Bake pumpkin use next day

I'm making a Pumpkin ale, does anyone see an issue with baking the pumpkin one day and brewing with it the following day?

Or is it very important that the pumpkin be baked and then thrown into the mash right after?

My mind says carmelization is carmelization and it won't matter if it sits a day. Hoping you guys have a answer. Thanks!

I would not worry about it. What is your fear? You are cooking the pumpkin to break it down, get it out of the skin and make it more accesible to the enzymes in the mash. Even if the pumpkin introduced bugs/bacteria to the mash, it would have to sit for ~12-24 hrs to become a sour mash.

Cook the pumpkin, scoop it out, cover and put it in the fridge. The biggest issue is managing your strike water with the pumpkin in there. I used my next day, but put it in an oven set to 160° for the hour before I mashed in. It was perfect.

TheMan said:

I'm making a Pumpkin ale, does anyone see an issue with baking the pumpkin one day and brewing with it the following day?

Or is it very important that the pumpkin be baked and then thrown into the mash right after?

My mind says carmelization is carmelization and it won't matter if it sits a day. Hoping you guys have a answer. Thanks!

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You'll be fine. I did the same. I did put the pumpkin in the microwave to bring the temp up to 150 degrees before the mash so I didn't have to worry about dropping my temp with cold pumpkin.

That sounds like a good idea. I just didn't know if I'd get less pumpkin flavor (however minute it is in the first place lol) by by not using it right away. I like to brew after work and adding the step of cooking the pumpkin would just make my day too long.