Help me create my first recipe: Moon Hill Pumpkin Ale

[onipar]

EDIT: I changed quite a bit with this. The specialty grains have been reduced and I added some different types. I also added to the base grains and changed the yeast. The hop amounts also changed. Thoughts on the recipe are very much appreciated.

EDIT EDIT: This is the final version of the recipe. I'll post it in the recipe database very soon.

Moon Hill Pumpkin Ale
Partial Mash / BIAB / 5 gallon
OG: 1.052-1.056
FG: 1.014
IBU: 18
Color: 11 SRM
ABV: 5.1%-5.5%

Ingredients
Extract
3 lbs Pale LME
1 lb light DME
1/2 lb brown sugar
(optional) 8 oz wheat DME (this brings the OG up to 1.056).

Base Grains
2 lbs pale 2-row malt
3/4 pound Maris Otter

Specialty Grains
6 oz Caramel Munich
4 oz Briess Victory
4 oz Biscuit Malt
8 oz Briess 2 Row Caramel 80

Hops
.75 oz Mt Hood Hops (60 mins)
.5 oz Hallertauer Hops (30 mins)

Extras
2 29 oz cans or ~3-4 lbs fresh pumpkin (probably 2 pie pumpkins).
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (5 mins) [consider mixing your own instead of using pre-mixed]
Safale US-05


Secondary (optional)
.5 tsp cinnamon, .25 tsp nutmeg, .25 allspice (make an 8 oz. spice tea and add to secondary. Do this to taste.).

Instructions

This is just the quick look at my plans of how to brew this.

Caramelize pumpkin in the oven (350 for an hour). I really would like to use fresh, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to use canned.

Add 2 quarts of water per pound of grain (to make up for the pumpkin addition) for total of 2 gallons strike water. I'll have to figure out temps later.

Sparge with 2 gallons. (I'm figuring roughly a gallon of lost water to absorption)

Add water to bring to 3 gallons after mash and sparge (if needed). Bring to boil. Add light DME and first hop addition.

At 30 mins add second hop addition.

At 15 add whilrflock tab

At 5 mins add the LME, wheat DME, Brown sugar, and spice mixture

Chill, add top off water to fermenter, pitch yeast, aerate, etc.

Ferment for 3-4 weeks (You can secondary if necessary to get off pumpkin trub).

Bottle and condition at least 6-8 weeks, or more if needed.
----------------------------------------------------------

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Sounds damn good! I have no experience preparing pumpkin for anything, but the beer recipe looks solid. Be sure to send me a bottle when it's done! I live at.... J/K.... Good luck with it!

 

[onipar]

Sounds damn good! I have no experience preparing pumpkin for anything, but the beer recipe looks solid. Be sure to send me a bottle when it's done! I live at.... J/K.... Good luck with it!

Thanks! I've been researching pumpkin ales for a couple weeks. Halloween is an important time of year for me, so creating my own recipe was high on my list.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I hear ya. I feel the same way about hallowe'en. I'm not a huge pumpkin fan, but something like DFH's Punk'n would be a nice one to replicate for fall.

 

[onipar]

I hear ya. I feel the same way about hallowe'en. I'm not a huge pumpkin fan, but something like DFH's Punk'n would be a nice one to replicate for fall.

I've actually never tried that one. To be honest, I've only ever had maybe 2 kinds. i think one was Sam Adams, but I can't remember. I'm planning on trying as many as I can this year prior to brewing.

 

[onipar]

Hate to bump my own thread...but any suggestions? I could really use the help on this one. Thanks!

 

[cervezarara]

I tried my hand at a DFH Punk'n clone last weekend, and my recipe was quite similar to yours! I used 8 oz Victory, 1 lb of Crystal 60, no Honey malt, and partial mashed 2 lbs of 2-row with 4 lbs of Libbeys pumpkin puree that I roasted at 350 for 45 minutes. The pumpkin actually tasted really good after roasting (slightly caramelized and browning on the top.) Spread the puree thin on a large baking pan. PM was at 154-155*F for 1 hour. I added 2 lbs of pilsen DME at 60 minutes with 1 oz of fuggles and 3.5 lbs Pilsen DME at 15 minutes with another ounce of fuggles. I added a pound of demerara sugar at 5 minutes with 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp of cloves (my pie spice didn't have any cloves.)

