Pumpkin beer and steeping grains

[arrup85]

I'm going to be making my first pumpkin beer tomorrow and I just had a quick question about steeping grains. The one gallon recipe I have made includes 1.25lbs of dried malt extract, and I was going to steep 5oz of Carmel 40L. Is this too much? I know a pound of steeping grain is typical for a 5 gallon batch, but keeping that ratio I would only steep 3.2oz. Yet that doesn't seem like it will give the color I'm looking for. What are the cons of steeping too much grain and is 5oz too much for a 1 gallon batch?

 

[J-Drew]

For me, I would worry more about the flavor than the color. When trying to adjust the color, some suggest using an ounce or two of dark grains like carafa II special for a five gallon batch. This is probably something you might have to consider for a batch in the future unless your LHBS is close by and open.

As for going heavy on the caramel 40L, I wouldn't do it (at least not again). The more you use, the more it will stand out in your beer. I did it once, and the caramel flavor was too much for me and took away from the rest of the beer, but then again, you might try it and find out you like it that way.

 

[TheBigLebrewsk1]

The general rule is to keep crystal grains under 15% of the total grist.