October Pumpkin Stout

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Cheesefood

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Let me know your thoughts on this idea:

~1.5 lbs 100% pumpkin filling
8 ounces Flaked Barley
4 ounces Belgian Special B
16 ounces 60 L Caramel (Briess)
4 ounces Chocolate Malt
3 ounces Roasted Barley
6 pounds amber DME


1 oz Fuggles, whole @ 60
1 oz Saaz, whole @ 30
1 oz Saaz, whole @ 15
1 oz Styrian Goldings, whole @ 10
1 oz Target, whole, @ 5


Extras:
4 oz of real chocolate (added to primary with wort and allowed to melt before adding the cooling water)

1 cinnamon stick (2 inches or so)
1 tbsp Pumpkin Spice

Both added to Primary

Yeast:
1084 Irish Ale Yeast


I'm thinking of brewing this by June to be ready by October. By October, the hops, chocolate and pumpkin should settle down. I imagine this as a perfect mug to sip from while gathered around a bonfire or to serve at a Halloween party.
 
I have been researching pumpkin ale recipes as well and would like to share a link I found from someone who helped make a 99 gallon commercial batch of pumpkin beer.

http://www.audioholics.com/showcase/DIY/PumpkinAleRecipe.html

This guy has some interesting tips. Anyway, take any advice you read on the Internet with a grain of salt and go with what your good sense tells you.

-Casey
 
I've tried using chocolate in ales and it doesn't work very well. The fats prevent head formation and the chocolate flavor just isn't there. I've had better luck with chocolate malt.

Based on my experiements with spiced ciders, you'll probably need three or four times as much spice as listed.

As an aside, many people brewed pumpkin ales last fall. Any reports? I'd love to have a good recipe, the commercial pumpkins ales I've had were all disappointing.
 
Ill give it a shot with you. Ive been looking around for one to start in mid June early July as well for Halloween. This looks promising, but like David said, more chocolate malt might be a bit better instead of adding chocolate.

Ill be keeping an eye on this thread
 
david_42 said:
I've tried using chocolate in ales and it doesn't work very well. The fats prevent head formation and the chocolate flavor just isn't there. I've had better luck with chocolate malt.

Based on my experiements with spiced ciders, you'll probably need three or four times as much spice as listed.

As an aside, many people brewed pumpkin ales last fall. Any reports? I'd love to have a good recipe, the commercial pumpkins ales I've had were all disappointing.

I really liked the way my pumpkin turned out. I swapped a bottle with you, right?

I also really liked the way my oatmeal stout turned out. I'd like to up the chocolate flavor (maybe I'll up the chocolate malt instead - comments from the gallery?).

I used 1 tbsp of spice last year and it was just enough. I wouldn't want the flavor any more prominant.
 
Here is the recipe my LHBS gave me. I've never tried it, but it looks tasty.

6-# Light malt extract

1-# Honey

1- Lb. Crushed crystal 120L.

1- Lb. Crushed Melanoidin Malt

1/2 Lb. Crushed Honey Malt

1/4 Lb. Crushed Victory Malt

1- oz. East Kent Golding (bittering hops)

1- oz. Fuggles Hops (flavor hops)

1 ea. White Lab East Coast Yeast or 2 ea. / Packs Nottingham Yeast

8 Lb. Cooking Pumpkin, 4 ea. Cinnamon Sticks, 4 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice (2 used on pumpkin Meat)

1- cup Dry Malt Blend (For Priming)

Pre-clean pumpkin and cut in half. Cut halves again into fourths. Skin meat from rind and cut into one inch pieces leaving the meat sitting on the rind. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin pie spice. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until completely cooked. Mash grains in 1 gallon water @ 150 degrees for 30 minutes, sparge with 1 gallon water @ 170 degrees. Add water to pot for 2 gallons volume. Add malt extract. and bring to a boil. Add the pumpkin meat and bittering hops, boil for 55 minutes. Add flavor hops, honey, Cinnamon sticks with remaining spice, boil for 5 minutes. Cool and Strain well before adding into the fermenter. Bottle with Dry Malt Blend, age for 8-12 weeks. Set some aside, it just keeps getting better.

Edited to add: Oops, just noticed you were looking for a stout. I'm not sure you could call this a stout, more of a pumpkin ale.
 
They make an unreal pumpkin spice ale at the Rock Bottom near me. They put a little brown sugar around the rim of the glass, fantastic. I think Ill join you guys in brewing something for october
 
Grimace said:
Here is the recipe my LHBS gave me. I've never tried it, but it looks tasty.

6-# Light malt extract

1-# Honey

1- Lb. Crushed crystal 120L.

