Brewing now: Pumpkin ale spice questions

Hello all,

I'm brewing my 2nd beer, a pumpkin ale. I have a question, the recipe doesn't say whether or not to remove the whole spices, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and all spice during the boil. Any suggestions as to whether I want to leave those in for fermentation?

Thanks!

Trevor

You can leave them in. Some people use a hop bag if using whole cinammon, etc. I doubt that you will gain much of anything because of fermentation. Look toward adding a spice tea to taste when going to the secondary or bottling.

thanks for your help. You caught me just in time. Everything is in the fermentor now - hopefully bubblin' tomorrow.

I left the hop bag in for fermentation. so far, it taste pretty decent. I see your brewing a pumpkin ale next, any suggestions on the spice tea mix?

thanks,
t

Here is Yuri's spice tea from his Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale, i've used it before and really like it:

0.75 oz Ginger Root (Boil 12.0 min)
1.50 tsp Cloves, Crushed (Boil 5.0 min)
1.50 tsp Nutmeg (Boil 5.0 min)
3.00 tsp Allspice (Boil 5.0 min)
3.00 tsp Cinnamon (Ground) (Boil 5.0 min)

Directions:

During clearing stage, add a spice tea of 1-1/2 tsp "Pumpkin Pie Spice" or Pampered Chef "Cinnamon Plus." Steep spices in 1 cup hot water for 10-15 minutes, cool then add. Consider adding the spice tea a little at a time to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Dave

EDIT: here is a great thread of Pumpkin Ales; recipes and techniques.