Pumpkin Spice Critique

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mloster

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Alright here's a recipe I'm contemplating for a pumpkin ale for fall. I've brewed one before with less spices but they didn't came through all that much so I've upped them by 50%. I may use less rice syrup, but I have a container of 7 lbs and wanted to use it all. This is for a 5 gallon batch.
Malt
7 lbs rice extract syrup
3 lbs 10 oz roasted canned pumpkin
1 lb amber belgian candi syrup
4 oz molasses
3 lbs malted, roasted white quinoa, red quinoa, and buckwheat (30 lovibond)
Hops
.4 oz magnum @ 60 min (~22 IBU)
Yeast
1 Packet S-04 (used instead of S-05 to end up with higher FG)
Spices (@flameout)
3/8 tsp cloves
3/8 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp ginger
3/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Other
1 whirlfloc tablet @ 10 min

What do you think? Suggestions?
 
The only thing that comes to mind is the extract. I think I'd leave that out or increase the amount. I made a chocolate dunkel with homemade chocolate extract. I forget the quantity now but it was more than 1 tsp, maybe 5oz, but you can't even taste a hint of chocolate in that beer. So I'm not sure if the vanilla extract would add any complexity to the beer.
 
Yeah I agree with the vanilla extract. I've used upwards of a tbsp with not great results. I found soaking a few vanilla beans in vodka for about a week and adding that to secondary gave way better flavor results.
 
Thanks for the input guys! I'll wait on the vanilla and add more than a teaspoon to the secondary in order to bring out the flavor more. I brewed this today and had a smooth brewing process. I ended up with a bit more than 5 gallons but that will be nice because of the trub that often accompanies pumpkin. I'll keep you updated. I didn't get an OG because I broke my hydrometer.

P1000586.jpg
 
I agree on the hydrometers. It would have been nice to see my PPG on the malted quinoa, but otherwise I won't use one, even if I have one on hand. I'll probably ferment it in the primary for 2 weeks. Depending on my other beers and number of empty bottles, I may try to bottle after 2 weeks (I'm impatient). I don't see any real need to age it since the pumpkin spice will fade with time and it is not a very high gravity beer.
 
This came out far better than I could have ever imagined. As desired, the pumpkin spices came through prominently though were not overpowering. It has a spicy bite near the front of your tongue after a sip. The malt portion is fairly neutral i.e. not malty but not lacking. The hops are barely noticeable and play well with the spices. The addition of the pumpkin gave this beer a beautiful orange color. The beer is crisp and perfect for this time of year. My only small complaint is that it beer is slightly tangy, which could probably be abated through the sweetness of honey, either at flameout or in the secondary. Cheers!

Photo Dec 07, 7 48 31 PM.jpg
 

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