Pumpkin Ale Problems

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berxleben

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My apologies if a similar thread is out there on this issue. I couldn't find one. I used a pumpkin ale extract kit from Midwest Supplies and added more canned pumpkin than it recommended. I believe I added roughly 90oz of canned pumpkin to hopefully obtain the pumpkin flavor. Also added the supplied spice mix plus 1/2 teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice. Came out to 1.054 before the yeast addition. Attempted straining the batch as it was going into the primary, but eventually got clogged 1/2 way through and just poured the rest into the primary and topped up to 5 gallons. As I went to transfer the beer to the secondary, I had almost 1 1/2-2 gallons of trub. Has anyone had this happen? Should I just accept the fact that I had less beer or should I top up the secondary with 1.5 gallons of boiled (and then cooled) water? Any help would be appreciated, I've done 11 batches of various beers and this is the first time I've run into an issue of way too much trub and roughly 3 gallons of beer before bottling.
 
I probably wouldn't top off unless you don't like the taste. You would really be watering down your beer at that rate. 1.054 is a great OG for a pumpkin, imagine what it would have been with that extra water in the beginning. Pretty low. If anything, I would make a small batch of beer to add to it if you really want the full 5 gallons. You could give it a taste, and decide how much (if any) more pumpkin and spices to use in the second and smaller batch. I would probably just settle for what you have now, assuming you are happy with the flavor. It sounds like too much work to gain a couple of gallons. My two cents. As far as all that trub, I never worry about it. It's pretty much impossible for a pumpkin to not have a bunch. I just dump it all in the fermenter and pitch the yeast.
 
Berxleben, I had the same thing happen with my pumpkin ale, but I guess not as bad. I didn't add as much pumpkin as you, I think I added 64oz. I had close to a gallon of pumpkin gunk at the bottom of my primary when I transfered, so I too was a little disappointed that I was losing a decent amount of beer. But I didn't add any water or anything I left it alone except for adding a cinnamon stick. I bottled this past Saturday and I was pleasantly surprised that when I filled my bottling bucket it filled to roughly 4 and 1/4 gallon mark and when I was done bottling I was only four or five bottles short of two cases. I tasted a sample from the bottling bucket and was pretty good so I'm glad didn't mess with it. (I also added a tablespoon of vanilla extract when I bottled.) This was my first pumpkin ale so I did experiment with some spices, looking forward to cracking it open in four weeks!

As for the trub, I am thinking that is pretty standard for pumpkin ale. Next year I may wait until fresh pumpkin is available and use fresh instead of canned. Maybe large chunks of fresh pumpkin will be easier to "strain" when pouring into the primary than the canned mush.
 
Thanks for the advice. I think I will just leave it as is and just have a small batch. It was just so odd to see that much trub. I didn't taste it but hopefully it will turn out ok, I forgot to post this but the FG was 1.012 so it seems that things went well.
 
Your gravity levels were both dead on with mine. I made the Austin Homebrew Supply version. Now the waiting....as Tom petty said, the waiting is the hardest part!
 
I made the same exact kit this past weekend but I used 75oz of pumpkin, and added 1/2 cup of turbinado along with triple the amount of spices they give you plus, all spice, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, etc. My gravity was 1.060.

It smells great coming out of the bubbler, and I'm sure I'll have a lot of trub but what else can ya do with all that extra mass.
 
ReddHead, That does sound tasty! Taste a sample when you transfer to secondary and see if the flaovor is where you want it. Mine seemed to lose a lot of the spice flavor after fermentation so I doctored it up some more. I also used brown sugar to prime instead of the standad priming sugar that came with it. Good luck!
 
ReddHead, That does sound tasty! Taste a sample when you transfer to secondary and see if the flaovor is where you want it. Mine seemed to lose a lot of the spice flavor after fermentation so I doctored it up some more. I also used brown sugar to prime instead of the standad priming sugar that came with it. Good luck!

Thanks. If I'm not tasting the spices coming through I will throw some more in the secondary.
 
Where are you putting the pumpkin, boil?

Have you considered steeping the pumpkin along with any specialty grains? I'm doing a ST Pumking Clone and steeped the pumpkin in a muslin bag after baking it for 45 mins. Turned out awesome, and you don't have the trub issues.
 
Jeremy, I just put my canned pumpkin right in the boil, no bag. I have since read that others have used a bag too so yeah I will probably do that next time. Also, if you wouldn't mind sharing you Pumking recipe, I would love to try that!
 
Here you go. I got the Graham Cracker Extract from Capella Flavors. Let me know if you have questions.

