When to add pumpkin spice to Oktoberfest lager

I'm looking to do a ten gallon Oktoberfest. I'd like to split it into two batches for lagering. While lagering, I'd like to add a pumpkin pie spice tea to one of the fermentors for a nice Thanksgiving day beer.

I've made plenty of pumpkin ales through the years and found you don't even need the pumpkin in the mash to get the right flavor, just the spice tea to the secondary.

With that said, I've yet to do it was a lager. Any recommendations on when I should add? As I'm trying to make an Oktoberfest and a pumpkin lager, so I don't want to add spices to the boil.

I would say at the end of the boil but since you don't want to do that since you want Oktoberfest to be your base then your only other choice would be secondary.

I like making a tincture myself using vodka, then you can just add it at bottling/kegging time. I pull a few 4oz samples, then add some amount of tincture to each. Once I figure which one I like best, I can take that ratio and apply it to the full volume.

And I'm in the same boat, I'm not going to bother using pumpkin anymore (though I MAY make a roasted butternut autumn ale), the spices work just fine. Get a nice coppery/orange color from the malt and no one will know the difference.

I usually do the tincture idea as well but recently I tried it using pumpkin vodka. I was very good


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drkwoods said:

I usually do the tincture idea as well but recently I tried it using pumpkin vodka. I was very good


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Click to expand...

How much pumpkin vodka per 5 gallon batch?

jackers252 said:

How much pumpkin vodka per 5 gallon batch?

Click to expand...

And when do you add it?

In think it was 3oz. I can't remember for sure if I added more after the 3oz. But obviously pull a know amount of beer and add drops till your satisfied and then scale up to your total volume


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You should only be adding Pumpkin Spice anything if your goal is to attract the most caucasian of white women.

You have been warned.

What is the spice to vodka ratio for the tincture?