Recipe critique and substitutions: Pumpkin Ale

Ok, I've scratched the Bison Stout clone (will do that later, have pupkins, must use). Found this recipe on BYO Magazine's website. I don't want to end up with something like Wolaver's Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale b/c I find that thing so unbalanced and attrocious. Also, should I use pumpkin pie pumpkins or will any pumpkin do? Here's the recipe:

1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) Muntons Extra Light dried malt extract
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) Northwestern Gold liquid malt extract
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) CaraPils malt
5–6 lbs. (2.3–2.7 kg) pumpkin (cubed)
5 AAU Cascade hops (60 mins)
(1.0 oz./28 g of 5% alpha acids)
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dried ale yeast
0.75 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Boil pumpkin cubes in water for 15 minutes. Heat 0.75 gallons (2.8 L) of water to 163 °F (73 °C). Place crushed grains in steeping bag and steep grains at 152 °F (67 °C) for 45 minutes. When pumpkin is ready, add chunks to grain bag and add cool water (to maintain 152 °F (67 °C) temperature). Combine grain and pumpkin "tea," dried malt extract and water to make 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the start of the boil. Add liquid malt extract and spices with 15 minutes left in the boil. Cool wort and transfer to fermenter. Top up to 5 gallons (19 L) with water. Aerate and pitch yeast. Ferment at 69 °F (21 °C).


Now for the really important thing. I want to use only dry extract and I don't have an option for "Gold", only "XLight, Light, Amber, Dark, Wheat"....

Ummm, where is your thesis statement? Was there a question here? If it is about pumpkin variety, butternut squash works well. If it is about DME shades, you need to be more specific: Do you not have access to the gold shade of DME you need for this recipe, or does your brewing software not have any preloaded information on gold DME?

The reason this needed to be bumped is that "Pumpkin Ale" has been a hot topic around here since August, the search function is your friend.

Sorry, I didn't proof read when I posted. I ment to say "Will this recipe turn out like Wolaver's Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale/and does this seem like a well balanced recipe?"

I do not have any brewing software nor do I have the money for purchasing software. I do not have access to Gold DME.

I usually search, but I skipped it this time because I am asking questions pertaining to this recipe I found, not looking for a new recipe.

If missing the gold is a problem you can just use the light dme and steep some carmel malts for color and flavor. I thin half a pound of carmel 60 should do the trick in addition to the light extract.

I do not have access to Carmel 60, ( see here for list of available grains ). Will Caravienne work?

I do not have access to Carmel 60

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Yes you do. Caramel 60 = Crystal 60.

flyangler18 said:

Yes you do. Caramel 60 = Crystal 60.

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AH! COOL! Thanks guys, you are very helpful....I'm going to try to save up for brewing software so I don't have to bug you guys as often....thanks again!!!

Pumpkin beer, here I come!

Online brewing calculators (FREE):

The Beer Recipator 2.2
TastyBrew.com | Recipe Calculation
BeerTools Beer Making Resources and Home Brewing Recipe Calculator and Formulator - trial

Free un-crippled download:

Qbrew

Keep saving up for something like ProMash, but any of those calculators will get your job done.

Bob

imaguitargod said:

I do not have any brewing software nor do I have the money for purchasing software.

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If you truly cannot afford $22 for brewing software , perhaps a batch of homebrew that probably runs ~$30-40? is out of your price range too.

BobNQ3X said:

Online brewing calculators (FREE):

The Beer Recipator 2.2
TastyBrew.com | Recipe Calculation
BeerTools Beer Making Resources and Home Brewing Recipe Calculator and Formulator - trial

Free un-crippled download:

Qbrew

Keep saving up for something like ProMash, but any of those calculators will get your job done.

Bob

Click to expand...

Cool! Thanks for the links!

carl spakler said:

If you truly cannot afford $22 for brewing software , perhaps a batch of homebrew that probably runs ~$30-40? is out of your price range too.

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Nah, I just have my priorities. Credit card payment(read: credit card slavery), drinking beer, and brewing beer. The software comes in somewhere after that.