nickpalerm0
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I'm looking for an easy Pumpkin Ale recipe using extract, any ideas anybody? I'm new to homebrewing, and to this forum.
Looking for an easy Pumpkin Ale Recipe
- Thread starter nickpalerm0
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There's quite a few in the recipe database.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
The first pumpkin ale I did in my newbie days was the Austin Homebrew pumpkin kit, and it turned out extremely good. I added two 28oz cans of of Libby's spiced pumpkin pie mix to the steeping grains:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=10886
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=10886
janson745
Well-Known Member
If I were to use this receipe and only use 30oz of pumpkin during steeping, then place some more pumpkin in the Carboy for secondary, will that bump up the pumpkin flavor?
TopherM
Well-Known Member
The pumpkin itself doesn't contribute that much to what most people think of as pumpkin flavor. Most people think of pumpkin pie when they say "pumpkin flavor," and the pumpkin pie taste comes from the pumpkin pie spices, not the pumpkin itself. No matter how much actual pumpkin you put in the brew, and where you put it, the flavor that comes from the actual pumpkin is miniscule. What you do get from the starchy pumpkin is a unique mouthfeel and consistency in the final brew. In fact, you can make a "pumpkin ale" with yams, butternut squash, or sweet potato along with pumpkin pie spice, because they have a similar starchy protein profile. There are lots of commerical examples of "Pumpkin Ales" that JUST have the spices, and no pumpkin at all (Shipyard Pumpkin comes to mind).
Anyway, all that to say, there is really no reason to add pumpkin in the secondary. At fermentation temps, you are not going to extract much of the starch/protein profile that the pumpkin itself actually adds to the pumpkin ale. Some people add it to the boil, but I personally think you get much more out of it in the mash/steeping grains, plus it is just easier to keep more of the stringy pumpkin meat out of the wort if you use it in the mesh bag, resulting in less trub.
Good luck!
Anyway, all that to say, there is really no reason to add pumpkin in the secondary. At fermentation temps, you are not going to extract much of the starch/protein profile that the pumpkin itself actually adds to the pumpkin ale. Some people add it to the boil, but I personally think you get much more out of it in the mash/steeping grains, plus it is just easier to keep more of the stringy pumpkin meat out of the wort if you use it in the mesh bag, resulting in less trub.
Good luck!
1) A lot of great breweries, including Elysian-which makes some of the best pumpkin ales around-will include pumpkin in the mash/boil/fermenter.
2) There is less starch in pumpkin than you think, so depending on the amount you use in relation to the recipe as a whole, mashing it may not even be necessary.
3) Pumpkin can certainly contribute great flavor above and beyond the spices. It's just that a lot of homebrewers don't know what they're doing; hence the multitude of pumpkin ale threads riddled with uncertainty on just about every homebrewing website on the net. When used right, the spices will support (instead of overpower) the basic flavor notes of the squash.
2) There is less starch in pumpkin than you think, so depending on the amount you use in relation to the recipe as a whole, mashing it may not even be necessary.
3) Pumpkin can certainly contribute great flavor above and beyond the spices. It's just that a lot of homebrewers don't know what they're doing; hence the multitude of pumpkin ale threads riddled with uncertainty on just about every homebrewing website on the net. When used right, the spices will support (instead of overpower) the basic flavor notes of the squash.