1- Lb. Crushed Melanoidin Malt

1/2 Lb. Crushed Honey Malt

1/4 Lb. Crushed Victory Malt

1- oz. East Kent Golding (bittering hops)

1- oz. Fuggles Hops (flavor hops)

1 ea. White Lab East Coast Yeast or 2 ea. / Packs Nottingham Yeast

8 Lb. Cooking Pumpkin, 4 ea. Cinnamon Sticks, 4 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice (2 used on pumpkin Meat)

1- cup Dry Malt Blend (For Priming)

Pre-clean pumpkin and cut in half. Cut halves again into fourths. Skin meat from rind and cut into one inch pieces leaving the meat sitting on the rind. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin pie spice. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until completely cooked. Mash grains in 1 gallon water @ 150 degrees for 30 minutes, sparge with 1 gallon water @ 170 degrees. Add water to pot for 2 gallons volume. Add malt extract. and bring to a boil. Add the pumpkin meat and bittering hops, boil for 55 minutes. Add flavor hops, honey, Cinnamon sticks with remaining spice, boil for 5 minutes. Cool and Strain well before adding into the fermenter. Bottle with Dry Malt Blend, age for 8-12 weeks. Set some aside, it just keeps getting better.

Edited to add: Oops, just noticed you were looking for a stout. I'm not sure you could call this a stout, more of a pumpkin ale.

I would think you might want some pumpkin in the primary or secondary...however, I would'nt know how much to put in. I would be worried that boiling it wouldn't impart enough pumpkin flavor. Any ideas for or against?

Also, are you using fresh pumpkin for these brews? Where are you finding it this time of year? I am definitely interested in brewing this recipe.
 
I keep throwing around the idea of a pumpkin lager for the holidays. I have read success stories using pumpkin in the boil but for me the only way to go is in a mash. Throw in a half pound of unmashed flaked barley and I just have to wonder what happens to all that starch. Ontop of that is the oil slick and paraffin left over from the chocolate. I have used chocolate once and would never do it again but would consider cocoa powder in the boil.

I have read and have to agree that the appeal of a pumpkin brew is the orange color and the flavor/aroma of pumpkin pie spice. The actual pumpkin content is more so to justify calling it a pumpkin brew. In the end, go with what feels right.
 
If you're gonna flavor a beer then my vote goes to wheat malt as a base. Maybe 70/30. wheat/2 row Add the spices in the secondary but don't overdo it, you'll be waiting a long time for it to mellow. You can always add more but you can't take it out.

I haven't made a pumpkin batch yet but have tried a few, the pumpkin taste is always real faint, they tend to taste like pumpkin pie because of the spices and not the pumpkin itself. I would think that whatever pumpkin taste you end up with would be easily overpowered by the more prominent (and harsh) tastes of roasted malts. Of course, I don't care for the harshness of the roasted malts in any of my beers so maybe I'm a bit biased.

My .02
 
Lost said:
If you're gonna flavor a beer then my vote goes to wheat malt as a base. Maybe 70/30. wheat/2 row Add the spices in the secondary but don't overdo it, you'll be waiting a long time for it to mellow. You can always add more but you can't take it out.

I haven't made a pumpkin batch yet but have tried a few, the pumpkin taste is always real faint, they tend to taste like pumpkin pie because of the spices and not the pumpkin itself. I would think that whatever pumpkin taste you end up with would be easily overpowered by the more prominent (and harsh) tastes of roasted malts. Of course, I don't care for the harshness of the roasted malts in any of my beers so maybe I'm a bit biased.

My .02

Good points, indeed. the Pumpkinweizen recipe in my sig was about as pie-like as I'd like it to be.

I want this beer to exhibit more of a hoppy chocolate stout profile with a pumpkin-pie finish. I've selected citrusy hops to encourage more flavor from the pumpkin. The Irish yeast will work well with the large malt bill to keep the sweetness while fermenting efficiently.

Imagine a ball of pumpkin-pie filling dipped in chocolate. That's where I'm going with this recipe. But add a lot of bitterness to keep its drinkability. Brewed by June, this will really have settled by October and be quite enjoyable at a Halloween party. Chocolate, Citrus, Caramel and Pumpkin. It's trick-or-treat in a bottle.

Final question: if I added another pound or two of DME, would that be too big of a beer to be drinkable by Halloween? I'd like this to pack some punch in the ABV department.
 
I think I waited too long to drink the bottle you sent, the spice and pumpkin were faded.

How big you make this will depend on how cold it gets this year. I remember Trick-or-treating in snowsuits one year in Crete, IL and cutting grass the next. You have enough hops in there to handle the higher ABV.
 
david_42 said:
I think I waited too long to drink the bottle you sent, the spice and pumpkin were faded.

How big you make this will depend on how cold it gets this year. I remember Trick-or-treating in snowsuits one year in Crete, IL and cutting grass the next. You have enough hops in there to handle the higher ABV.

