Autumn Seasonal Beer Pumpkin Wheat Cream Ale

I know it is getting late for a pumpkin brew, but this turned out really well so I thought I would post it.

6 lb 2-Row
4 lb Wheat Malt
.5 lb Crystal 40
.5 lb Honey Malt

1 oz Cascade 60 minutes

1 lb Lactose 15 minutes

About 4 lb butternut squash (holds pumpkin kind of flavor better than pumpkin so I'm told) sprinkled with brown sugar and baked at about 400 deg till soft and starts to brown.

Mash at 150 degrees for 1 hour with grains and pumpkin. I added some rice hulls to help the sparge. (getting the temp right can be tricky because of the squash)

Add 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice to fermentor (in 1/2 cup boiling water) to fermentor after 1 week.

Bottled a little over 4 gallons with 3.6 oz priming sugar. I lost a bit to blow-off.

This is just getting ready and tastes great! Can taste the pumpkin flavor and the spices are there but not overwhelming. The lactose adds a nice sweet creaminess like a pumpkin pie.

When I bottled it, I added the last 1/2 gallon to 1/2 gallon of a Tripel that needed to be bottled. I'm curious to see how that turns out.

Giving this one a try. Scored a longneck pumpkin, some fresh whole cascade hops I picked last summer and the proper yeast. I'm also going to finish it with some teamaker hops for a bit of a hop aromatic to it.

I'll probably bottle it in less than 18 days, because I'd like it to be carbed for Turkey Day. Figure 14 days fermenting and 7 in the bottle should be ok. I know it's a late start, but I think it should age well, too into Christmas.