Pumpkin beers: Discussion, developing recipes, tips tricks, and a good practices

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Btw, I plan on brewing 2 separate batches of this recipe one with and one without pumpkin! :ban:

Wow, now THAT is great. I wish you had done this a few months ago, cause I will be brewing mine before you get done with yours. I am really curious about the usefulness of the pumpkin. Please please please close the loop and post your results here.
 
Will do. I guess i'm a skeptic when it comes to "significant contributions" from a pumpkin other than color (my main concern). I believe the spice is what makes it pumpkin pie. Heck, trying baking 2 pumpkin pies: 1 with spices, one without and let me know the taste differences :D
 
Aw c'mon. ;) Even if you find that the pumpkin contributes zero flavor, texture, mouthfeel, color, etc. you HAVE to put pumpkin in a pumpkin ale. Don't you?

Otherwise we're no better than Miller Lite saying that they put hops in three times. :p
 
Aw c'mon. ;) Even if you find that the pumpkin contributes zero flavor, texture, mouthfeel, color, etc. you HAVE to put pumpkin in a pumpkin ale. Don't you?

Otherwise we're no better than Miller Lite saying that they put hops in three times. :p

Eh. if its less hassle and mess yet produces a superior product, why not?

That could be the gimmick: Pumpkin flavored beer without pumpkin!


Side-note: Some people brew a peach beer with apricots and vice versa.

MEGA EDIT!

It looks like somebody beat me to it. Here is an excerpt from "The Wort Hog Beer Blog:"

Mr. Wort Hog said:
We made a pumpkin ale a few years back; roasted the pumpkin & added it to the boil, fermented the beer and realized... in beer, pumpkin pretty much tastes like a whole lot of nothing. These beers really ought to be called pumpkin pie ales, since the characteristic flavor is the spices, not the squash. A related note to the home brewer: if making a pumpkin beer, skip the pumpkin and just go for the spices. You'll save yourself a lot of work.

The rest of the blog: The Wort Hog Blog
I will still proceed with my experimentation :drunk:
 
Has anybody seen this?!?!? This guy is down-right insane!!!

Pumpkin Mash Tun & Fermenter



I think that is absolutely amazing.....I would love to know how the beer turned out....no reason why it wouldnt work I guess...as long as you kept fermentation temp pretty low so the pumpkin dodnt mold out on you...make it a lager and I think its in there!!!
 
I kegged my pumpkin ale tonight. I had about half gallon left in the better bottle that didn't fit in the keg, so I'm drinking it warm and flat. Not bad, it def tastes like pumpkin pie. I think it will be much better cold and carbed, but so far it's about what I was looking for. I don't plan on tapping it for a couple more weeks though, so the real review has to wait til I float one of the other kegs.
 
Hello, I'm new here and am impressed with all of the info you all share!
I've just begun brewing and am already working on my 2nd beer. I'm a little worried
about my pumpkin ale because it isn't fermenting yet. Its been about 2hrs and ive yet to hear any gurgling from the airlock. The temp on my primary bucket is reading 78 degrees so i think I may have dumped my wort into the fermenter too quickly. Can anyone here tell me if I'm going to be alright and it will eventually start fermenting?
Thx.
 
Hello, I'm new here and am impressed with all of the info you all share!
I've just begun brewing and am already working on my 2nd beer. I'm a little worried
about my pumpkin ale because it isn't fermenting yet. Its been about 2hrs and ive yet to hear any gurgling from the airlock. The temp on my primary bucket is reading 78 degrees so i think I may have dumped my wort into the fermenter too quickly. Can anyone here tell me if I'm going to be alright and it will eventually start fermenting?
Thx.

Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs

Also, if you are fermenting in a bucket make sure the lid is on tight. Fermenting at 78F will give you a lot of esters, i ferment a majority of my ales between 60F-68F.
 
Up at 630am and the pumpkin ale is fermenting like mad!
ThanKs for the speedy replies.

Can anyone clarify how long I'll need in the secondary and
I'm loving this, can't wait to start on another one!

Btw, my first batch I made was on my electric stove. Way too slow.
So I cleaned out my gas fireplace and brewed the pumpkin in it, worked out
wonderfully.
 
If you didn't use pumpkin in it, you could probably skip the secondary and just primary for 2 weeks. (I'd go an extra week if the OG was over 1.060).