I got ~60% efficiency with the partial mash and ended up with OG of 1.071. I don't think the pumpkin added much in the way of gravity points, but the flavor came through in the wort. You're probably right about the mash water being about 2 quarts/lb. I tried at 1.5/lb, but ended up adding water as the pumpkin puree made a doughy mass. Sparging in the bag was the real problem as my sparge water was quite reluctant to strain through the mass into the wort!

The Safale S-04 took off like a beast but didn't blow off in my tube. After 2 days at 68*F, it slowed way down. I checked today, and the gravity is 1.012. The spicing is just right according to SWMBO, so be sure to taste before you add any more to secondary. Of course, these flavors will probably mellow out quite a bit by October, so I recommend to add spices judiciously.

I'm not going to secondary mine, but plan to leave it in primary another two weeks. It tasted pretty good today, so I'll see about the spicing then and maybe adjust my plans accordingly. The color is beautiful- it looks more orange than I had anticipated.

I think you have a nice recipe there. I tried for a slightly higher gravity as DFH is around 7.5% ABV. SWMBO is very fond of autumn and Halloween as well, so she has already put in an order for another couple of carboys of this pumpkin ale for this year!

 

[onipar]

Thanks so much for the reply, cervezarara. Knocking the gravity up sounds like a good idea. I'd like a pretty high ABV with this.

You said the color was a nice orange; do you think I should use pilsen instead of amber DME? I wanted to make sure it's be a nice amber/orange color, but maybe I overshot?

The only reason I planned to secondary is because I've read that their can be quite a bit of pumpkin trub, but if it looks okay, I may also leave it in primary.

And thanks for the tips on spices. I'll be sure to taste as I go so as not to overpower, although, as you mentioned, it can mellow with time and I definitely want a well-spiced beer. But not potpourri. :cross:

Thanks again for the suggestions, I'll toy around with it and maybe post changes.

Anyone else, please feel free to chime in; the recipe is still in flux.

 

[drathbone]

One of my friends said she simply added the ingredients per pumpkin pie recipe on back of canned pumpkin near the end of boil with the exception of a pie shell and whipped cream. I realize now this might not but much help, but at least for measurements of ingredients. It was probably the best pumpkin ale I've tasted yet.

EDIT: I also realized there might be more to some of these canned recipes. Basically the spices and the canned pumpkin was to the boil. No oil, eggs, sugar etc etc

 

[cervezarara]

Onipar- there is not as much pumpkin trub as I was expecting, probably due to the difficulty i had "sparging." I will say, though, that I tried straining going into the fermenter and had to give up quickly and just dump it all in.

I believe mine calculated out to 12 SRM, and yours says 13.7, so you may be a tiny bit darker with the amber. I wouldn't worry about it as I think you'll be fine, maybe a deeper orange and even more Halloweeny. Since my wife wants more for the season, I may give your recipe a try so I see for myself what works out best.

Thanks for posting your plans- it may seem early, but time to get those seasonals started!

 

[onipar]

Drathbone, thanks for the tip. I think I'll check out a can and see what sort of spice amounts it calls for. Off the top of my head, I actually think the 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice may be close.

cervezarara, that's good news. Hey, if I can eliminate having to secondary, I'll be a happy camper. I am also thinking of lining my fermenter with a grain bag before pouring all the stuff in to help strain it. Maybe a bad idea with the pumpkin mush (I'm hoping more and more that I can find fresh pumpkins early this year, but I'm pretty sure August is way too soon).

Wow, that'd be cool if you used the recipe. The pressure's on! :cross:

So the only change I've been *thinking* of making is maybe adding a second pound of the amber DME and maybe also a 1/2 pound of brown sugar, to up the ABV. Well, that and changing the amber DME to Pilsner DME, but really that'd just be for color reasons.