I'm breaking into the last of my Pumpkinweizen. The taste has definitely settled, but it's still delicious. There's a slightly sour smell to it, I can't tell if it's from the hops, from sitting in a garage for months, from contamination, or if it's just normal. It's by no means undrinkable.
 
Bopper359 said:
Also, are you using fresh pumpkin for these brews? Where are you finding it this time of year? I am definitely interested in brewing this recipe.
I have 5-8 pounds of pumpkin in my freezer from last year just for this purpose. It's blended and put in vacuum sealed bags.:D

Same goes for my mangos for mead this summer. I purchased 9 unripe mangos a couple of weeks ago for $.39 each. They are ripe now. I cut them up and blended them and put them in vacuumed sealed bags also. They equal 3 lbs, 15 oz. I forget how much poundage I already have in the freezer. Should be enough for some tasty mango mead though.:D
 
I'm going to play tag-along and watch this thread Cheese, I'm really interested in how it's going to turn out. By the time I get things rolling I'm going to have to start on Holiday/Winter brews, but SWMBO, who's a Halloween FREAK might just be intrigued enough by this to give it a go. (not a major beer drinker) So maybe next year for me. It looks good. :mug:



Ize
 
i've been planning on doing a pumpkin ale in august, to be ready in time for halloween and thanksgiving. if the first batch goes quickly, maybe i can make adjustments and turn out another, better one for christmas.

here's what i've been thinking. i dont' have promash on this computer, so no numbers, but how does this sound:

2-row
wheat
(good amount of wheat to let the pumpkin flavor come out)

biscuit malt
(i'm thinking the "crust" of the pie)

light brown sugar
(i want to up the alcohol content without making it too dark, and the molasses in the sugar might add some complexity)

pumpkin!
i've seen a lot of different ways of using pumpkin - in the mash, in the boil, primary, secondary... fresh, or canned, roasted or not... i've been warned specifically away from adding it to the primary at my LHBS, so i'm thinking either in the boil, or in the secondary.

some earthy, grassy hops...
enough to balance the sweetness, but definitely a supporting role

spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.
it seems tough to get the amounts right on these.

anyone have any comments, especially on the biscuit and brown sugar?

can't wait to get this one started.
 
I've been checking out different pumpkin recipes and trying to decide if I'd like to brew one up this year. And of course, no two recipes are the same. But as far as spice additions go, I've not seen anyone adding cloves. Most spice additions have cinnamon, nutmeg, +/- allspice, +/- pumpkin pie spice, +/- coriander. Has anyone tried a cloves addition? I think the hard part is trying to decide what will produce a balanced spice addition.
Also, what would produce the most pumpkin taste...pumpkin added in the mash, boil, primary, or secondary? (provided the amounts are the same)
I've got to say, that the reason that I really enjoy brews like these is the fact that they are so complex and multilayered. When you add things, how you add things...maybe I just need to brew up 3 - two gallon batches and compare!:cross:
 
Interesting. We have the Circleville Pumpkin Show. The whole town goes wacko for pumpkins. It's not uncommon to see a 1,000 lb. one. We eat pumpkin pie, pumpkin chilli, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin spaghetti sauce, pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin, and yes pumpkin beer. I have tried a few different pumpkin beers and consider them repulsive. I alway see alot of buzz regarding brewing with pumpkin and I wonder if there is a good commercial version (Not Blue Moon) that the majority might consider tasty. I would like to make sure I am not giving it a bad rap. :)
 
mbreen01 said:
Most spice additions have cinnamon, nutmeg, +/- allspice, +/- pumpkin pie spice, +/- coriander. Has anyone tried a cloves addition?

i believe pumpkin pie spice has cinnamon, nutmeg and some of the others in it, so it's an "instead of" addition rather than an "in addition to"

from my (limited) experience, it's easy to overdo cloves - it's a very strong flavor, and if you want the showcase flavor to be something else (pumpkin!) it might be best to do without, or add very sparingly.
 
The only one I've ever liked is Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale. The spices are subtle, the pumpkin is subtle, but both are definitely there. They only make it during the fall and winter because they use fresh pumpkin.

It definitely does NOT taste like pumpkin pie in a bottle. I don't think I could handle that.

http://***********/images/inside/buffalobills.jpg
 
We just did our Jack my Lantern Pumpking yesterday. Its turned out better than I could have hoped for. The aroma from the kettle was dead on to Thanksgiving day and pulling the pumpkin pies right out of the oven.

We did two cans of 100% Pumpkin filling, one in the mash, and one in the boil. The trubb isnt too bad either, not much more than normal actually. And its all up into suspension from a real good fermentation as we speak.

Ill keep you guys up to posted on the progress.

*edit updated pics

wanted to show off the color


3394-4thofJulyWeekend014.jpg
 
Holy old thread batman! I was doing some lurking into old posts looking for different recipes and came across this one.

Did you ever try it out Cheese? How did it turn out?
 
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