Pumpkin mashing question.

Im doing a pumpkin ale tomorrow and was wondering when to add the pumpkin to the tun? I am going to bake it first, my thought was to over heat strike water by 5-10F then add pumpkin first and try to dissolve it, then let temp settle and add grains. Will the pumpkin dissolve? Or should I just add grains first then plop the pumpkin in?

I blended mine after baking then put it in the boil. I dont recommend this as it left about 5 inches of trub in my fermentor. I highly recomend doing it the way you suggest. Bake leave and put it in the mash.

tdavisii said:

I blended mine after baking then put it in the boil. I dont recommend this as it left about 5 inches of trub in my fermentor. I highly recomend doing it the way you suggest. Bake leave and put it in the mash.

Click to expand...

My question was WHEN to add to the mash, try to dissolve it into the water first or put in after the grains and stir it in?

I added my mash water into my MLT at around 180. As I was letting it cool, I reheated my already baked pumpkin in the toaster oven (I have a massive toaster oven) so it wouldn't lower the water temp. I added the pumpkin and continued to wait until I was at Beersmith's suggested dough in temp, not adjusted for equipment as my tun was well heated by then.

I added it with the grain at 168, but it drop the temp to 148 after all the grain and pumkin was in the tun. To answer how I did it, I added the grain mixed the grain like normal and then added the pumkin and mixed again. I did use 4 cans, so your experience might vary temp wise and next time I brew I will add it at 170 to hit my mash temp. The pumkin did desolve a bit in the mash but not completely, it was a little thick like a gravy.