Pumking Clone

Style: Christmas / Winter Specialty Spiced Beer OG: 1.076
Type: FG: 1.019
Rating: 0.0 ABV: 7.47 %
Calories: 248 IBU's: 29.46
Efficiency: 70 % Boil Size: 6.35 Gal
Color: 12.3 SRM Batch Size: 5.50 Gal
Preboil OG: 1.072 Boil Time: 60 minutes
________________________________


Fermentation Steps
Name Days / Temp
Primary 14 days @ 72.0°F
Secondary 21 days @ 72.0°F
Bottle/Keg 14 days @ 72.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
14.00 lbs 72.49 % Pale Malt (2 Row) US 60 mins 1.036
1.00 lbs 5.18 % Briess Victory Malt 60 mins 1.034
0.75 lbs 3.88 % Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L 60 mins 1.034
2.00 lbs 10.36 % Pumpkin 60 mins 1.000
0.75 lbs 3.88 % Dememera Sugar 60 mins 1.046
0.25 lbs 1.29 % Brown Sugar, Light 60 mins 1.046
9.00 ozs 2.91 % Lactose 15 mins 1.030

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
0.75 ozs 27.07 Magnum 60 mins 14.00
0.25 ozs 2.40 Sterling 15 mins 7.50

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.00 pkg Safale US-05 Fermentis US-05

Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
1.00 each Whirlfloc Tablet 10 mins Boil
3.00 each Cinnamon Stick 10 mins Boil
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient 10 mins Boil
0.50 tsp Nutmeg 10 mins Boil
0.50 tsp Allspice 10 mins Boil
0.50 tsp Cloves, Whole 10 mins Boil
2.00 tbsp Ginger, Candied 10 mins Boil
2.00 each Vanilla Beans (Madagascar) 03 weeks Secondary
1.00 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 03 weeks Secondary
1.00 tsp Graham Cracker Extract 03 weeks Secondary
1.00 oz Graham Cracker Extract 00 days Bottling



Notes
Small Cinderella pumpkins, skinned, cubed, and baked for 45 mins at 350 degrees. Mashed and coated with honey and pumpkin pie spice,mother cooked another 45 mins at 350. Cooled to 154 to be added to mash.

Mash for 60mins at 154deg

Sugar added to boil after hot break.

Make tincture of vanilla with 4oz of vodka, then add to secondary.

www.iBrewMaster.com<http://www.iBrewMaster.com> Version: 1.520 [X]
 
My bad, i didn't realize i posted the All Grain recipe. Let me find the extract one - sorry about that.

Here you go. You could easily use canned pumpkin for this, just bake it once with the honey and spices for about 45 mins, then use it to steep. Put my grains and pumpkin in separate muslin bags. I didn't add rice hulls to the pumpkin, but you could if you wanted. Might help. Just make sure you put the pumpkin in a bag, this beer already has a lot of trub.

If you're doing a condensed boil, you might want to consider a late malt addition on half of the DME to counteract Maillard. Its a big beer with a lot of DME, so it could happen. I did a full volume, so no need for late addition.

Also upped the hops a little for extract just to be safe. Same with specialty grains. Comes out a little darker than actual pumking, but flavor is spot on.

Good luck!



Style: Christmas / Winter Specialty Spiced Beer OG: 1.081
Type: FG: 1.020
Rating: 0.0 ABV: 7.99 %
Calories: 265 IBU's: 39.26
Efficiency: 70 % Boil Size: 6.35 Gal
Color: 16.2 SRM Batch Size: 5.50 Gal
Preboil OG: 1.077 Boil Time: 60 minutes
________________________________


Fermentation Steps
Name Days / Temp
Primary 14 days @ 72.0°F
Secondary 14 days @ 72.0°F
Bottle/Keg 14 days @ 72.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
8.25 lbs 59.19 % Light Dry Extract 60 mins 1.044
1.00 lbs 7.17 % Briess Victory Malt 60 mins 1.034
1.00 lbs 7.17 % Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L 60 mins 1.034
30.00 ozs 13.45 % Pumpkin 60 mins 1.000
1.00 lbs 7.17 % Dememera Sugar 60 mins 1.046
5.00 ozs 2.24 % Brown Sugar, Light 60 mins 1.046
8.00 ozs 3.59 % Lactose 15 mins 1.030

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
1.00 ozs 34.65 Magnum 60 mins 14.00
0.50 ozs 4.61 Sterling 15 mins 7.50

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.00 pkg Safale US-05 Fermentis US-05

Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
1.00 each Whirlfloc Tablet 10 mins Boil
3.00 each Cinnamon Stick 10 mins Boil
1.00 tsp Nutmeg 10 mins Boil
1.00 tsp Allspice 10 mins Boil
1.00 tsp Cloves, Whole 10 mins Boil
2.00 tbsp Ginger, Candied 10 mins Boil
2.00 each Vanilla Beans (Madagascar) 02 weeks Secondary
1.00 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 02 weeks Secondary
1.00 tsp Graham Cracker Extract 02 weeks Secondary
1.00 oz Graham Cracker Extract 00 days Bottling


Notes
Small Cinderella pumpkins, skinned, cubed, and baked for 45 mins at 350 degrees. Mashed and coated with honey and pumpkin pie spice,mother cooked another 45 mins at 350. Cooled to 154 to be added to mash.

