Pumpkin apple cider ideas

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Unferth

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Its pumpkin season folks. I've seen a few attempts on this forum but no tasting notes or hard experience. What think you ciderites? Can pumpkin be added to our wondrous apple brew with success? how much of the mushy pumpkin goodness should one add to savor the sweetness of autumn?

My tentative plans:

2-3 cans pumpkin
5gal apple juice
Sugar to 1.06 or 1.07
Spices as one would spice pumpkin pie
Nottingham

Any thoughts? Too much/little pumpkin? Too high /low OG?
 
I've had a 6 pack of Ace pumpkin cider and it was delicious. I have no idea on how to go about making an apple pumpkin cider, but I have read somewhere that a lot of people use squash instead if pumpkin (in beer, anyway) because the flavor holds up better than pumpkin. If I remember the thread, ill post a link. But...cider is never boiled, so using pumpkin should be OK. Anyone else know more about using pumpkin?
 
That ACE stuff looks cool. I'll have to try it.

It is definitely the style of brew I'm looking to make, apple cider fused with pumpkin and apple pie spices.

Here's a description: http://greatpumpkinbeerreview.wordp...-hard-pumpkin-cider-california-cider-company/

I'm thinking I might throw in some malt extract too to fill out the body on this one. Maybe not, I'm not sure.

I'll probably use Libby's... Which, I believe, is largely made from butternut. I can't remember where that info came from, but it makes sense. They taste very similar, and squash has a better yield.
 
Well, I guess nobody has any ideas/recipes for the pumpkin apple cider. I'll give it a go.

INGREDIENTS:

16 liters Apple Juice (pasteurized, 100%, Vitamin C only)
4 cans (289 ml?) AJ concentrate
2 big cans (60 oz) canned pure pumpkin
1 kilogram light DME
2 cups brown sugar
2 liters water
.2 oz chinook (14%)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 packet Nottingham ale yeast

PROCESS:

1) Bring Water to boil
2) add pumpkin and DME, set timer to 30 min
3) at 15 min, add hops
4) at 5 min, add spices and sugar.
5) cool wort/concoction to room temp
6) Add cooled wort/concoction to sanitized carboy
7) add Apple Juice and Concentrate
8) stir really well,
9) Check gravity (1.055 for moi)
10) pitch yeast with blow off tube (that pumpkin looked ominous)
11) post ingredients and process on HBT with pictures to encourage enlightening discussion

Wish me luck!

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It will be interesting to see how this comes out. Are you planning on adding a clarifier to secondary?
 
What?! With that beautiful clarity? Just kidding. I've added bentonite with wines, but never with beer or cider. Do you have a reccomendation? I'll probably add more spices too, depending on taste, etc.
 
You may have done so already, but since you didn't list it, I'd add some pectin enzyme to primary. Once fermentation is complete. Move to secondary, give it a couple days, then move it to another container. Your primary is fine if you don't have another brew going. You might want to do that a couple of times depending on how much of the solids fall out of suspension. Once it looks pretty good, then add the bentonite slurry. Let it settle, then bottle.

With all the solids in the mix like that, I'm thinking that you'll need to decant the way I described. Otherwise I don't think it will clear at all, even with the bentonite. You would end up with the bentonite attracting some of the solids out of suspension, but with so many I think you would just overwhelm it.

That is my suggestion. I haven't made a pumpkin cider though.
 
I've got some raw frozen pumpkin in my freezer someone gave to me last year, I was curious about a pumpkin cider as well, but using raw pumpkin, might have to add to the experiment list
 
I've got some raw frozen pumpkin in my freezer someone gave to me last year, I was curious about a pumpkin cider as well, but using raw pumpkin, might have to add to the experiment list

A couple of the pumpkin ale recipes in the vegetable beer section use raw pumpkin, but they cook it first. I don't see why you couldn't do it like a wine and purée it or dice it, then use it if you wanted to keep it raw.

Personally, I don't like the taste of raw pumpkin, but when it's cooked, even without spices, it tastes much better.

Just had a Howe Sound Pumpkineater imperial ale last night. They make it out to the island yet?

Pretty darn good, but I'm definitely going for a different flavor profile in my cider.
 
