OP
OP
Let me know how the BIAB session goes. What's your strategy with the pumpkin?
Autumn Seasonal Beer Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale (AG and Extract versions)
- Thread starter Yuri_Rage
- Start date
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deaton83
Active Member
Going to toss the pumpkin in the grain bag with all the grain. Should be fine, right?
it will turn to mush and leak out of the bag, rendering the bag useless for the pumpkin
OP
OP
Actually, that's probably the best you're going to do. The same thing that beninan mentions happens in a more traditional mash/lauter setup, hence the massive trub after fermentation.
How long before this starts to settle out? I just went in after eight days of fermentation to take a gravity reading, it was much the consistency of split-pea soup. I would like to get as much of this gunk to the bottom before racking to secondary. Sample tasted really good and came in at 1.018; still some krausen floating on top.
I used fresh pie pumpkins that were cut in 1/2, then roasted for 1.5 hours at 375. After cooled, I scooped flesh out and mashed with a potato masher. It was not the same baby food consistency as the canned pumpkin, and if I were you, I'd try this route b/c I dont't think it would leak out. You're going to need around 10-12 lbs of pumpkins before roasting to get the (+-)4 lbs of cooked pumpkin you need (of course that's if you go this route). good luck.
BigB
Well-Known Member
One other thing to consider... don't use a nylon paint bag to filter the pumpkin. Although it does a great job of filtering, it is so fine that it just plugs up... then all you have is a bag of wort that is heavy and drains EXCEEDINGLY slow.
Alright folks.. I did the extract version it was my second ever brew. After 3 weeks in the bottles, I'm drinking it and it's wonderful. Exactly what I want out of a pumpkin ale. Lots of Ale characteristics, the pumpkin comes through and the spices are subtle. I had a veteran brewer friend tell me he really likes it, and he normally doesn't like "fruit/spice" beers.
My only concern is that there is very little head retention which I thought the flaked wheat was supposed to help with. It's gone after a minute.
My only concern is that there is very little head retention which I thought the flaked wheat was supposed to help with. It's gone after a minute.
Dynachrome
Well-Known Member
53 pages. Sounds promising.
I have pumpkin left over. This sounds tastey. Could you use a barley grain bed as a filter after your last sparge to separate the pumpkin fibers?
I have pumpkin left over. This sounds tastey. Could you use a barley grain bed as a filter after your last sparge to separate the pumpkin fibers?
surferdrew
Well-Known Member
Yuri_Rage...thanks for the recipe.
The caramelized canned pumpkin is what really sets this pumpkin ale apart...yum.
I brewed 10g and split it into two batches with two separate yeasts...WLP002 and WLP500.
OG was 1.056 and FG was 1.018 for the WLP002 batch. Its been kegged and we drank some last night. LHBS said its the best pumpkin ale they've ever had! Cheers to you. Literally tastes like creamy pumpkin pie.
I'll be bottling the WLP500 this week to be ready for Thanksgiving...we'll keep you posted.
Have any of you tried warming beer and putting whip cream on top for a dessert?
The caramelized canned pumpkin is what really sets this pumpkin ale apart...yum.
I brewed 10g and split it into two batches with two separate yeasts...WLP002 and WLP500.
OG was 1.056 and FG was 1.018 for the WLP002 batch. Its been kegged and we drank some last night. LHBS said its the best pumpkin ale they've ever had! Cheers to you. Literally tastes like creamy pumpkin pie.
I'll be bottling the WLP500 this week to be ready for Thanksgiving...we'll keep you posted.
Have any of you tried warming beer and putting whip cream on top for a dessert?
Wow, this is probably the best Pumpkin ale recipe I have ever had.
I used fresh pumpkin that I cooked up and then did another round in the oven to roast it after the initial scooping and puree. I mashed at 156-157 (took a lot of stirring to get the temp uniform due to thickness of the pumpkin) and used Denny's Favorite 50 yeast (which seemed perfect for this kind of ale, IMO). I bloomed the spices in a pyrex measuring bowl with some wort I removed from the kettle and let cool to about 150 degrees or so before throwing the spices in for 15 minutes... adding them at flameout. I also freshly ground my own spices (either shaving the nutmeg, grinding the cinnamon in my spice grinder, or using the mortar & pestle). I let it sit in primary for 3 weeks since Denny's yeast takes it's time and is not a rapid flocculator.
