Autumn Seasonal Beer Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale (AG and Extract versions)

Pitched a new pack of S-04 (use by date of 7-13) nothing...not a bubble in the airlock, not a point in gravity change after 16 hours. Warmed and pitched a jar of Bell's yeast that I had just washed 2 days before(luckily), and got airlock activity in 2 hours. 12 hours later I've got bubbling,I know that's not the best indication, but it's not real vigorous.

Has anyone had problems with S-04 lately? I use mostly liquid, or harvested, but I've never had a problem with dry until now.
Og was 1.060 and pitching temp was about 68. I've heard this is a real crazy fermenting beer, but I have yet to see it.

It was prob fine, 16 hours isnt really long enough to know if your yeast has stb. Can take up to 72hrs to show signs of fermentation. Just my 2 cents.

Benedetto said:

OK, I think I need help with my pumpkin ale. That stuff I thought was Krasuen was clearly only pumpkin matter. As you can see, there is no typical "krausen stain" on the walls of my fermenting bucket. gravity is reading 1.008. did I even get a fermentation???? maybe the yeasts were not viable. Although, it was bubbling away happily for about 3 or 4 days after a slow start. (began bubbling on the 2nd day) should I re-pitch yeast?

Click to expand...

My bucket looked EXACTLY like this when I transferred to the carboy.

Canrinus said:

It was prob fine, 16 hours isnt really long enough to know if your yeast has stb. Can take up to 72hrs to show signs of fermentation. Just my 2 cents.

Click to expand...

In all my brews since I started years ago, I've never had a fermentation take anywhere near 72 hours to start. If the yeast is healthy and pitched in the proper amount at the proper temp, it should never take that long.
Have you had a 72 hour lag in fermentation?

Made this over the weekend. With a pound of rice hulls the mash was still a PITA.

Pitched on a wlp550 yeast cake for something different. Thanks for the recipe Yuri.

I have not had 72, on the other hand I have had a 48 hour lag time that once going fermented out fine. I do understand the concern though do to 99% of fermentations starting in the 12 hour range.

Canrinus said:

I have not had 72, on the other hand I have had a 48 hour lag time that once going fermented out fine. I do understand the concern though do to 99% of fermentations starting in the 12 hour range.

Click to expand...

Petty sure white labs and wyeast both say fermentation should start within 24 hours...

Since this recipe call for 6 gal batch, would this be best fermented in a 7.5 gal bucket?

silverbullet07 said:

Since this recipe call for 6 gal batch, would this be best fermented in a 7.5 gal bucket?

Click to expand...

That'll give you plenty of headspace, so yeah, why not?

Brewed this on Saturday and hit 1.059 OG. My batch differed from the 6 gallon AG recipe a bit. I ended up using just over 100 oz. of freshly pureed pumpkin, 75 oz. in the mash and 25 oz. in the boil. Tasted a sample today (Gravity currently @ 1.021 . . .I hope this continues to drop) and it was phenomenal!

I was going to do the extract version this weekend. Would there be any benefit to partial or mini mash the speciality grains vs just steeping them? I was thinking about the flaked wheat and thought that should be mashed.

if you were to mash, i think you would need some base malt i.e 2 row to get conversion to happen with the flaked wheat.

Ok, I haven't read the entire thread and I'm sure someone else asked this, but I'm still a n00b so please forgive me.

Am I suppose to use 6 gallons of water or will it all add up to 6 gallons after all the pumpkin, spices, yeast starter, etc have been combined? I always measure out the water to 5 gallons (since that is what most extract recipes call for) but should I measure out 6 gallons this time PLUS misc ingredients or will it come to six gallons after all is said and done?

Thanks for the support!

bizarrojosh said:

Ok, I haven't read the entire thread and I'm sure someone else asked this, but I'm still a n00b so please forgive me.

Am I suppose to use 6 gallons of water or will it all add up to 6 gallons after all the pumpkin, spices, yeast starter, etc have been combined? I always measure out the water to 5 gallons (since that is what most extract recipes call for) but should I measure out 6 gallons this time PLUS misc ingredients or will it come to six gallons after all is said and done?

