Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Dead Jack No-Spice Pumpkin Maibock-Style Ale

[frisbee91]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Nottingham

Yeast Starter

No

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.0

Original Gravity

1.064

Final Gravity

1.018

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

47.5 (average)

Color

7.3 SRM

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

64 deg F

Tasting Notes

Malt character of Dead Guy Ale, with a bit more hop bitterness and pumpkin earthiness

Dead Jack No-Spice Pumpkin Maibock-Style Ale

Alcohol (ABV): 6.1 %
Efficiency: 75%

Grain Bill
8.0 lb. (69.57%) American 2-Row Malt
2.5 lb. (21.74%) Munich II
1.0 lb. (8.7%) Crystal 15

Hop Bill
1.0 oz. (0.2 oz/Gal) Perle Hops (7.8% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
0.25 oz. (0.1 oz/Gal) Columbus (14.2% Alpha) @ 45 Minutes (Boil)
0.5 oz. (0.1 oz/Gal) Sterling (8.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
0.5 oz. (0.1 oz/Gal) Sterling (8.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)

Misc Bill
2.5 lb. (8.0 oz/Gal) Pumpkin, Roasted @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1 tsp. Irish Moss @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 152°F for 90 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 64°F with Danstar Nottingham

Notes: Brewed 11/16/2013, BIAB method. Recipe Generated withBrewMate
Fresh Pumpkin: Quarter one small-to-medium pumpkin (slightly smaller than a soccer ball). Remove stem and guts. Place on a cookie sheet and roast at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. Scrape out pumpkin from the shell and mash with a potato-masher. Weight out ~2.5 lbs. of pumpkin and add to the beginning of the boil.
Alternate: Use canned pumpkin

Hi All. Long time lurker in the recipe forums here, but I have never gotten around to publishing a recipe until now. This recipe is loosely based on Rogue's Dead Guy Ale, with some modifications. I wanted a pumpkin ale, but without all the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg that usually dominate this style. I used freshly roasted pumpkin for a distinct but subtle flavor. This turned out to be a big hit with friends and family.

I had planned to use US-05 Yeast, but my local store was out of stock, so I substituted Nottingham, and it turned out great! You could use either yeast, or Pacman yeast if you can get it.
I also wanted to increase the hop character slightly, and I had some leftover Columbus hops, so I used a small amount early in the boil. You could also use some additional Perle if you are concerned about sticking with the Dead Guy style. Enjoy!

 

[frisbee91]

My simple label for this (with the actual jack-o-lantern used in the brew!)

 

[christobrew]

you might hate me for this, but....have you ever brewed it with spices?

 

[frisbee91]

I have not, but I'm not a big fan of the pumpkin spices in beer. (hence this recipe). If you like the spice, go for it. This recipe would definitely work with some cinnamon & allspice & nutmeg. If you use clove, use just a tiny amount, as it can become overpowering. (or skip the clove altogether). Go easy on the nutmeg too.

I can tell you that this was one of the most popular beers I've made. The keg didn't last long. Planning to brew this again in late summer / early fall.

 

[christobrew]

so you only brewed this once? i'm curious because the amount of pumpkin seems to greatly differ from recipe to recipe, I'm not sure how much pumpkin to use. i wanna use fresh pumpkin, but i'm not sure if i can find it this time of year.

 

[frisbee91]

Yes, I only brewed it once, but will definitely do it again.
I chose the quantity of pumpkin based on a homebrew version of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, published by Sam Calagione from Dogfish in his book Extreme Brewing. I used a different grain & hop bill.
Note that roasted pumpkin is more concentrated than boiled or canned pumpkin, because the roasted pumpkin has less water. I like the flavor that the roasting brings as well.