Anyone else, thoughts?

 

[Seven]

I'm brewing my second batch of pumpkin ale right now using the no-sparge BIAB technique. Not sure how much this technique differs from yours but one thing I noticed is that the canned pumpkin seems to hold onto a lot of wort when lifting the bag from the kettle. I had to squeeze the bejeezus out of the bag to get to my desired pre-boil amount.

Also, not sure where you are with your spices... but go easy on them because a small amount of spice goes a long way.

This is the recipe I'm using, only I left the rice hulls out: Samhain Pumpkin Ale

 

[onipar]

I'm brewing my second batch of pumpkin ale right now using the no-sparge BIAB technique. Not sure how much this technique differs from yours but one thing I noticed is that the canned pumpkin seems to hold onto a lot of wort when lifting the bag from the kettle. I had to squeeze the bejeezus out of the bag to get to my desired pre-boil amount.

Also, not sure where you are with your spices... but go easy on them because a small amount of spice goes a long way.

This is the recipe I'm using, only I left the rice hulls out: Samhain Pumpkin Ale

Thanks, Seven.

I think the only difference with my BIAB is that I'll take the grain bag and put it into a second pot with the heated sparge water for about 10 minutes, then combine the mash and sparge water together for the boil.

I'm actually *strongly* considering not mashing the pumpkin, and instead simply adding it to the boil. I've read more than a few accounts that suggest mashing the pumpkin leads to no significant sugar contribution, and one article that says boiling can bring even more flavor to the party.

The total spices for the recipe you sourced was 2 1/2 tsp at 5 minutes. I'm planning 1 1/2 tsp at 5 minutes, and then a spice tea made from about 1 tsp of spices for secondary. So it's about the same amount as the other recipe, I'm just adding some very late, hoping for a bit of a "layered" spice coming from the two different additions.

I'm actually thinking of changing the *types* of spice additions for secondary though. I think I want to take out the cloves, since I'm not a big fan of them.

One thing I liked from that other recipe was the molasses, so I might add that instead of the brown sugar.

I should have an edited recipe up soon.

 

[onipar]

I have edited the recipe to include brown sugar, and I changed the hops and spices a little bit. OG went up, IBU's went down, color stayed the same. Thoughts?

 

[Steigede]

I'm going to do a pumpkin brew this Sunday and after doing a bit of research I'm kind of nervous about how much wort the pumpkin is going to suck up. Would there be much harm just pouring all the pumpkin mush into the fermenter with the wort? I'm worried about straining out the pumpkin and loosing a lot of wort.

 

[onipar]

I'm going to do a pumpkin brew this Sunday and after doing a bit of research I'm kind of nervous about how much wort the pumpkin is going to suck up. Would there be much harm just pouring all the pumpkin mush into the fermenter with the wort? I'm worried about straining out the pumpkin and loosing a lot of wort.

First, just to mention, the recipe I have on the front page has changed *a lot* since I posted this. I haven;t edited the recipe here yet. I'll do that right after I post this.

Second, from what I've read, the pumpkin is already heavily saturated, so it doesn't suck up much wort at all. However, depending on how you brew, it can cause stuck sparges (or just make the sparge take a long time). Definitely don't use too much. (my recipe edit will note this).

I've read that some people put the pumpkin into separate (small, tied) grain bags to help contain it, but since I'm doing BIAB anyway, I'm just going to put it into the large grain bag with all the other grain.

I'm planing on 2 quarts of water per pound of grain (instead of the normal 1.3 quarts) to address the pumpkin. I'm thinking that will be plenty.

 

[Steigede]

I'm modifying my Amber extract kit to turn it into a pumpkin brew. I'm planning on following all the directions completely except adding some baked pumpkin/sweet potatoes for the boil and then spices at the end of the boil.

I believe it will come out fine. Can I just leave it in the primary the whole time or should I move it to a secondary?