You may have done so already, but since you didn't list it, I'd add some pectin enzyme to primary. Once fermentation is complete. Move to secondary, give it a couple days, then move it to another container. Your primary is fine if you don't have another brew going. You might want to do that a couple of times depending on how much of the solids fall out of suspension. Once it looks pretty good, then add the bentonite slurry. Let it settle, then bottle.

With all the solids in the mix like that, I'm thinking that you'll need to decant the way I described. Otherwise I don't think it will clear at all, even with the bentonite. You would end up with the bentonite attracting some of the solids out of suspension, but with so many I think you would just overwhelm it.

That is my suggestion. I haven't made a pumpkin cider though.

That seems like a good process... I think I'll do it. Thanks!


I'm thinking I might need to wrap my racking tube end cap in cheese cloth or something... It's some ooey gooey stuff down there
 
A couple of the pumpkin ale recipes in the vegetable beer section use raw pumpkin, but they cook it first. I don't see why you couldn't do it like a wine and purée it or dice it, then use it if you wanted to keep it raw.

Personally, I don't like the taste of raw pumpkin, but when it's cooked, even without spices, it tastes much better.

Just had a Howe Sound Pumpkineater imperial ale last night. They make it out to the island yet?

Pretty darn good, but I'm definitely going for a different flavor profile in my cider.

Wow that sounds great! But I have developed a gluten intolerance so I stick to wine and cider now, But I do buy the Howe sound swing top bottles from the bottle depot for all my brewing now!
 
I've got some raw frozen pumpkin in my freezer someone gave to me last year, I was curious about a pumpkin cider as well, but using raw pumpkin, might have to add to the experiment list
You would probably get a good amount of the flavor out in any event. The ice crystals that formed when it froze will have almost certainly made swiss cheese out of the cells in the pumpkin. That means more flavor compounds will be released, and a lot more moisture.

I'm with Unferth on this one though. I think raw pumpkin tastes like crap. Cooking it totally alters the flavor, in my opinion, for the better.
 
I'm thinking I might need to wrap my racking tube end cap in cheese cloth or something... It's some ooey gooey stuff down there
I don't think that is a great idea. Your liable to clog it almost immediately with all that sediment. Maybe siphon off conservatively. Then poor the rest of the material into a cheese cloth bag and hang that over a bucket to catch the liquid?
 
Well, It ain't clear, that's for sure. But it has a wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie, and the taste is very good despite it's obvious youth. Current SG is at 1.013, still going pretty strongly.

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This looks, well sounds really good, it looks a little bit like a jug of mud, but i think i am going to do this. I just made my 1st cider (made it wrong, but now i know) and once i keg and carbonate it i think im going to get this going and hopefully have it done in time for thanksgiving!
Thanks for the inspiration!
 
Good Luck! if this one turns out as well as i think it will, i'll post it in the recipes section. So far mine is doing well.

A word of caution however: Unless you take the pumpkin goop off the bottom when racking, you will definitely loose some volume. I racked it last night and had to top up with another gallon of AJ. The taste was very full bodied and autumnish.

I will definitely add some spices when bottling, too. They have faded since fermentation slowed. Keep us posted on your developments.
 
I'd skip adding pumpkin to this all together - you really just need to add the spices. My fav pumpkin beer recipe has no pumpkin in it at all, but you'd never know it by tasting it. Pure pumpkin pie goodness. I use the Penzy's pumpkin spice mix.
 
I started up a gallon of this. Doing everything the same but I am waiting to add the spices until the secondary. Also didn't mix the pumpkin in with the malt when I boiled everything (no real reason, just forgot and added it to the carboy first.

Looking forward to this one :)
 
Time for an update, finally.

I bottled the Pumpkin Cider about a week and a half ago. The FG was at 1.00, making this in the est 6.5- 7.0% ABV range. at bottling I added:
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp allspice
1/2 tbsp nutmeg
2 tsp ginger
1 cup dextrose.

1.5 weeks later, I have a not fully carbonated and still young cider that is definitely different from any cider I've ever tasted. The nose is very full and fresh smelling, the hops are unnoticable. It has much more body than a juice+sugar+yeast cider and a strong pumpkin smell and full appely/pumpkin taste--without being overpoweringly pumpkin. It is on the drier side of cider (more tart than strongbow and definitely drier than woodchuck, but not nearly Apfelwein style dry). Obviously, someone could backsweeten and pasteurize if desired.

