Pumpkin beers: Discussion, developing recipes, tips tricks, and a good practices

We did something special for our pumpkin beer this year! We turned a giant 853lb pumpkin into the mash tun and caramelized the inside with a roofing blow torch. Check out the video below.
https://youtu.be/lD3hf2jeKuo

Now that's kewl!

natefrog255 said:

This is what I'm going with, let me know if any major concerns...

ALL-GRAIN METHOD:

Gonna go the pumpkin pre-mash route. Will dissolve 3 cans (3#) of pumpkin in the strike water and then mash...

7.5# 2-Row
2.5# Munich
0.3# Caramel 90
0.4# Crystal Medium
1# Rice Hulls

Adding 1 tsp cinnamon, 0.5 tsp nutmeg, 0.5 tsp all-spice, 0.25 tsp clove at flame out ---- have it premixed.

0.5 oz. Mt Hood hops for 60 minutes. (shooting for 10-12 IBUs)
Safale US-05 yeast

Click to expand...

Just tried a couple from the above recipe. I think it needs a little more time but thought it was pretty good. The pumpkin spices are definitely in the aroma and taste. I was hoping for a little more pumpkin flavor but its there faintly in the aftertaste. That is where I am hoping with more time to mature it come out more. My efficiency overall was around 75% but I don't know how that factors in the canned pumpkin. I think if I were to do it again I'd maybe use more pumpkin, but I'll try this in a couple weeks again and see if any differences.

Has anyone stopped baking the pumpkin and instead started just preheating it to the mash temp then adding it? For some reason I just can't imagine all major breweries baking the pumpkin, I mean that would require a lot of effort at the volumes they use no? My pumpkin ale comes out nice but it's always completely opaque, probably due to the starches in the pumpkin? I wonder if they'd convert better not having been baked.


Rev.

I'm drinking pumpkin right now and glad I found this thread because I want new recipes. I think I will stick with pumpkin in the boil but like the idea of adding it to strike and dissolving it first. the pumpkin I made was

10 pounds two row
2 pounds Munich and
.5 crystal 40
4 cans pumpkin or 2 large cans added in boil and
half teaspoon each of cinnamon nutmeg and allspice with two minutes left cuz I couldn't remember how I did it last year.
1oz Willamette 60 minutes because that's what I buy in bulk
The original recipe was different hops



I think it's really good I taste too many pumpkins that are over spiced I have had a lot of pumpkin beers that were good but I wouldn't drink two of them. I wanted something I could drink all night. Also i think pumpkin is super delicate flavor so lightly spiced brings it out.

Here it is love the color...here is original recipe can i do that? not sure where i got it here? anywho i changed it not csuse i know anything just what i had and what i wanted i like color

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