Thanks for the support!

Click to expand...

You will have six gals fermenting, but you will need to top off up to six gals when you place into your fermenter.
I boiled about 3 gals the had to add about 3.25 gal when I placed it in fermenter to get my full 6

What temperture is everyone fermenting at? I'm using whitelabs wlp002. 65-68F.

silverbullet07 said:

What temperture is everyone fermenting at? I'm using whitelabs wlp002. 65-68F.

Click to expand...

S04

Started at 66 let it rise to 68 for 3 days. Now at 70 for the duration of fermentation.

silverbullet07 said:

What temperture is everyone fermenting at? I'm using whitelabs wlp002. 65-68F.

Click to expand...

I would use the WLP002 at 68 with a max of 71. Any warmer and I don't think the yeast flavors will work well in the beer. Did a great octoberfest at 68. Recommend waiting for about 7 weeks after bottling if you use that yeast.

I brewed this yesterday evening and got it in the fermenter bucket about 8 PM and this morning at 5AM it was already perking.

Brew Method: Extract
Style Name: Fruit Beer
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 6 gallons
Boil Size: 6.5 gallons
Efficiency: 70%

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.057
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV (standard): 5.57%
IBU (tinseth): 16.49
SRM (morey): 13.74

FERMENTABLES:
2 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light (14.8%)
6 lb - Liquid Malt Extract - Light - (late addition) (44.4%)
3.75 lb - Canned Pumpkin (27.8%)

STEEPING GRAINS:
1 lb - Caramel / Crystal 60L (7.4%)
8 oz - Biscuit (59.3%)
4 oz - Flaked Wheat (29.6%)

HOPS:
0.75 oz - Kent Goldings (AA 5.3) for 60 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp - Pumpkin Pie Spice, Type: Spice, Use: Secondary
0.25 tsp - Irish Moss , Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil

YEAST:
White Labs - English Ale Yeast WLP002
Starter: Yes
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 68.5%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temperature: 65 F - 68 F



I ended up with a high OG after the boil. I was getting an OG 1.064 with between 5.5 - 6 GAL in kettle. I added a gallon which brought it up between 6- 6.5 gallons and I am down to a OG 1.057. I added just a little brown sugar (2 tbsp) baking the pumpkin but don't think that alone contributated to the high OG, maybe the pumkin contributed some.

Anyway, I am using a 7.9 gal fermenter bucket with a blow off tube with the hopes it stays in the bucket.

I had a few of these over the weekend after bottle conditioning for only two weeks and was very impressed. Here are my notes:

-Used 60oz Libby's 100% pumpkin puree. Did the cookie sheet bake for 30 min at 350. My puree was starting to steam/smoke a little bit right at the end giving the beer a slight roasted note.
-I put the backed puree in a fine mesh bag for the boil. This kept the trub level low going into the fermenter.
-Used 4gal spring water
-steeped grains per original recipe
-2 lbs XLDME @60 min
-UK Fuggle 1oz 4.3%AA @60min
-6 lbs Gold LME @30min
-Irish moss @10min
-Chilled with 1.5 gal sanitized ice and added top-up water to ~6 gal wert
-Pitched 1 pack Notty

SG 1.056
FG 1.014

-Split pumpkin pie spice addition between KO and bottling

This beer came out so well! There is a roasted pumpkin flavor from the puree and a sort of vegetal thickness in the body. This is not overwhelming, though. The spice mixture is increadible. You can smell the cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. You can taste the spices along with subtle vanilla notes. Might have to make up another batch for the family xmas party. Thanks for posting the recipe!

I have the extract version of this recipe ready to bottle, I used 1oz tettnanger instead of the EKG but otherwise stuck to the recipe. It tastes great but I'm concerned that it may be a little dry, FG is 1.008. Would adding some lactose or another nonfermenting sugar be a good move? If so, how much?

Wunderduck said:

I have the extract version of this recipe ready to bottle, I used 1oz tettnanger instead of the EKG but otherwise stuck to the recipe. It tastes great but I'm concerned that it may be a little dry, FG is 1.008. Would adding some lactose or another nonfermenting sugar be a good move? If so, how much?