Mash for 60mins at 154deg

Sugar added to boil after hot break.

Make tincture of vanilla with 4oz of vodka, then add to secondary.

www.iBrewMaster.com<http://www.iBrewMaster.com> Version: 1.520
[X]
 
Not to high jack this thread but just a quick question regarding pumpkin spice. My kit supplied a teaspoon of pumpkin spice but I love pumpkin so I would like to add a little more spice. When I go to transfer to secondary I want to add more spice but my question is would 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon be better? I just feel that a teaspoon is so little for 5 gallons but I have never made pumpkin beer before so any advice would be great.
 
Personally I think a teaspoon is plenty. Those spices get out of hand easily. Maybe 1.5 tsp but I would worry you would only taste spices and nothing else. Just my two cents though.
 
Personally I think a teaspoon is plenty. Those spices get out of hand easily. Maybe 1.5 tsp but I would worry you would only taste spices and nothing else. Just my two cents though.

I over-spiced a batch two years ago and lord it shows in the taste. I also put the canned pumpkin direct into the wort and tried to strain as much as I could while pouring into the fermentation vessel with cheesecloth. I still had sludge when bottled. So next time I make the pumpkin ale with canned or roasted fresh, I'm using the boil bag.
 
Alright thanks I was weary of just putting in what I thought would be good. I have learned more about boiling and cooking since starting to brew which I find quite funny. Also I have never used pumpkin spice so this is good to know. Thanks a lot!
 
I just brewed a batch with roasted pumpkin. I did a partial mash with the chunks in the pot and grains in a bag. I poured off my liquid through a strainer, then ran my sparge water over the pumpkin mush on it's way into the kettle. I had to leave about half a gallon in the kettle due to all of the junk from the hot break even though I strained.
 
biohaz7331 said:
Not to high jack this thread but just a quick question regarding pumpkin spice. My kit supplied a teaspoon of pumpkin spice but I love pumpkin so I would like to add a little more spice. When I go to transfer to secondary I want to add more spice but my question is would 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon be better? I just feel that a teaspoon is so little for 5 gallons but I have never made pumpkin beer before so any advice would be great.

The spice in Midwest kits is just cinnamon and nutmeg. I used whole spices in the last ten minutes, cloves, nutmeg, dash of allspice, a shard of cinnamon, and some other savory spices. I matched SWMBO pumpkin pie spices, same amount for one pie. Its in the primary now but tastes delicious. We will rack it onto some roasted squash for the last bit of flavor. Remember when you eat pumpkin pie the spices are the flavor and pumpkin is the filler.
 
since everyone's been a big help so far, i need more help. I tell you what, this has been a nightmare brew. Anyway, went to look at the brew today and saw this, thought i'd get a second opinion. Contamination or is that my yeast doing weird things? As always, any help is appreciated

photo (1).jpg


photo.jpg
 
berxleben said:
since everyone's been a big help so far, i need more help. I tell you what, this has been a nightmare brew. Anyway, went to look at the brew today and saw this, thought i'd get a second opinion. Contamination or is that my yeast doing weird things? As always, any help is appreciated

Does it smell odd? I am inclined to say it is mold, but I hope I'm wrong.
 
berxleben said:
since everyone's been a big help so far, i need more help. I tell you what, this has been a nightmare brew. Anyway, went to look at the brew today and saw this, thought i'd get a second opinion. Contamination or is that my yeast doing weird things? As always, any help is appreciated

Look closely, if the off colored spots are in fact tiny bubbles you are fine.
 
My eyes aren't that good, however, I took a quick smell of the brew by removing the airlock, it smelled fantastic, no off scents or anything which I found surprising. I'll be bottling what little I have this weekend and we'll see what happens. I'll post again after bottling
 
My eyes aren't that good, however, I took a quick smell of the brew by removing the airlock, it smelled fantastic, no off scents or anything which I found surprising. I'll be bottling what little I have this weekend and we'll see what happens. I'll post again after bottling

I think you are fine, especially if it smells fantastic.
 
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