Dehydrate Pumpkin for future pumpkin ale?

So I have a variety of pumpkins on hand, however I won't be making a pumpkin ale this month... maybe next month. I don't want my pumpkins to go bad before I put them in a brew and the pumpkin farm up the road will be closed in a few weeks. Has anyone ever tried dehydrating slices of pumpkin and using it in ales at a later date? Also... Pumpkin farm up the road... what variety of pumpkins have you used? I can go pick from 25 different kinds.

I wouldn't dehydrate it. I'd cut it into cubes, put it in a ziplock freezer bag, and put it in the freezer, then the fridge a few days before you want to use it.

I think by dehydrating it, you'd actually lose some of the properties of the pumpkin that make it useful in brewing.

Remember that pumpkin doesn't really add a "flavor" to pumpkin ales, it adds a sort of protein base to the body that balances the pumpkin pie spices you will add in the boil.

I would look at your dehydrator manual & see if it discusses pumpkin.

Go with a pie pumpkin or any one that is for eating; not the huge jack o lanterns used for carving.

I can my fresh pie pumpkins for the beer the following year. I like to start my pumpkin ale in mid August so that it is ready for the beginning of October, but there are no fresh pumpkins ready. So last year I began canning them for use the following year it works great.


Here is a link to how to can fresh pumpkin.
http://pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/canning.htm