Click to expand...

I bottled mine about 3 weeks ago and I felt the same way with my FG at 1.010. I boiled 8oz of lactose with the priming sugar and added to my bottling bucket before racking. I think it sweetened it up just a tad, but it wasn't a significantly noticeable difference.

I brewed a partial mash version of this beer about a month ago. It was in the primary for 3 weeks, then kegged and spiced a week ago. Pulled a sample last night, and while still not fully carbed, it tasted wonderful. Probably the best beer we've made so far, and exactly how I like a pumpkin ale to taste. Thanks Yuri_Rage!!
My recipe and notes are below, if anyone is interested.

Partial Mash (BIAB stovetop, ~2 gallons, mashed at 158F):
3 lb US 2-row
1 lb Crystal 60L
8 oz Biscuit
4 oz Flaked Wheat
4x 15oz cans of Libby's Pumpkin puree, roasted at 350 for about an hour, and cooled to mash temp

6 lb Pale LME
1 oz US Golding, 60 minutes
4 gallon boil, topped off to 6 gallons in the fermentor. OG was 1.055. Pitched 1 packet of SafAle S04, fermented in swamp cooler kept near 65F. FG was 1.018. Made spice tea with 1 cup of boiled water and 1 tsp of McCormick's Pumpkin Pie spices, added directly to the keg. Perfect spice level: nice cinnamon aroma, and clean, balanced taste.

Notes: Used paint mixing bags to keep grains/pumpkin separate. The pumpkin adsorbed nearly all of the wort, so we squeezed out as much as we could. The sweet wort definitely tasted of pumpkin (i.e. squash flavor), but it mellowed during fermentation.

I brewed this a month an a half ago and started drinking it yesterday. At first I was disappointed b/c the pumpkin pie didn't punch me in the face. Then I had a DFH and Brooklyn pumpkin and realized mine is better. Now I think this may be the best pumpkin I have had and I have had a lot. Looking forward to making this one again

Just got done bottling and cleaning up. Hydro sample was crystal clear and tasted phenomenal, only disappointment was the amount of bottles. Damn you pumpkin for making me such a delicious beer and in turn stealing a case of beer from me. Seriously though I can't wait until this is carb'd, this will be made again.

I know Yuri has stated that he likes to serve this fresh, but I tasted a bottle I had leftover from last year. The pumpkin flavor had diminished a bit, as had some of the spice, but it was still a very nice beer. So glad I still have about half a case!

Dutch218 said:

I brewed this a month an a half ago and started drinking it yesterday. At first I was disappointed b/c the pumpkin pie didn't punch me in the face. Then I had a DFH and Brooklyn pumpkin and realized mine is better. Now I think this may be the best pumpkin I have had and I have had a lot. Looking forward to making this one again

Click to expand...

I totally agree Dutch! I'm very picky about my pumpkin ales. DFH is one I like as well as New Holland's Ichabod Pumpkin Ale and Thirsty Dog's Pumpkin Ale. That said, I don't think they can beat this recipe that Yuri developed!

And I just brewed batch #2 of this last night as I'm already down to under a case of batch #1!

I am looking forward to my third year in a row of this bad boy. I tweak it a little bit each year but it was always a huge success.

Cranking this puppy tomorrow.....brewed it last year and my son and his buds destroyed it. I had maybe 4 pints out of the keg. Not changing a thing on the recipe.

jturie said:

Cranking this puppy tomorrow.....brewed it last year and my son and his buds destroyed it. I had maybe 4 pints out of the keg. Not changing a thing on the recipe.

Click to expand...

You might need to change where you keep this keg...so you get more than 4 pints

Had our annual field party last night, this was a big hit. Even to the non beer drinkers! It was actually the only homebrew drank, my others were barely touched. Guess I really need to brew that second batch now!

