Pumpkin Ale from Midwest...

I got my kit in today :rockin:

everything is ready to go for tomorrow night. gotta pick up 30oz of canned pumpkin. im thinking of adding 60oz but im curious as to if it would be too much. the recipe doesn't call for sparging so maybe i should stick to 30oz? anyone have any suggestions?

im not quite sure if i want to take the plunge into sparging to add another extra step into the process (which is already somewhat new to me). could 60oz of canned pumpkin sit well in a fermenter for 1-2 weeks?

either way... im pumped! i love pumpkin anything and this already smells absolutely awesome

Did this kit come with real pumpkin or is it one of those "spice only" ones? I'm sort of a pumpkin purist. It has to have pumpkin actually in it...

I love me some pumpkin ales. I need to schedule a brew session for this season...I brewed last years partygyle pumpkin ales on labor day and that was cutting it pretty close. they were both pretty green come Halloween...but fan freaking tastic on turkey day.

Enjoy

Revvy said:

Did this kit come with real pumpkin or is it one of those "spice only" ones? I'm sort of a pumpkin purist. It has to have pumpkin actually in it...

I love me some pumpkin ales. I need to schedule a brew session for this season...I brewed last years partygyle pumpkin ales on labor day and that was cutting it pretty close. they were both pretty green come Halloween...but fan freaking tastic on turkey day.

Enjoy

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it came with spices only but the recipe calls for adding 30oz of pumpkin (or more)

Overdue4Brew said:

it came with spices only but the recipe calls for adding 30oz of pumpkin (or more)

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Oh great...yum!

One tip that most of us have found to be worth it. spread the canned pumpkin out on a cookie sheet (1/2" to 1" thick) and bake it for about a half hour at 350 degrees, then add it to your beer however the recipe states. The pumpkin will undergo a maillard reaction, and carmalize slightly, which will draw out it's natural sugars...it will then give the beer more of a baked pumpkin pie flavor.

Revvy said:

Oh great...yum!

One tip that most of us have found to be worth it. spread the canned pumpkin out on a cookie sheet (1/2" to 1" thick) and bake it for about a half hour at 350 degrees, then add it to your beer however the recipe states. The pumpkin will undergo a maillard reaction, and carmalize slightly, which will draw out it's natural sugars...it will then give the beer more of a baked pumpkin pie flavor.

Click to expand...

oh trust me this has already been planned. luckily for me my girlfriend is a professional chef and food stylist for several old lady magazines (paula dean, taste of the south, tea time, sandra lee, etc) so she's going to be handeling that baking and seasoning of the pumpkin part. she wants to do a real pumpkin but they are out of season for now.

but yeah... do you think it's cool just to keep the pumpkin in the primary? or should i try and leave as much as i can it in the brew pot?

Overdue4Brew said:

oh trust me this has already been planned. luckily for me my girlfriend is a professional chef and food stylist for several old lady magazines (paula dean, taste of the south, tea time, sandra lee, etc) so she's going to be handeling that baking and seasoning of the pumpkin part. she wants to do a real pumpkin but they are out of season for now.

but yeah... do you think it's cool just to keep the pumpkin in the primary? or should i try and leave as much as i can it in the brew pot?

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This is the recommended canned pumpkin to use if you cannot get real



And it bakes up nicely on the cookie sheet ahead of time.

If it turns out, I want HER recpe for the spicing...I have had trouble with it not being spiced enough...since the stuff will fade with time.


Um, I know from experience that it is best to leave as much of that goop behind in the kettle....and it it is one of the few times even that I would recommend using a secondary...and those who like to add it in secondary should plann on racking it to a tertiary...and also, whatever you do..do not use whole hops when brewing a pumpkin ale. Pumpkin goop and whole hop leaves do not mix together well...it is nearly impossible to rack from kettle to primary without it getting stuck, and if you use a strainer....be prepared to get frustrated....

thanks for the advice! i was planning on looking for libby's but she said her boss had a hard time finding it due to a local shortage. they were shooting october/fall styles a mont or so ago so maybe it is back now. if all else fails i'll go to whole foods and find some good organic canned pumpkin. im sure they'll have it

i will be sure to update and if it turns out well you're welcome to know what she used as far as spicing is concerned. she actually is suggesting some ginger as well... dunno if that works but she said it does lol

Sorry to bump an old thread, just curious how this came out (if you even remember, a year later!)

I am building up a pipeline and think I'll make this late August / early Sept in time for Halloween festivities. Was 60oz of pumpkin too much? What spices did you end up using?

I'll be doing this batch soon too! Anything I should know? My wife had some 15 oz cans of trader joes canned pumkpin.. think 2 of them would suffice?

TheBroonery, wondering the same thing myself after reading that some folks use 60oz. I don't want it to be TOO pumpkin-y, but some good pumpkin flavor would definitely make it a favorite around halloween..