Pumpkin Cyser

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SafariBob

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I love pumpkin meads! I am getting ready to remake a batch of pumpkin cyser:

Primary
12 lb clover honey
3 gal apple cider
1 can (15 oz) Libby's Pumpkin
2 lb brown sugar
2.5 tsp pectin enzyme
5 tsp yeast nutrient
water to 5 gal
EC-1118 (hydrated)

Secondary
3 cinnamon sticks (crushed)
1 vanilla bean

OG: 1.151; FG: 1.010
 
This sounds Amazing... Im very new to brewing. This takes nearly 8-9 months? wow.
How do you mix everything together? What was your primary vessel?


Could you use Molasses? would that still be a mead?
 
Hello!

You could use some molasses in the mix but you would want honey in there for it to be mead. I fermented in a glass 5 gal carboy and I just mixed the ingredients and tossed her in the carboy. I did heat the honey to soften and I added the yeast last.
 
i have never had a mead before. I live in MI and im not sure where to buy some so I could try it. This definately sounds like something I wuold want to try. I love pumpkin ales.

What exactly is mead like? a wine? an extremely strong beer? is it carbonated?
 
i did the math on this as far as how the kits tell me in their instructions to figure ABV.

This is 18.5% is that right?

So how would you describe this particular mead?
 
i did the math on this as far as how the kits tell me in their instructions to figure ABV.

This is 18.5% is that right?

So how would you describe this particular mead?

That is the ABV I got. I am not sure how you mean describe.. do you mean classification? If so, it is a cyser with pumpkin and spices. If you mean via taste then it is semi-sweet with prominent apple flavors and subtle pumpkin and cinnamon. Granted, I am terrible at trying to describe flavors. :)
 
what kind of cider do you use? a lot of people in the cider forums use Motts or Tree Top apple juice.

Do you use the store bought or fresh from a mill?
 
what kind of cider do you use? a lot of people in the cider forums use Motts or Tree Top apple juice.

Do you use the store bought or fresh from a mill?

Doh! I didn't notice your question. Sorry!

I use store-bought ciders that are on sale (as long as they don't have any preservatives). I have used Motts but I don't remember if it was for this recipe or not.
 
SafariBob...could you post some pictures, I am curious of the color?

AWKBrewing13...you can purchase mead at the larger liquor stores that have a wide selection of wine....flavor is similar to wine, but it has distinct flavors that you cant find in a wine!
 
I strongly recommend winehaven stinger honeywine mead which is semi-sweet or pretty much any mead from white winter winery they make several meads from hydromels to port meads to braggots.
 
Mead is like, well mead. It can be similar to wine or beer (braggot) and it can be either still or sparkling. I have a root beer mead that is wonderful sparkling.

any chnce you would be willing to share your root beer mead recipe? It sound so interesting.
 
AWKBrewing13 said:
i have never had a mead before. I live in MI and im not sure where to buy some so I could try it. This definately sounds like something I wuold want to try. I love pumpkin ales.

What exactly is mead like? a wine? an extremely strong beer? is it carbonated?

If u live any where near warren mi go to kuhnhenn they have a lot of Meads there
 
This sounds fantastic. On some other threads, I've read that people roast the pumpkin before adding it. Have you tried that with this recipe?
 
I just started a batch of this today in a 1 gal. glass carboy. I got a O.G. of 1.155 which leaves me the possibility of 20%+ A.B.V. Hopefully it's drinkable by Xmas.
 
How long time wise do you let it ferment and condition before its drinkable

I made this last year and it was delicious at the 6 month mark. I bulk aged it until that point before bottling, then drank a bottle almost immediately. I let a bottle go to 18 months and it was even better. The cinnamon diminished a bit and the honey came back to the foreground, with just a nice bit of pumpkin in the background. I have one bottle left which I'm leaving until it's 30 months old, I have very high hopes for it.
 