I used fresh pumpkin that I cooked up and then did another round in the oven to roast it after the initial scooping and puree. I mashed at 156-157 (took a lot of stirring to get the temp uniform due to thickness of the pumpkin) and used Denny's Favorite 50 yeast (which seemed perfect for this kind of ale, IMO). I bloomed the spices in a pyrex measuring bowl with some wort I removed from the kettle and let cool to about 150 degrees or so before throwing the spices in for 15 minutes... adding them at flameout. I also freshly ground my own spices (either shaving the nutmeg, grinding the cinnamon in my spice grinder, or using the mortar & pestle). I let it sit in primary for 3 weeks since Denny's yeast takes it's time and is not a rapid flocculator.
That process seems very similar to mine. I freshly roasted the spices (except the ginger), and put them all in my spice grinder. I didn't steep them, but added them at flame out. I'll be kegging this Wednesday.
Curious to hear how yours turns out. I haven't tapped the keg yet but couldn't resist popping a few bottles given the holiday yesterday. Which yeast did you end up using? I was surprised to not find (via search) that anyone had used Wyeast 1450 for this brew, so gave it a shot and it is a definite winner.
Well, I originally pitched a sachet of Nottingham, but when it never took off, I ran to the LHBS and picked up some S-05. I tasted it a week after pitching the S-05, and it was awesome! With my high mash temp, 158, a FG of 1.015 isn't too shabby. When I tasted it, the freshly ground cinnamon was coming through pretty strong, but in no way overwhelming and I imagine it's about perfect right about now.
deaton83
Active Member
The BIAB went great except having 1 gallon of extra wort that killed my SG. Also had to get the girlfriend to help out with straining the bag. Live and learn but it was fun.
Thanks again Yuri.
I just brewed the all grain 5 gal version this past weekend. Everything went great, I had the heat up a little too hight during the boil so I lost more wort than anticipated. The only change I made was adding the extra can of pumpkin during the boil. No particular rhyme or reason, just had an extra can I didn't want to waste. OG was 1.052 and its bubbling away beautifully!
Update after 4 weeks in the bottle - extract version.
Fantastic. I love Pumpkin beers, but find them too malty and sweet sometimes. This has really nice ale characteristics and the spice is subtle. It reminds me of Shipyard Pumpkin which to date is the best Pumpkin Ale I've ever had.
My only regret, not making more.
Fantastic. I love Pumpkin beers, but find them too malty and sweet sometimes. This has really nice ale characteristics and the spice is subtle. It reminds me of Shipyard Pumpkin which to date is the best Pumpkin Ale I've ever had.
My only regret, not making more.
Dynachrome
Well-Known Member
I'm doing a hashed up version of this. I see it was simplified later to just regular pumpkin pie spice. I added spices to the pumpkin mush and it seems to have gotten lost. I will probably add the spice tea later on. I also put two tea bags of green tea in with the pumpkin while I was boiling it down to try and start the starches to break down. Yuri seems to think that will cause the pumpkin flavor to fade away. I hope not.
It Will be beer.
It Will be beer.
So Im drinking my kegged batch from a couple months ago...I really like the Burton Ale strand I used over the WlP002 version my friend made...and no im not just saying this because this batch is mine. All in all im satisfied with this beer.
I'm doing a hashed up version of this. I see it was simplified later to just regular pumpkin pie spice. I added spices to the pumpkin mush and it seems to have gotten lost. I will probably add the spice tea later on. I also put two tea bags of green tea in with the pumpkin while I was boiling it down to try and start the starches to break down. Yuri seems to think that will cause the pumpkin flavor to fade away. I hope not.
It Will be beer.
I added mine at flame-out and I am starting to think they also are fading a bit. Still a very good beer, but I would prefer a bit more spice. Balance of spices is nice though.
Try serving it in a cinnamon sugar rimmed glass. That helps with the nose.
akryder
Active Member
Made this 3 weeks ago, but instead of canned pumpkin, I used a sugar pumpkin from a local farmer. Worked VERY well, and has a great pumpkin taste. SWMBO made the pumpkin spice from scratch (her personal pumpkin pie recipe....) and we added that in the recipe's suggested amount. Now, she's suggesting I make it again....better get started.
We really enjoyed the balance of pumpkin to spice in this beer. Like drinking a bit of pumpkin pale, plus a great beer. Going to drive it 400 miles to the parent's place for Thanksgiving!
