Pumpkin beer

Well Saturday I had my second brew day. Went for a pumpkin beer that I am hoping to be ready for deer camp this year. The brew went off flawless from what I can tell.

Second day into fermentation I had my first blow out.

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Rigged up a blow off tube and let it go till this evening. It seems everything has settled down enough so I put the air lock back in.

Looking forward to trying this one.

What did you use for the pumpkin component?

Fella said:

Well Saturday I had my second brew day. Went for a pumpkin beer that I am hoping to be ready for deer camp this year. The brew went off flawless from what I can tell.

Second day into fermentation I had my first blow out.

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Rigged up a blow off tube and let it go till this evening. It seems everything has settled down enough so I put the air lock back in.

Looking forward to trying this one.

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Just because I haven't really seen you around, greetings from Cleveland. Let us know how it tastes!

willemg007 said:

What did you use for the pumpkin component?

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I used canned pumpkin. The recipe called for 30 oz. but I used 45 oz.

willemg007 said:

What did you use for the pumpkin component?

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I used canned pumpkin. The recipe called for 30 oz. but I used 45 oz.

which kit did you use? I also just brewed one up last night, used 45 oz of pumpkin..baked it off in the oven with some brown sugar to roast it a bit.

NarrowsBrewCo said:

which kit did you use? I also just brewed one up last night, used 45 oz of pumpkin..baked it off in the oven with some brown sugar to roast it a bit.

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I used the kit from Midwest supplies.

@Fella

I used the same kit from Midwest..been in the primary since Friday. Solid amount of activity right now. I also used 45 oz of pumpkin, roasted it in the oven with 8 oz of the included brown sugar.

Tripled the pumpkin pie spice, and dumped the remaining brown sugar during the boil. Had an OG of 1.050, had no fermentation activity the first 12 hours, but since then I've seen a nice 1" krausen, smells great!

I brewed this kit as well last Saturday, hit OG of 1.044 even after wort chiller inlet tubing exploded and got unknown water in the wort before relocating the geyser. Luckily I had the kettle lid on most of the way. I could only cool to 80F or so and had to let the wort sit in the basement overnight before pitching at 70F. Maybe it's now a wild pumpkin ale in process! Airlock smells good either way.

as lopng as you sealed up the fermentor with proper sanitation it wont be wild. I let every one of my beers cool overnight during the spring and summer since it takes too long to get them chilled to pitching temps

My yeast had no action for 12 hours...then it took off. It's been 7 days in the primary...Krausen is starting to die down and airlock activity is slowing almost to the point where I'm gonna put it in the secondary

I know many people think they're overrated, but I love pumpkin brews.

One tip, be very careful with the spices. I take most recipes, cut the spice by half, and eliminate any cloves (just don't like that flavor in beer).

Good luck!

@Cyclman I think to each their own..I personally think the spices are what make the beer feel like fall..I tripled ky spice dosage, increased pumpkin amount and added a lb of brown sugar

Anyone rack or bottle yet? I am going with 3 week in the primary then bottle; I thiefed some today at 2 weeks and it measured in at 1.009. Tasted tart so definitely still young and needs to mellow a month most likely.

I had mine in the primary for 10 days...secondary is sitting at around a week...gonna let it go a couple more days then bottle

Finally bottled this up tonight...tasted alright, needs more spice. Also if you make something with a huge addition of pumpkin, be sure to adjust the water levels. Ended up with only 40 bottles worth when it was all done.

chebyshev said:

Anyone rack or bottle yet? I am going with 3 week in the primary then bottle; I thiefed some today at 2 weeks and it measured in at 1.009. Tasted tart so definitely still young and needs to mellow a month most likely.

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mine finished drier than expected as well - I noticed a lot of people who finished sub-1.010.
I mashed at 156F precisely.
I wonder if the pumpkin puree adds highly fermentable sugars.

My wort didn't taste dry...there just wasn't as much as I would've liked due to me not adjusting for the pumpkin puree

Mine has been into secondary fermentation for about 2 weeks. Gonna let it go for a little while longer as I need to free up a keg.

Bottled 2 weeks ago...poured one out today..still a little rough but good color!

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Nice, I'm worried about mine; tasted heavy cloves at bottling... I read s-05 can do that and there was maybe cloves in the spice mix? (I didn't smell the spice pack) Mines at two weeks in bottle post 3 wks in primary so I'll give it another week and hope it mellows

Hoping to bottle mine today if I don't get too drunk golfing this morning

I brewed More beer thanks giving ale, increased all Spices minus cloves but, I took my Wife's thanks giving pumpkin pie recipe and 14 day in the primary and so far a week in the secondary. I am going to cold crash seeing that I have room and then keg. But from the transfer it smelt so good.