it'll clear up nicely. Let it age in together; don't bottle it for a while (couple months).

Good luck with your brew!

**springmom** · 09-28-2012, 10:15 PM

I wonder if you could brush some RealLemon onto the cut surface. Obviously not to let that get into the mead but,
Lemon juice retards oxidation in apples, pears, bananas and avocado... Brush some on after stirring each day... Might be worth a try.