mead newb pumpkin mead DADY

New to mead, been brewing for almost a year and had some distilling experience in the past. Here is what i did after a bit of research.

Brita filtered water and boiled
sanitized 3L wine jug
poured in 2lbs clover honey
rinsed honey bottle with boiled water and added to jug
filled jug with more hot water and dissolved honey
added 1 can pure pumpkin puree "Ingredientsumpkin"
added 1/2 tsp mccormick pumpkin spice "Ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,allspice, and sulfating agents(??)"(i may add more of this in the secondary if the flavor is too pumpkiny and not enough spice)
capped and into the freezer for a few min till temp was below 100F
added 1/2 tsp distillers yeast and air locked

I made another 3L with only honey, ill see how they turn out. My hopes are the pumpkin will not only add flavor but nutrients for the yeast. I know a distillers trick to increasing fermentation is adding tomato paste or puree for nutrients in sugar based mashes.

I didn't bother to test the SG. but i did taste it and its yummy.

Note to self, invest in an array of airlock bungs, a 5 gal carboy rubber bung was a chore to squeeze into a tiny jug mouth. Safety wire was the only way to keep the rubber bung in.

Ill try and update this thread in a month or two or whenever i rack it.

Pumpkin is a hard flavor to keep. In the end you will proabably notice the spices befor you will any pumpkin. In my two gallon batch I used 32 fl oz of pumpkin puree in the primary and once fermentation was done I racked onto another 15 fl oz of pumpkin and after a few month on that I still could not taste any pumpkin really. The pumpkin did add some nice body to the mead but the spices prevailed. I was told to rack onto some sweet potatoes along with additional pumpkin. 2 parts pumpkin 1 part sweet potatoe. My next batch I am trying that. Keep us informed, I will love to hear your experience.

+1. Pumpkin is a very subtle flavor. Most of the "pumpkin" flavor in pie is due to the spices.

I'm sure some people will tell you not to filter or boil your water, but do what you feel is right, or what works for you.

just shared this with a homebrew cluband everyone loved it. It was super good and dangerous! Even with only 4 months aging.

Very nice glad to hear it was a hit. I shared my pumpkin brew with some friends this past weekend and it was a hit as well.

+1 on the sweet potato and spices. Some pumpkin beers don't even use any pumpkin! I think it is also advised to cut up and roast your own pumpkin in a mesh bag because you will lose a ton of mead racking off the pumpkin pie can sludge.