I made this 8 weeks ago and today I transferred to secondary to age with 1 tihitian vanilla bean, 2 cinnamon sticks, 5g fresh sliced ginger root, 1g fresh ground nutmeg per gallon. I forgot to record the OG but it came down to 1.003ish. Tasted hot but should be good for fall!
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I bottled this batch from the secondary today. It is amazing. Its like drinking pumpkin pie. I can't wait to share this with friends and family at Thanksgiving!
 
I bottled this batch from the secondary today. It is amazing. Its like drinking pumpkin pie. I can't wait to share this with friends and family at Thanksgiving!
That looks great & the spice combination sounds amazing.

So, just so I have it straight, you kept it on those spices for about 3 1/2 months, correct? Did you taste it along the way or did you just let it sit?
Thank you, in advance, if you reply.

I will be making this in the fall when pumpkins are in season. I will tweak the pumpkin addition by roasting & caramelizing cubed fresh pumpkin to bring out some of the natural sugars. I look forward to making this one!
 
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That looks great & the spice combination sounds amazing.

So, just so I have it straight, you kept it on those spices for about 3 1/2 months, correct? Did you taste it along the way or did you just let it sit?
Thank you, in advance, if you reply.

I will be making this in the fall when pumpkins are in season. I will tweak the pumpkin addition by roasting & caramelizing cubed fresh pumpkin to bring out some of the natural sugars. I look forward to making this one!
After transferring to secondary, I didn't taste it. It tasted so hot with alcohol after the primary, I was discouraged at the time. I put it on the spices and I honestly almost forgot about it. It ended up being 4 months in the secondary. I think if it went longer, the spices may become too strong.
I'd be interested to hear how it turns out with real roasted pumpkin. Maybe I'll try it with my next batch involving pumpkin, but after this haul, I don't think that will be for a while! Happy brewing!
 
After transferring to secondary, I didn't taste it. It tasted so hot with alcohol after the primary, I was discouraged at the time. I put it on the spices and I honestly almost forgot about it. It ended up being 4 months in the secondary. I think if it went longer, the spices may become too strong.
I'd be interested to hear how it turns out with real roasted pumpkin. Maybe I'll try it with my next batch involving pumpkin, but after this haul, I don't think that will be for a while! Happy brewing!
Thanks. I'll likely wind up tasting it along the way, hot or not. I'm just a little too fearfull of overdoing the spices & having to wait for a year or two to age out to drinkable product. I have 3 pounds of pumpkin blossom honey that I want to use for this as well. Might as well go pumpkin all the way, right? I'll repost after I make it & progress along the way. Thanks again.
Happy meading 😎
 
Interested in how it's all tasting. Been browsing the pumpkin threads since I've bottled my last 2gal batch of (slightly) spiced cider.
I've got 3 cans of 100% pumpkin glaring at me from the top shelf of the kitchen and almost a qt. of honey crystallizing in the pantry.
 
I made this on 11/10 & so far, it tastes great. I made changes to the recipe, though. I used BOMM yeast & 3.5 lbs of roasted sugar pumpkins (in place of the canned puree). When I roasted the pumpkin, it was spiced with brown sugar, cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg. All the pumpkin was placed in a brew bag to keep as much of it contained as possible. This was the cider I used, local to me , here in New Hampshire. I will keep posting updates as it goes along. Not sure yet of the spice quantities that will go in after it gets racked off of the leese.
 

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Just an update. I racked this last night. Gravity is @ 1.040, so, it's still creeping along. 3 gallons will be split into 1/2 gallon Mason jars with various spice combinations to try to hone in on the flavor profile I will enjoy the best. The remaining 1+ gallons was racked onto 11.2 oz of whole organic cranberries in a BIAB, (frozen & thawed). I added some pectic enzyme & 2 tsp of table sugar to get the juices moving. It smelled amazing last night. I will start tasting @ 5 days so the tart from the cranberries doesn't become too much.
I LOVE this hobby!!
 
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