Awhile back, I put up a batch of pumpkin ale from a Midwest Supplies kit. I doubled the pumpkin amount, as highly recommended from all the reviews I read, and added much more spice, also recommended. Come drinking time, the beer was okay but no real unique flavor at all. I couldn't taste the pumpkin or the spices and was wondering if this is a common thing with this beer. It was fairly disappointing from a flavor standpoint but served the purpose of having a cold one while watching the tube!
Pumpkin Ale with little flavor
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turkeyjerky214
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We need more info to figure out what's going on. How much pumpkin did you use, and how did you use it (mash, boil, secondary, etc.)? How much and what spices did you use? How did you add them (boil, flameout, secondary)?
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I made that same kit.
This is what I did after reading reviews to get more flavor.
2 cups packed light brown sugar @ 60 min
90oz canned pumpkin at 60 min
2tsp pumpkin pie spice @ 5 min
1tsp cinnamon @ 5 min
1tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp cinnamon when transferred to primary.
I don't really care for pumpkin ale, but my Wife does, and she said it was pretty good, maybe do one more round of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon at bottling/kegging next batch.
It took 2 months for it to clear and the flavors to really come out in the bottle.
This is what I did after reading reviews to get more flavor.
2 cups packed light brown sugar @ 60 min
90oz canned pumpkin at 60 min
2tsp pumpkin pie spice @ 5 min
1tsp cinnamon @ 5 min
1tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp cinnamon when transferred to primary.
I don't really care for pumpkin ale, but my Wife does, and she said it was pretty good, maybe do one more round of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon at bottling/kegging next batch.
It took 2 months for it to clear and the flavors to really come out in the bottle.
turkeyjerky214
Well-Known Member
How/when to add pumpkin seems to split home brewers more than whether or not to secondary.
I've tried it three different ways, and the best was this past year when I added two 30-ish oz cans of pumpkin to the mash for a 5 gallon batch (use a ton of rice hulls if you do this) and then added my spices to secondary. I do 2 t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg, and .5 t cloves.
This year I'm going to do two batches. One will be exactly like last year and one I'll bake the pumpkin to see which I like better.
I've tried it three different ways, and the best was this past year when I added two 30-ish oz cans of pumpkin to the mash for a 5 gallon batch (use a ton of rice hulls if you do this) and then added my spices to secondary. I do 2 t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg, and .5 t cloves.
This year I'm going to do two batches. One will be exactly like last year and one I'll bake the pumpkin to see which I like better.
SittingDuck
Well-Known Member
Definitely roast the pumpkin first, and if you really want the spice flavors, rather than a hint, you have to add them post-fermentation. I add at bottling by making a spice tea from cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg to disolve my priming sugar.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
I make a pumpkin ale based on an amber recipe and a pumpkin stout based on a dogfish head clone recipe every year, and I always put 56 oz of pumpkin in the mash (two 28oz Libby's cans) and 2 tbs of grocery store pumpkin pie spice (all for a 5 gallon batch).
I've heard of the pumpkin going in the mash/steeping grains, in secondary, and at flameout, but never in the boil.
My spices always go in the boil. I've found they are best as a 15 minute addition.
These techniques give me beer that tastes like liquid pumkin pie. Strong pumpkin flavor.
What was your OG/SG?? Maybe you watered down the wort?
I've heard of the pumpkin going in the mash/steeping grains, in secondary, and at flameout, but never in the boil.
My spices always go in the boil. I've found they are best as a 15 minute addition.
These techniques give me beer that tastes like liquid pumkin pie. Strong pumpkin flavor.
What was your OG/SG?? Maybe you watered down the wort?
turkeyjerky214
Well-Known Member
I've heard of plenty of people adding to the boil. When I was doing some research back in August, I found it was quite common. Seems the majority of people do it in the mash or the steeping if you're doing partial mash though.
Pumpkin doesn't really add much flavor - it's the spices that count (I've made both with & without pumpkin - not much difference). I use this, though I don't have the amts in front of me. Made an awesome pumpkin beer last fall without any pumpkin at all!
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspumpkinpie.html
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspumpkinpie.html
SittingDuck
Well-Known Member
I agree the flavor is mostly spice, although I do get some pumpkin aroma. I find the pumpkin in the boil adds to body and mouthfeel though. And without pumpkin you have spice beer, in my opinion, not pumpkin beer.
