What is a Pumpkin Spice similar to?

Hi all,

I'm considering buying the pumpkin spice beer kit found here:

Pumpkin Spice Beer Kit

I see that it's simply a blonde ale with a bit of flavoring. My question is, do you think this beer will really give a nice taste of pumpkin? I currently have my first batch of beer fermenting (blonde ale, which I hear is good for my taste preference right now) and would like to start on a festive beer for when the in-laws and other family come over for thanksgiving and before.

I'm open to suggestions, however keep in mind that I'm a beginner (only been doing this for 3 days now) and would need some serious hand holding for a custom recipe.

Most of the "pumpkin" beers I've seen are meant to taste like pumpkin pie, not an actual pumpkin (squash). Some recipes have actual pumpkin in them, some just have the pie spices. It sounds like this recipe has just the spices.

If you like pumpkin pie, go for it. It could work pretty well as a Thanksgiving beer. Personally, I can't drink too much of any of the pumpkin/spice beers. They're a but much for me. I'd prefer something else, especially to drink with a big meal like Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the quick reply, cdburg. I think I'll give it a go.

do a search for the Thunderstruck pumpkin from Yuri I think. There are all grain and extract recipes with instructions if you want to go full custom. There's also a long thread with a lot of q and a on pumpkin brews. Good luck!

This thread might be interesting for you too...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/pu...ng-recipes-tips-tricks-good-practices-131786/

EuBrew,

I actually read through that long thread you mentioned...which is what got me wanting to brew a batch. However, all those recipes and custom instructions really confused and scared this newbie, so I'm sticking with the pre-assembled extract kits for now. Haha. I'm sure I'll venture out into other stuff soon enough.

cdburg said:

This thread might be interesting for you too...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/pu...ng-recipes-tips-tricks-good-practices-131786/

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Yup, that's the one I read through. Some of those recipes sound reeeaallll good...but only when I'm ready to venture away from pre-made kits.

Yeah, "pumpkin spice" just refers to the spices that normally go into pumpkin pie. A lot of what you're tasting in pumpkin pie is the spices and not pumpkin (which by itself is fairly bland). Some people actually buy premixed "pumpkin spice" at the grocery store It usually consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. I like using freshly grated nutmeg in all my desserts: there's a big difference. This is just my knowledge of cooking mind you, I'm not a fan of dessert spices in my beer

+1 ^^^

I had a couple of pumpkin beers and could barely finish them. Lots of others really like them. I'd rather have a slice of pie and a beer.

Homercidal said:

+1 ^^^

I had a couple of pumpkin beers and could barely finish them. Lots of others really like them. I'd rather have a slice of pie and a beer.

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Are they really that sweet? I would imagine that after all is said and brewed...it's still a beer, and would have maybe 10% flavoring of pumpkin spice. Unless you just REALLY prefer your beer to be strictly a beer, and have beer-only taste.

In my opinion, a good pumpkin spice beer should not be overpowering. You get the hint of pumpkin pie, but it's not overwhelming or too strong. The pumpkin spice beers I've not liked are way too strong (like drinking only the spices) or way too sweet. There's no way you can drink multiple beers when they're like that.

If the end product is pretty well attenuated (not too many unfermented sugars) and the spice is at the right level, you can drink a few. That's the sign of a good beer to me.

I hate pumpkin! However i had a sample of someone's Pumpkin ale spiced with ginger at my LHBS. It was quite nice considering i don't like pumpkin. I wouldn't want to drink a ton of it, but if you like pumkin pie, then go for it.

Also, I'd recommend listening to this Jamil Show podcast about spice beers. He discusses pumpkin spice beers extensively. Even if you aren't ready to start following recipes outside a kit, give the podcast a listen. It will help you get some ideas.

The Brewing Network.com - : Jamil Show - Spice Beer

Pumpkin pie spice is a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. I like it in my hot chocolate sometimes.

Thanks for all the tips and the link (cdburg). I think my upcoming Pumpkin Spice Ale will be a nice "dessert" beer when we're all relaxing by the fire on thanksgiving night, an hour or so after the big meal. Heck, it'll even keep 'till Christmas quite nicely too for that get-together! Now the only thing to decide next (since I already bought the pumpkin spice kit), is what to brew after that! haha.

I can hear it now, (from the wifey) "Justin...I didn't know that birthday present was going to turn into a full time hobby that costs about $50/month..."

If you can actually keep it to $50 a month, more power to you.

Ingredients are one cost. Newer and shinier equipment adds up even faster. For some reason, I'm never quite satisfied with my set up, which seems to be an ongoing cost.

Haha, I can foresee that in my future, cdburg. For now, I'm fine staying out of the "married guy's" dog house and not buying a second fermentor / carboy and keeping to the pre-assembled ingredient kits.

As a side question, what do you personally use as your equipment? Ale Pails (like me for now), BetterBottles, Glass Carboys, etc?

HoweBrewingCo said:

Haha, I can foresee that in my future, cdburg. For now, I'm fine staying out of the "married guy's" dog house and not buying a second fermentor / carboy and keeping to the pre-assembled ingredient kits.

As a side question, what do you personally use as your equipment? Ale Pails (like me for now), BetterBottles, Glass Carboys, etc?

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Well, the most expensive part was my stand, which I discussed pretty thoroughly here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/brutus-more-beer-1100-hybrid-stand-complete-73169/

Outside that, I ferment in Ale Pails. I find them easiest to clean, carry and they also fit best in the chest freezers I use to control fermentation temperature. If you're careful to not scratch them, and clean them very well (I fill mine with PBW solution and let them sit for at least a few days), you shouldn't have problems. If they get scratched or you have issues with infections, you can toss the bucket and get a new one.

Carboys are great, but I'm a bit paranoid about carrying around a huge chunk of glass filled with liquid. I can be a clutz, and I don't want to end up in the ER (worst case) or lose 5 gallons of beer ("best" case).