 

[Seven]

After one week (or fermentation stops) rack to a secondary with spice tea, leave for another 2-3 weeks.

I'd suggest leaving it in the primary fermentor longer than 1-week. Leave it in the primary for at least 3 to 4 weeks before doing anything else with it.

 

[Steigede]

Dang, really? Quite a long time. I better get on this batch soon so it's ready for the fall! So after the 3-4 weeks I just go straight to bottle? Would that be fine? I'm leaning towards boiling the spices in the last five minutes of the boil instead of the spice tea.

 

[onipar]

I'd suggest leaving it in the primary fermentor longer than 1-week. Leave it in the primary for at least 3 to 4 weeks before doing anything else with it.

Three to four weeks seems like a long time if I'm racking to secondary...I thought usually you'd rack to secondary after fermentation is over (I'd leave it a little longer than a week if hydrometer readings indicate fermentation is still going on), but no more than 2 weeks I figured. The 7 days was just a loose guideline to work with.

Are you suggesting this just because it's a pumpkin ale?

 

[onipar]

Dang, really? Quite a long time. I better get on this batch soon so it's ready for the fall! So after the 3-4 weeks I just go straight to bottle? Would that be fine? I'm leaning towards boiling the spices in the last five minutes of the boil instead of the spice tea.

Honestly, I'm not even sure that *I'll* secondary. It all depends on how much pumpkin trub there is. If it's ridiculous, I'll secondary. If not, I'll just leave it in primary for 4 weeks.

And yeah, the spice tea is an optional step. I'm planning on doing the 1.5 tsp at 5 mins and then I'll taste it during secondary (or at about 2 weeks) and if it seems lacking in spice, I'll do the spice tea. Otherwise, I'll leave it alone if it tastes strong enough.

 

[Seven]

Three to four weeks seems like a long time if I'm racking to secondary...I thought usually you'd rack to secondary after fermentation is over (I'd leave it a little longer than a week if hydrometer readings indicate fermentation is still going on), but no more than 2 weeks I figured. The 7 days was just a loose guideline to work with.

Are you suggesting this just because it's a pumpkin ale?

Leaving it in the primary for 3-4 weeks allows the fermentation to complete and also gives the yeast extra time to clean up after themselves which helps to eliminate/reduce any off flavors. If you rack to secondary too soon you interrupt the cleanup process.

I allow every beer I make at least 3-4 weeks in the primary before kegging. Once kegged I'll let it age in the keg for another few weeks before tapping. Certain beers like stouts or spiced ales take even longer before they are at their best.

 

[onipar]

Hmmm, thanks for the tips. If that's the case, I doubt I'll actually bother with a secondary. I'll bet after 4 weeks in primary it'll be clear enough, even if there is a lot of pumpkin left in it.

 

[Steigede]

So after the 3-4 weeks in the primary can I just siphon the beer out, getting it away from all the sediment and the yeast cake on the bottom, and go straight to bottling from there? Then let it age in the bottle for a month?

 

[onipar]

So after the 3-4 weeks in the primary can I just siphon the beer out, getting it away from all the sediment and the yeast cake on the bottom, and go straight to bottling from there? Then let it age in the bottle for a month?

With my normal ales, I usually do it that way: 3-4 weeks in primary, bottle, condition for 3-4 weeks.

I *thought* I'd have to secondary with the pumpkin ale because I've read there can be a lot of extra sediment left over from the pumpkin. But if I have to leave it in primary for up to 4 weeks anyway, I'm thinking it may be clear enough to just bottle at that point.

So, to answer your question, it's up to you. If you open up the bucket at 3 or 4 weeks and it looks very cloudy, you may decide to secondary to clear it up. If it looks clear, you can just bottle.

That's my plan at the moment. I'll check it at two weeks, taste, add the spice tea if I think I need it. Then check again at 3 or 4 weeks. If it's clear, I'll bottle.

 

[Steigede]

Sounds good! That'll be my plan as well! Thanks for the responses!