Finally adding the pumpkin pie spice today after letting it sit in the secondary for well over a month. I had gotten a crazy high OG, which I believe to be wrong somehow, and to be safe I let it sit longer than it needed. FG is 1.014, but I'm assuming my OG of 1.089 was impossibly high and therefore I have no idea what the alcohol content of the beer is, nor do I care too much. All I know is that even before I added the spices it tasted awesome. Rich, malty, and complex; akin almost to an Oktoberfest style lager. The day I racked it to the secondary it was extremely bland, so time has been very kind to this beer. Cannot wait to see how this turns out once it has been spiced, bottled, and carbed!

I racked to my secondary tonight and added my spices. It smells amazing.
It has been a week in primary and I took a gravity reading after racking it. It is at 1.022 right now. Will there be enough yeast left to finish it?

So i'm doing a PM pumpkin ale recipe based off of this one, and I had a question about the spices (as many have).

I plan on just adding between 1-1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the priming solution before bottling. As soon as I have brought the priming solution to a boil, I plan on removing it from the heat and then adding the spices to steep for 10-15 minutes. Will this be a problem? (both flavor and sanitation-wise?)

JBJB said:

So i'm doing a PM pumpkin ale recipe based off of this one, and I had a question about the spices (as many have).

I plan on just adding between 1-1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the priming solution before bottling. As soon as I have brought the priming solution to a boil, I plan on removing it from the heat and then adding the spices to steep for 10-15 minutes. Will this be a problem? (both flavor and sanitation-wise?)

Click to expand...

That is kinda what I did the second time I tried my spice tea.... So I didn't feel like using a pot so I just pour 4 ounces or so of water into a pint mason jar with my tsp of spice and brought it to a boil in the microwave with saran wrap over it. Well, bringing the water to a boil would not have been a problem, but adding those spices? huge boil over mess in the microwave! At least it smelled good. Second time around I boiled the water in the microwave and took it out and then add the spices. This sanitized everything and I let it sit and cool down. Added that mixture to the keg

Awesome recipe Yuri. this tastes fabulous!
(i used 1 Tbs of Pumpkin spice mix and 1 Tsp of Cinnamon with it near the end of the boil.)

Just kegged this beer over the weekend. I added 1 tsp of Cinnamon Plus Clone at the end of the boil. Then mixed 1/2 tsp with vodka for a week and added the mixture to the secondary vessel before racking onto it. After a few days, it was cold crashed for a week before it was kegged. Ended at 1.019. The spices are very subtle, the beer is very smooth, clean and unless my mind is playing tricks, I can pick up the pumpkin as it gives the beer a certain roundness, almost like it "completes" it. Certainly a good tasting beer. Only brewed 5 gal, wishing I had done 10. I'll let it sit on the gas and plan to tap it in time for Halloween.

Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I used 1.5tsp of spice at bottling time. no regrets! smells like a fresh batch of a local craft brew pumpkin spice. I believe that spice at bottling is the way to go.

Ours ended up at 1.048 so it's a light beer, but it has excellent mouthfeel and body. I think that's the pumpkin coming through, in my opinion.

haha i think i'll skip the microwave and just deal with boiling in a pot. i want a moderate spice aroma and flavor and i brewed 4 gallons with an OG of 1.061, so i'm thinking i'll add 1.5 tsp to the priming solution after it has boiled and let it steep.

Is anyone finding this beer is finishing on the high end of the Fg? i just racked on to my spices and was a little surprised at the gravity reading. I got good efficiency(1.066), but it seems to have stopped at about 1.025. I added the pumpkin to the mash and did a standard 60 min boil, I've just never had one finish this high before. I used a pack of S-04, and also some Bell's that I had washed the night before( I like the Bell's profile). Fermented the first week at 62, then pulled it out of the chamber and have had it at 68 for about 2 weeks.

It tastes good, and there are no signs of any off flavors, so I'll just let it on the the spice "dry hop" for a week and keg her on up. Just didn't know if mashing and boiling the pumpkin added un-fermentables that would keep the Fg on the high side.

whitehause said:

Is anyone finding this beer is finishing on the high end of the Fg?

Click to expand...

Yes, mine went from 1.056 to 1.019 using S04 at 68F. I don't know if the pumpkin contributes any unfermentables. I think the high mashing temperature accounts for the high FG. I mashed at 158F.