A little angry

[akillys]

So I decided to make a 5 gallon batch of pumpkin ale. I used 4 lbs of pumpkin and add it with 15 min left on the boil. I go to transfer it from primary into secondary and only get 3 maybe 4 gallons out. The rest was soaked up into a pumpkin sludge at the bottom of the fermenter. Not really looking for advice or pitty, I'm just venting. Oh well, I guess if it sucks I wont have as much to try to chug down. In the future if I'm aiming for a 5 gallon batch I'll brew 6 or 7gallons to make up for what is being absorbed by the pumpkin.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[pkrath84]

So I decided to make a 5 gallon batch of pumpkin ale. I used 4 lbs of pumpkin and add it with 15 min left on the boil. I go to transfer it from primary into secondary and only get 3 maybe 4 gallons out. The rest was soaked up into a pumpkin sludge at the bottom of the fermenter. Not really looking fur advice or pitty I'm just venting. Oh well, I guess if it sucks I wont have a much to try to chug down.in the future if I'm aiming for a 5 gallon batch I'll brew 6 or 7gallons to make up fit what is being absorbed by the pumpkin.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

Any particular reason why you didn't opt to out the pumpkin in for a mash/mini-mash? I made one recently too, but mashed with some 6 row. Just wondering if it would negatively affect anything.

 

[akillys]

I was thinking about a mini mash and had a bag to do a biab, but I just followed the recipe I found online that seemed easiest. I'm also still kind of green when it comes to being and am not quite sure how to do a mini mash correctly.

That being said I read a lot of forums that said some people didn't use pumpkin because it was mainly the spices that people identify and that the pumpkin doesn't really impart any flavor. Some however, said that the pumpkin added flavor and myth feel. Darn looks like I'll just have to try another batch with out pumpkin. Whatever will I do lol.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[acidrain]

 

[akillys]

^Yep that's pretty much what I did lol. Only I'm pretty sure that sign has more meaning than my post.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[pkrath84]

I did a pumpkin brown recently and I feel the pumpkin used in the mash definitely gave the beer noticeable flavor, especially when the pumpkin is roasted. I'll also agree that it gave a little bit of body. The spices are really where you get that "pumpkin pie" dessert flavor from. The spices almost draw out the malt sweetness if that makes sense.

Give it a try in the mash next go. Its a bit of a mess, but worth it I think.

How much spice did your recipe call for? I think mine was something like 3/4tsp or 1 max and it was pleasant. Assertive enough to let you know it was there, but not overpowering.

 

[IslandLizard]

Mashing the pumpkin is definitely the best way to keep the pulp out of the boil kettle, although you'll still end up with a significant amount of break from it. And lautering is going to be slow, even with rice hulls.

What you could have done is toss all the break and trub from the kettle into a large fine mesh hop bag and let it drip out in a colander or strainer or even squeeze/wring it out. Then reboil that recovered wort to sanitize it, chill and add to the fermentor, or make a small batch from it. Done that many times.

A lot of wort is still being trapped in the pumpkin pulp in the mash tun. I ended up with well over a gallon of 3rd drippings after several hours. Made a small batch Saison out of it. Very yummy.
I guess you could squeeze that too, or put a good weight on it.

I roasted 5 cans (75 oz) of pumpkin puree for about 2-3 hours in the oven, spread out over 3 baking sheets in the convection oven. It takes a lot of time since all the water needs to evaporate first before it will roast or caramelize. I ended up with what I estimate to be a good pound of dryish caramelized scrapings that I rehydrated and added to the mash. Although I can taste some pumpkin in the final beer, it's quite subtle, I'm not sure I can detect the roasting effect enough for it being worth the trouble. Next time I'll just add more pumpkin puree (8 or 9 cans total), without roasting.