We really enjoyed the balance of pumpkin to spice in this beer. Like drinking a bit of pumpkin pale, plus a great beer. Going to drive it 400 miles to the parent's place for Thanksgiving!
MJDore
Well-Known Member
This is what I've done twice now. I put the pumpkin in a grain bag with really fine meshing/holes. Some of it dissolved and leaked out of the bag but the bag kept enough of it intact to keep me from getting a stuck sparge.
I entered my version of the recipe in a competition recently and got two scores of 40. :rockin: Amazingly, I didn't place. Stiff competition!
There is lots of discussion as to how to add the spices and how much spice to add. I think it is 100% personal preference. But since my beer scored so well in the competition (and both judges noted a very nice balance of spices) I thought I would share what I did to my 5 gallon batch....
I added 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice at flameout. After fermentation was complete, I tasted a sample. I really debated on whether to add more spice and ultimately decided to add 1 additional tsp (steeped in a cup of hot water) to the secondary. This resulted in a beer that has a very clear and distinct spice smell and taste. No mistaking that it is a pumpkin ale. However, the spices are not at all overbearing (IMO).
The stuff disappeared quickly. 10 gallon batch next year for sure!!
There is lots of discussion as to how to add the spices and how much spice to add. I think it is 100% personal preference. But since my beer scored so well in the competition (and both judges noted a very nice balance of spices) I thought I would share what I did to my 5 gallon batch....
I added 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice at flameout. After fermentation was complete, I tasted a sample. I really debated on whether to add more spice and ultimately decided to add 1 additional tsp (steeped in a cup of hot water) to the secondary. This resulted in a beer that has a very clear and distinct spice smell and taste. No mistaking that it is a pumpkin ale. However, the spices are not at all overbearing (IMO).
The stuff disappeared quickly. 10 gallon batch next year for sure!!
deaton83
Active Member
There was a good amount of pumpkin that made it out of the bag. Now that its in the secondary I cant see anything other than crystal clear beer. The sample tasted great. Cant wait to get this into the keg.
thanks again for the recipe and all the notes.
What did you enter it as base style? I chose American Amber and all of the comments about the underlying style were spot on and no off flavors or faults noted. Almost all of the complaints were that it was over-spiced and that it needed more hops to accentuate the base style.
I was dumbfounded. Compared to commercial varieties, I thought the spice in mine was muted but well balanced and the comments of the neighborhood beer moochers agreed with this assessment.
Scored a 34.
BigB
Well-Known Member
Finally opened up a bottle. I made it special for Thanksgiving after all! Wow, definitely one of the best beers I have made to date. I used S-04 and the full amount of the Pampered Chef spice the OP listed. Perfect amount of spice. It turned out a tad sweet, but that doesn't surprise me because my OG ended a tad high. This one will be an annual, thats for sure!!
Dynachrome
Well-Known Member
I'm doing a hashed up version of this. I see it was simplified later to just regular pumpkin pie spice. I added spices to the pumpkin mush and it seems to have gotten lost. I will probably add the spice tea later on. I also put two tea bags of green tea in with the pumpkin while I was boiling it down to try and start the starches to break down. Yuri seems to think that will cause the pumpkin flavor to fade away. I hope not.
It Will be beer.
It was 1.048 at the start of fermentation. It finished at bottling at 1.004.
My wife's brother who is usually a Bud Light drinker said it was the best of the three beers I brought up fot Thanksgiving.
worth
Active Member
Thanks for the great recipe. It was a huge hit at my New Years day lunch and didn't last long. I was a little low on my mash temp, so it was a little less body than I was hoping for, but noone seemed to notice and it received rave reviews by all.
i know i am bringing this up kind of early or late, but i have been eyeing the recipe and want to give it a shot for next fall. i pretty much read/skimmed through all 55 pages, but am still unsure about a few things. i am going to do the extract version, because i do not have equipment for all grain.
first, i know the recipe says to just steep the grains, but would it be better to use a mini sparge and steep like you would in a partial? or would it not really make much of a difference?
second, my brew pot is your basic 4 gallon so i was thinking about only doing a partial boil of 2.5, maybe 3 gallon boil (if i can fit it with the amount of pumpkin added). then just top off in the fermenter to the 5 gallon mark. does anyone think this would have any major effects on the outcome of this recipe?
and my final question, when bottling, what would the recommend amount of priming sugar be for this beer? the usual 5 oz?
first, i know the recipe says to just steep the grains, but would it be better to use a mini sparge and steep like you would in a partial? or would it not really make much of a difference?
second, my brew pot is your basic 4 gallon so i was thinking about only doing a partial boil of 2.5, maybe 3 gallon boil (if i can fit it with the amount of pumpkin added). then just top off in the fermenter to the 5 gallon mark. does anyone think this would have any major effects on the outcome of this recipe?
and my final question, when bottling, what would the recommend amount of priming sugar be for this beer? the usual 5 oz?
