Pumpkin Ale conditioning...

[DarkUncle]

Hi all,

I brewed a pumpkin ale, primary for a month, secondary for 2 weeks and bottled it on Halloween. Grand total of 8 weeks so far. I tried a bottle for the heck of it this past Saturday. Carbonation was just barely there. I'm hoping the 3rd week will give it a kick in the pants.

But as far as taste goes, that puppy was a bit bitter with a hard aftertaste. The flavor seemed ok, just very rough around the edges so to speak. I was wondering if anyone has noticed if pumpkin ales take a bit longer to condition? A stout I made previously was pretty darn good by now. Not perfect but good. The pumpkin? Well, it's not something I'd order a 2nd one of at the bar in it's current state.

 

[marubozo]

Well, usually the more complex the flavors, the longer it will take to come together. What's the recipe for the pumpkin ale? Are there any spices involved? Hard to say for sure what's going on without knowing what we're dealing with.

 

[DarkUncle]

This is the one:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/pumpkin-ale-w-american-ale-wyeast-activator-1056.html

In addition to those ingredients I also dropped in 2 small cinnammon sticks into the secondary with a teaspoon of pumkin spice powder.

 

[Kaz]

I brewed a pumpkin ale on 10/7....2 weeks in primary, about 1 week in a secondary and then bottled on 10/31. Just opened up the first bottle today and it is carbed nicely but has some off flavors. If I had to describe it, it is a plastic like alcohol flavor. One thing that went wrong with this batch was primary fermentation was at about 79-80F with Fermentis S-04 ale yeast. I would guess the hot fermentation can cause a lot of off flavors, will the flavors from high ferm temps dissipate over time with cold conditioning? I'll put the cases in the fridge and wait it out for a while, just wondered if I should expect much.

 

[lumpher]

i've brewed pumpkin ales. they're usually bitter, and not so good. yes, they usually take a long time to age; sometimes over 6 months. not a fan.

 

[andrew300]

i brewed mine about 6 weeks ago and it tastes great. its in my kegerator right now.

 

[DarkUncle]

i brewed mine about 6 weeks ago and it tastes great. its in my kegerator right now.

Could I ask which kit or recipe you used? Extract, all gain or partial?

Thanks

 

[malkore]

Its the spices, especially the cloves. they can be a bit overpowering. but it does mellow a lot with age.

I didn't like my pumpkin ale at first either, but after 2 months it was very smooth and had a nice spice aroma.

 

[DarkUncle]

Its the spices, especially the cloves. they can be a bit overpowering. but it does mellow a lot with age.

I didn't like my pumpkin ale at first either, but after 2 months it was very smooth and had a nice spice aroma.

You give me hope....

 

[kpr121]

I brewed a pumpkin ale on 10/7....2 weeks in primary, about 1 week in a secondary and then bottled on 10/31. Just opened up the first bottle today and it is carbed nicely but has some off flavors. If I had to describe it, it is a plastic like alcohol flavor. One thing that went wrong with this batch was primary fermentation was at about 79-80F with Fermentis S-04 ale yeast. I would guess the hot fermentation can cause a lot of off flavors, will the flavors from high ferm temps dissipate over time with cold conditioning? I'll put the cases in the fridge and wait it out for a while, just wondered if I should expect much.

I would say that you should leave them at room temp instead of in the fridge. It will take longer for all the flavors to mellow if you keep it cold.

 

[Valcarde]

I made a pumpkin ale near the start of October; bottled it a week and a half ago.

Silly me go impatient and opened a bottle or two last night. Already nice and carbed (could still use more time), but tastes like a pumpkin pie :rockin:

 

[andrew300]

Mine was allgrain from brewing classic styles

 

[andrew300]

I also used gelatin to have it ready for this weekend. Im sure that made the conditioning a little quicker.

 

[taldridge]

I would say that you should leave them at room temp instead of in the fridge. It will take longer for all the flavors to mellow if you keep it cold.

I've been storing my pumpkin ale in the fridge too and it takes about 4 months for it to "come together". It tastes amazing when it's ready though. I'll try leaving it in room temperature next time. Thanks for the idea.