If there was pumpkin in there, I'd primary for 1 then secondary for 2, then bottle for at least 3. Most who have done pumpkin before claim that a couple of months in bottle helps for the spices to mellow and meld with the rest of the brew. I brewed mine 5 days ago.
 
So here's what I'm coming up with so far:

OG (1.053 before pumpkin, ? after)
IBU 25
SRM 12

7 lbs. Golden Promise
1 lb. British Crystal 34L
1 lb. Torrified wheat
1 lb. Home Toasted Maris Otter
0.5 lb. Molasses
(2) 29 oz. cans of pumpkin (added to mash)
1 t. cinnamon (5 min)
1/2 t. allspice (5min)
1/4 t. nutmeg (5 min)
1/4 t. clove (5 min)
1 oz. fresh grated ginger (5 min)

0.57 oz. Magnum whole leaf hops (90 min)

Denny's Favorite 50 yeast (supposed to be rich and velvety, perfect for a pumpkin ale)

I'm hoping I get enough sugar out of the pumpkin to get 1.060 OG. If it ferments down to 1.014, that should hit 6%ABV on the nose. Does anyone know what contribution pumpkin has to the OG?

Oh snap! This beer's number was up and got kegged tonight. FV was 1.012 and it's awesome! The spice is noticeable but subtle enough that it won't be overpowering, even after multiple pints. The pumpkin comes through more as an unctous mouthfeel than flavor, though if I concentrate, I can pick out the pumpkin. The golden promise really adds a nice maltiness. The molasses is barely detectable, I might have to add a bit more next time, I'll know better once it's carbed and chilled. Overall, I'm very happy with how it came out. I'll post the final recipe at that time if it meets my expectations.
 
Mine finished at 1.012 as well.

Tasted pretty good but a little hollow. I felt that a touch of sweetness added to the finish was called for so I did something I never do. I backsweetened with 4 oz of lactose and 2 oz of brown sugar. It turned out perfect. Just went officially on tap last night.
 
Mine finished at 1.012 as well.

Tasted pretty good but a little hollow. I felt that a touch of sweetness added to the finish was called for so I did something I never do. I backsweetened with 4 oz of lactose and 2 oz of brown sugar. It turned out perfect. Just went officially on tap last night.

Yeah, I was aiming for this one to dry out pretty good and 1.012 is about the perfect balance. I find pumpkin beers that are either too sweet or have too much spice can be hard to enjoy after a pint or in some cases, half a pint. My aim for this one was to be completely sessionable and I think it will fit the bill. I do see how if the aim is for something that closely approximates pumpkin pie or something, a little more sweetness would be beneficial. I think this Denny's fav 50 yeast I used helped to add some body so that even though it's balanced on the dry side, it isn't thin or crisp.
 
I find pumpkin beers that are either too sweet or have too much spice can be hard to enjoy after a pint or in some cases, half a pint.

I agree and expect mine to be this way. OK with me though. I'm really not a flavored beer guy so I made this for the parents walking with their kids on Halloween night who might want a cup. Though next year I expect I'll boost this with more crystal instead of backsweetening.

Come to think of it I might simply have been tasting a little too much spice before which put it out of balance. So it needed some sweetnes to balance it out.
 
I agree and expect mine to be this way. OK with me though. I'm really not a flavored beer guy so I made this for the parents walking with their kids on Halloween night who might want a cup. Though next year I expect I'll boost this with more crystal instead of backsweetening.

Come to think of it I might simply have been tasting a little too much spice before which put it out of balance. So it needed some sweetnes to balance it out.

I know exactly what you're talking about. One of my favorite pumpkin ales is weyerbacher's imperial pumpkin, and its definitely sweet and viscous and luscious. I really like it, but it's not something I could drink all night. It'd be great for a quick cup on a cold night walking kids around the neighborhood though!
 
I know exactly what you're talking about. One of my favorite pumpkin ales is weyerbacher's imperial pumpkin, and its definitely sweet and viscous and luscious. I really like it, but it's not something I could drink all night. It'd be great for a quick cup on a cold night walking kids around the neighborhood though!

First, that one is my favorite (so far). Second, yea, I can't imagine a pumpkin beer being a session beer.
 
I'm also serving mulled hot apple cider (non-alcoholic) for those that can't handle a beer.
 
I know! Outrageous. Maybe this year I'll just substitute some Apfelwein. You can barely tell there is alcohol in it.

