Here's the deal, I've done alot of pumkins and I wish someoe would spared me the expiramentation before my first batch.
Boiling the spice is not ideal, you don't know how the final product will tast. Don't do it.
Adding the spice at ANY time before the yeast is done working, is not ideal. The fermentation process can and will alter the strength of your spice addition. Don't do it.
Instead, brew a normal brown/amber ale, pitch and let it ferment out. I suggest using some Maltodextrine that will give you the creamy body/mouthfeel ST Pumking provides. 2oz's per 5 gallons has been my addition. Add your spice tea (all of your spice's added to water, about 2 cups (that was previously boiled and has since cooled)) to your racking/botteling bucket or keg and ever so gently stir in. taste it. If you want more, add more, etc. Do not stir hard and oxygenate the beer.
This way, you have total control over just how "pumkin pie'y" you want your brew. Throwing it in last 5 or at flameout is just gambling and hoping it turns out - after flubbed batches I don't gamble anymore.
AAAAAHHHHHHH I just did this on Saturday and hadn't checked this forum in a few days, wish I had! I added spices at flameout. I was planning however to check taste when putting into secondary and possibly adding some spices then, and maybe again at bottling.
Here's my recipe;
Recipe: PumJoker TYPE: All Grain
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 12.9 SRM SRM RANGE: 5.0-50.0 SRM
IBU: 35.0 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 0.0-70.0 IBUs
OG: 1.088 SG OG RANGE: 1.030-1.110 SG
FG: 1.023 SG FG RANGE: 1.005-1.025 SG
BU:GU: 0.396 Calories: 275.9 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 8.7 %
EE%: 72.00 % Batch: 5.00 gal Boil: 5.70 gal BT: 60 Mins
---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------
Total Grain Weight: 17 lbs 15.6 oz Total Hops: 1.00 oz oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.40 ------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1 lbs Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 5.6 %
14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 77.9 %
1 lbs Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.6 %
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 4 4.2 %
1.00 Items Pumpkin (Mash 0.0 mins) Other 5 -
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 22.09 qt of water at 167.5 F 152.0 F 60 min
---SPARGE PROCESS---
Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun, rinse with 2.85gal gently stir, let sit for 10 min, then drain) of 168.0 F water
---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.079 SG Est OG: 1.090 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
0.75 oz Magnum [13.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 29.9 IBUs
0.25 oz Sterling [6.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 4.5 IBUs
1 lbs Organic Coconut Sugar [Boil for 10 min] Sugar 6 5.6 %
4 oz Milk Sugar (Lactose) [Boil for 10 min] (0 Sugar 9 1.3 %
2.00 Items Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 10 -
0.50 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (flameout) Spice 11 -
0.25 tsp Allspice (flameout) Spice 12 -
0.25 tsp Cardamom (flameout) Spice 13 -
0.25 tsp Nutmeg (flameout) Spice 14 -
---NOTES------------------------------------
EPIC FAIL!!!! Forgot to add graham crackers to the recipe and thus forgot to add them to the mash!!!
This was my first all-grain and I would say it went pretty well, other than not adding the graham crackers (which i forgot to add to my recipe) and the fact that my efficiency was down at 65%. I need to mark my pots so I know how much water is in them perhaps get a sight tube for the boil kettle. Unfortunately my boil kettle only holds 5 gallons so that made the strike amount of 5.215 gallons unattainable. Also, my mash temp was a little unstable, fluctuating between 150 and 162ish. I don't really know what was causing this, I was stirring roughly every 10 min so the temp should equalize pretty quickly. I'm thinking of getting a more accurate thermometer, one that has a smaller gradient so it's easier to tell what the actual temperature is.