BigB
Well-Known Member
Won't make much of a difference... You are only steeping, not mashing.
Nope, you will be fine to do it that way
Perfect.
I've got a quite a few pumpkins that I've been trying to figure out what to do with. All of a sudden realized I should make beer with them. How do you use real pumpkin for this? I know how to make pumpkin puree, do I just boil that like does the canned pumpkin in the recipe?
Also, if you guys don't know already, pumpkins stay good all winter in a cool place. I keep them in the garage, we got these pumpkins before halloween.
Also, if you guys don't know already, pumpkins stay good all winter in a cool place. I keep them in the garage, we got these pumpkins before halloween.
i found these recipes online that i was also looking at. they have fresh pumpkin as a part of the recipe, and they kind of tell you how to prep it for the brew...
http://www.kegerators.com/articles/pumpkin-spice-ale.php
http://www.thebrewsite.com/2004/10/11/pumpkin-ale-recipe.php
hope this might help some!
AugustDerleth
Well-Known Member
I tried using search on this thread to avoid asking something that may have been covered already, but found nothing so here goes:
Would it be beneficial to add pumpkin to secondary to really impart those flavours? What I noticed in the pumpkin ale I did before this was that it seemed like most of the pumpkin-y-ness was boiled out. It was there, just more subtle than what I was looking for. Granted, this recipe is different, but I was wondering if adding a can of pumpkin to the secondary would strongly impart pumpkin flavours without problems (other than clarity)? I was thinking about putting a can in with the spice tea. A note: I only added 2 cans to the boil, the stores around me had no more. I imagine that 4 cans in boil would have been enough, but since that didn't happen and I've now found more cans I was wondering if I could use secondary to help with the flavour. Thanks-
Would it be beneficial to add pumpkin to secondary to really impart those flavours? What I noticed in the pumpkin ale I did before this was that it seemed like most of the pumpkin-y-ness was boiled out. It was there, just more subtle than what I was looking for. Granted, this recipe is different, but I was wondering if adding a can of pumpkin to the secondary would strongly impart pumpkin flavours without problems (other than clarity)? I was thinking about putting a can in with the spice tea. A note: I only added 2 cans to the boil, the stores around me had no more.
I imagine that 4 cans in boil would have been enough, but since that didn't happen and I've now found more cans I was wondering if I could use secondary to help with the flavour. Thanks-
OP
OP
I've never read anything about "dry pumpkining." My gut says that adding pumpkin directly to the fermenter will add starch haze and vegetal flavors. I'd love to know for sure, though. Wanna be the guinea pig, August?
AugustDerleth
Well-Known Member
Hmmm, the haze I don't mind so much. If it just tastes like veggies, and not so much pumpkin-y, that'd be kinda weak. I wonder if I were to bake it before adding it, what effect that would have. I just might have to be the pig.
Though, I certainly wouldn't want to ruin your beautiful recipe! It smells delicious in primary.
So I brewed this in December and I am not pleased with the results. It did have a haze and tasted pretty good warm. As soon as I put it in the fridge the haze cleared to leave about 1/2 inch of light sediment on the bottom of the bottles. Usually this would be fine but in this case it is so light that any movements of the bottle disturbs it to the point of it floating all the way to the top.
What gives? I even let the brew sit in secondary for 2 extra weeks to settle out as much as possible.
What gives? I even let the brew sit in secondary for 2 extra weeks to settle out as much as possible.
Oh August, I heard a blind taste test on basic brewing radio a while back on pumpkin ale's. One had actual pumpkin in it the other did not. The taster could not tell which had the pumpkin and which one did not.
Next time I brew this I think I will leave the pumpkin out and rely in the spices.
Next time I brew this I think I will leave the pumpkin out and rely in the spices.