I was at a party recently where I gave out samples of my blueberry cider and after a bit I saw a little girl walking by with a cup of the "blueberry soda" her mom had just given to her. She got all belligerent when we tried to take it from her. Had to get the bouncers involved.:drunk:
 
Ok, I've searched and searched and read but haven't found an answer.

After fermentation is complete, I want to take about two or three gallons of the pumpkin beer and siphen it into a hollowed out, large pumpkin. Then seal it up and stick an airlock on it for a week. Good idea or bad idea?
 
Ok, I've searched and searched and read but haven't found an answer.

After fermentation is complete, I want to take about two or three gallons of the pumpkin beer and siphen it into a hollowed out, large pumpkin. Then seal it up and stick an airlock on it for a week. Good idea or bad idea?

What are you looking to gain? It certainly would be "authentic" :ban:
 
Ok, I've searched and searched and read but haven't found an answer.

After fermentation is complete, I want to take about two or three gallons of the pumpkin beer and siphen it into a hollowed out, large pumpkin. Then seal it up and stick an airlock on it for a week. Good idea or bad idea?

I'd be surprised if you didn't get some sort of "secondary fermentation" most likely from lactobacillus.

I have heard of people successfully doing this for the mash where they were going to boil it afterward. But I can't recall any successful ferments doing this.
 
Some people were asking earlier in the thread about brew in a bag (BIAB). I just made an all-grain BIAB pumpkin ale last night.

I lightly pre-boiled fresh pie pumpkins, fork-mashed them, and added them to the mash bag with the grains. No problems at all, just pulled the whole bag out, pumpkin and all, once the mash was done. Doesn't even appear to be a particularly thick trub in the carboy.

Some people may frown upon BIAB, but I would say that for this style in particular, it might represent a nice alternative.
 
I plan to test the "fermenting in a pumpkin - lacto" by brewing a 6 gallon batch, 5 goes the normal way, 1 gal gets put in a pumpkin I bought yesterday and fermented there. If nothing else I'll get cute pictures of a pumpkin with an airlock stuck out the top of it. Maybe I'll even draw a face on it :)
 
So we are in the midst of sparging a decoction mash pumpkin ale.

- We only did one decoction, (held @ 150 for 20 mins, boiled for 20 mins). It was so thick and goopy because of the pumpkin we decided to skip the 2nd decoction for mash out
- Pumpkin and gains in the decoction mash boiling was dangerous - we got burned. Think bubbling cauldron.
- The sparge is happening now and slow like. Part of the reasoning for skipping the second decoction was that we had some grain husks left in the main mash to hopfully help with sparging....

I'll let you know what happens....
 
...oh and we baked the pumpkins for hours with brown sugar sprinkled on top and we're not adding any spices. I want a real pilgrim style pumpkin ale. The decoction should bring out the malty flavors.
 
still very very very very s l o w l y sparging...the ball valve is wide open and a small trickle is coming out....seems ok, just slow. Iive vowed to not mess with it. The temp of the mashis ~150 degrees F.

Anyone see any issues with this taking a couple more hours if I maintain these conditions?
 
I brewed a batch of pumpkin ale about a week and a half ago. Its fairly light bodied. I wanted to make a Pumpkin porter too. Someone in this thread mentioned that after I drain the ale I already made into the secondary, I could toss the porter right on top of the trub instead of needing new yeast. Does this sound right??

ALSO - I can't find an extract recipe for a pumpkin porter, I did the first batch all grain and I don't have that kind of patience again just yet. Thanks for any advice you all can give!!
 
Sure, if you're doing a Pumpkin Porter who can pitch on top of the other cake. No problem. If you've got room that is. A lot of people who have too much trub from the first pumpkin to add another 5.5 gallons to the carboy. And it is going to ferment big so you'll likely lose more through blowoff.

Of course rinsing some of the trub away is easy enough if you do have too much stuff at the bottom when it comes time.
 
Not sure if this info is worth anything - particularly since it's buried here on page 20...but after doing a little searching, I came across this article that indicates that winter squash starches have a gelatinization temperature ranging from 60.6 to 63.5 °C (140.5 to 146.3 °F). This means that pumpkin starches will gelatinize at normal mash temperatures and baking is not necessary (at least for gelatinization purposes). I am assuming that pumpkin is sufficiently close to the winter squash analyzed in this study.
 
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