Beginner Partial Mash Maple Pumpkin Ale Recipe

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nlapham21

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Hey so I am quite new to homebrewing, although I tried it once in highschool with a mr. beer kit (and it came out terribly).

Now I am older and realize research and communicating with knowledgeable people is key! Which is why I am joining the homebrewtalk forum scene to up my game (and my beer quality). I currently have a Weizenbier BB kit in my secondary, and am looking to start a Maple Pumpkin Ale quite soon that I made a recipe for combining things I have read, but have a few questions I was hoping I could be helped with.

This is my recipe, I was going for a sweeter and minimal hoppy beer like Shipyard Pumpkin Head. I hope you like it!


2 x 3.3 lb Briess Golden Light LME (optional: one is Briess Sparkling Amber)
16 oz Crystal Malt
4 oz Chocolate Malt (optional)
1/2 oz Northern Brewers Hop Pellets
1 Wyeast 1056 (possible Wyeast Denny's Favorite 50 1450)
1 tsp Irish Moss
1 Muslin Bag (possibly two if pumpkin can fit in one)
1 bag Priming Sugar (for moderate carbonation)

16 oz Pure Grade B Dark Maple Syrup
3 lb Pure Canned Pumpkin (whole foods, no preservatives)
1 tsp McCormick's Pumpkin Pie Spice
6 gallons purified water

Instructions:

1) Whack smack pack. Put one additional gallon of water into freezer, one into refridgerator.

2) Put pumpkin onto baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 60 mins or until dark.

3) During which time crush grains, put into Muslin Bag.

4) Fill boiling pot with 4 gallons of water, and set muslin bag with grains in so not to touch the bottom.

5) Turn on heat, and when the water reaches 168 F, take muslin bag out.

6) At boil remove from heat, add one 3.3 lb container of LME and the pumpkin, return to heat.

7) When boil returns add 1/2 oz Northern Brewers Hop Pellets, record time.

8) After 40 minutes remove from heat, add additional 3.3 lb container LME, return to heat.

9) After 45 minutes add one teaspoon Irish Moss.

10) After 55 minutes add Maple Syrup and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

11) At 60 minute mark remove heat and cool wort to 65 F by adding one gallon of partially frozen water.

12) Transfer cooled wort to primary fermenter, using additional water to raise volume to 5 gallons.

13) Pitch yeast.

7 days primary
14 day secondary
14-21 day conditioning

QUESTIONS:

1) Is this the proper way to partially mash the Crystal Malt? Should I try and maintain a temperature for an extended amount of time? Use a second pot?

2) Would it be a good idea to mix one LME of Amber and Golden Light together? If so which would you recommend to use at the beginning and which at the end of the boil?

3) What do you think of the chocolate malt addition for the flavor scheme?

Thanks!
 
QUESTIONS:

1) Is this the proper way to partially mash the Crystal Malt? Should I try and maintain a temperature for an extended amount of time? Use a second pot?

2) Would it be a good idea to mix one LME of Amber and Golden Light together? If so which would you recommend to use at the beginning and which at the end of the boil?

3) What do you think of the chocolate malt addition for the flavor scheme?

Thanks!

1: this is a simple steep, no mashing
2: all mixing them does is make the golden light somewhat darker and it doesn't matter which one is first and which one is later.
3: it will make it darker, a little roasty, not actual chocolate flavor. somewhat pumpkin stoutish. not really my taste in a pumpkin ale but go for it.
 
I would use the amber,just because I dont like pumpkinhead. I dont think your recipe is too close to it so I kinda like it. I wonder if you could add some of the maple to the pumpkin to bake and carmelize some giving a maple carmel to it. I also would add at least another teaspoon of spice,probably like a tablespoon. I like the chocolate malt idea but maybe like 3 oz. max. I made somewhat of a wheat pumpkin brown using a little blackstrap molassis which I thought was an ok beer.Didnt turn out as good as I thought but was still decent.Great clear mahogony color and heady though.
 
Awesome thanks for the quick responses!

amandabab thank you for clearing up the simple steep vs. partial mash, I was so confused as to which it was. So basically the objective of the steep would be used to extract the toffee flavor from the crystal malt, not the fermentable sugars?

I think I am going to go with the half Golden Light half Amber LME because I was going for a light bodied but also amber hued ale.

jonmohno I like your input but I think we have conflicting styles of maple pumpkin ale that we are looking for. Regardless I really like your idea for carmelizing the pumpkin with the maple syrup, sounds delicious.

Also you don't think a tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie spices is too much? Has anyone else had experience with using both a teaspoon and a tablespoon for batches and could put some input in?
 
A tablespoon is in mild territory. I use 3/4 @60 3/4 tsp near end of boil for my 1.6 gal batches ,and its pretty mild.That equals over a tablespoon for a 5 gallon batch.
 
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