As you can see, there is a nice orange hue to the brew, and it is surprisingly clear considering the extreme cloudiness during secondary (see above).

It is still young, and I'm planning to wait until Thanksgiving to crack another (if I can stand it), but even this young it is darn good cider. I can see that this will be an autumn staple.

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Looks great. If my brewing lineup wasn't so long, I'd make this right away, just have to much summer fruit to use first.
 
Yeah I know what you mean. I have buckets full of persimmons lying around awaiting for some creative concoction. Persimmon cider... Now there's an idea.

The good thing about this one is that you don't have to worry about using fresh pumpkin flesh so you can do it year round.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else haas started this brew and how it's going. I like this recipe, but I'm interested in improving on it. I'm open to suggestions!
 
Mine was 6 gallons. I'm not sure how to tell you to do the boil for only a gallon. Have you made a beer that small before?
 
I just started what I hope will be pumpkin cider. Ended up with 12lbs of pumpkin guts after the kids made their jack-o-lanterns and my wife pulled out the seeds to roast. I boiled the guts in a grain bag in 6qts of water for 1 hour. Ended up with 2 gallons of pumpkin juice after pouring off water and squeezing the heck out of the bag. Added 2 cups of light brown sugar and 1/2 pack of red star champagne yeast I had left over from previous concoction.

I have no idea if it will turn out right but the raw juice tastes pretty good and smells even better. It is now bubbling away so hopefully it will turn out good, if not, it didn't really cost me anything.
 
So this is just the pumpkin juice going right now? Or did you add apple juice?

Jack Keller has some pumpkin wine recipes that piqued my interest.

Will you add any spices or more pumpkin to your batch?
 
Just pumpkin juice right now. I plan to add spices when I rack it but I haven't decided what yet. I have a habit of "I wonder what ??? would make if I fermented it" then making it up as I go. So far I'm 7 - 0 for "I wonder" batches coming out good but I'm sure there's a dud in my future.
 
would it make much of a difference if i use LME or DME ? also did you carb yours at all or bottle it still? i was thinking of trying to carb a few.
 
would it make much of a difference if i use LME or DME ? also did you carb yours at all or bottle it still? i was thinking of trying to carb a few.

DME or lme is preference. I used DME bc it was what I had on hand.

I bottled it with a cup of dextrose and it carbed up a little too much, so I'd suggest 3/4 cup or so. It takes about a month to really vcome into its own, but when it does it tastes spectacular. The pumpkin definitely adds a nice tone to it.

I have one bottle left ill open in a week or so. When I do I'll post pics and probably add this to the recipe section.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy, this will be a fall regular for us.
 
going to try it with fresh pumpkin i plan is to boil with fresh pumpkin in muslin bag then after moving wort to primary move pumpkin with it hoping it will retain a lot of the pumpkin flavor. then in a week or so remove pumpkin and rack in secondary.
 

Ha ha, I saw that recipe and actually considered it. three things stopped me:

1) fear of infection. I know I could put water and camden in there and get her going.. but would it go deeper into the flesh?

2) How to attach a blow off tube to pumpkin...

3) 6 gallons is a big pumpkin.

Still, though, its on my list.
 
The inside of a pumpkin is pretty close to sterile, other then the pumpkin cells themselves, before you cut into it. So a surface sanitize should be fine.

I really doubt you could seal the top of the pumpkin well enough that a blow off tube would be needed.

6 gallons would be a lot of pumpkin. Maybe a good time to do a smaller scale recipe?

I haven't done it either, but it's also on my list. :)
 
I have a couple five gallon buckets of cider that have quit bubbling and can be drunk now but since I still have about three gallons from the last bucket in the fridge I'm in no hurry, I am thinking about raking it to a secondary bucket and adding pumpkin, spices, and brown sugar then letting it go a few more weeks. I will use fresh pumpkin and carmalize it in the oven and either use an infuse ball or run it through a cheesecloth when it is done. Does that sound right? Any advise?
 
I read through this thread and see that squash is often used instead of pumpkin, will any kind work? Should I still carmelize it?
 
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