Pumpkin Cider - Fermented in a pumpkin

[HappyFermentations]

Just started this tonight to see what happens - it might be amazing, or it might be vinegar... but I guess that's what it's all about!

2 Gallons of Apple Juice
1Lb Brown Sugar
1lb Honey
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pectic Enzyme
S-04 Yeast
OG - 1.08

Mixed all ingredients together and placed in a cleaned out pumpkin. I removed all the seeds (fiance loves toasted pumpkin seeds, so that automatically gave me permission to do this) - but I left a lot of the pulp and "strings". I'm hoping they'll give it a little more body than I've been getting lately with just plain juice ciders. Didn't add any nutrient because I figure it's basically fermenting in one giant ball of nutrient.

Plan is to rack to secondary at about 1.02, cold crash to remove as much sediment as possible, bottle until lightly carbed and then stove-top pasteurize.

Fingers crossed it's drinkable!

 

[derrabe]

Sounds like and interesting plan but how do you plan to seal it in the pumpkin?

 

[wargallow]

Sealing might work if the top you chopped off is still wet from the pumpkins own juices. Be cool to drill a little hole in the top and stick your airlock there. Sounds fun to me. Aren't there also some taps for sake that you can just stick in the side of the pumpkin. Think I saw those last week online somewhere.

 

[HappyFermentations]

I basically just put the lid of the pumpkin back on. It isn't air tight, but it's tight enough to keep bugs out - and since I'm only keeping it in the pumpkin for primary, the c02 from the fermentation should push the oxygen out. I thought about sealing it with wax and then drilling a hole for an airlock, but I really don't think it's necessary for a 3-5 day ferment.

I pitched last night and opened it up this morning and it's happily bubbling away and smells DELICIOUS!

 

[HappyFermentations]

Aren't there also some taps for sake that you can just stick in the side of the pumpkin. Think I saw those last week online somewhere.

That's an awesome idea! How cool would it be to show up to a Halloween party with a pumpkin cider being served out of a pumpkin??

If the tap or spigot didn't work, you could always just keep it cool and ladle it out like a punch bowl...Although, I think I'd probably want to clean out way more of the strings and pulp than I did... I like a cider with body, but I don't necessarily want to chew it!

 

[HappyFermentations]

Update: 24 hours after pitching, and fermentation is going fast and furious. OG was 1.079, and already down to 1.054. Hydrometer sample was delicious, and best of all, had a very good mouth feel - something I think has been lacking in my ciders so far. Looks like all that pumpkin meat is really filling out the body.

I'm kind of alarmed at how fast it's fermenting - I have to go out of town tomorrow afternoon through the next night and thought I'd have plenty of time to catch it before it hit 1.02 (my desired sweetness), but I'm afraid I'm going to miss it. Will check again tomorrow before I leave, and if it's less than 1.04 I'll put it in the fridge in an effort to slow it down long enough for me to get back.

Really excited about this one!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Following.

 

[Paps]

interesting

 

[HappyFermentations]

Couple quick snapshots of how it's looking...

 

[modifier]

Brilliant idea! following.

 

[HappyFermentations]

1.05 as of this afternoon, so I'm going to let it ride while I'm out of town tonight and tomorrow and hope it doesn't get away from me before I get back.

Took another small taste today and I still really like it. Even at room temperature it still had a pretty solid body to it. Hoping I come back to something delicious tomorrow night!

 

[Lumpyhead]

This is awesome, I wish I liked pumpkin beers more! Let us know how it turns out!

 

[bondra76]

Interesting

Just a couple of thoughts on this -

1) Are you using a pie pumpkin or the regular gourd Jack O Lantern type? The reason I ask is that the gourd's flavor is definitely not as robust or sweet as a pie pumpkin. The bummer is that I don't think there's very large pie pumpkins out there.

2) if this goes haywire or doesn't come out well, I can suggest something - I read the other day in a forum that putting pre-baked 1"x1" cubes of pie pumpkin into the secondary of a beer will also give a robust pie flavor. After doing the same process with coconut into porters, I'd venture to guess this method will give you pumpkin flavor that wears off after a month or so. But then again if you're drinking pumpkin beer for St Patricks something is wrong.

Anyways, curious to hear how this turns out.

 

[HappyFermentations]

Sorry for the delay in responding - been a crazy week at work.

So, I got back on Sunday night and the pumpkin concoction had dropped to 1.034. Left it for two more days hoping it'd get down to 1.02 or a little lower, but it didn't move at all. Racked to a 1 gallon secondary and have been cold crashing for the last two nights with plans to bottle soon. There are a few bubbles, but no airlock activity.

I tasted a sample last night and it's actually pretty good! It's got a pretty decent body right now and the flavor is good, but a little too sweet for my taste (and I LOVE sweet). Thought about pitching some more yeast and trying to get it down a little more, but haven't decided for sure yet.

Interesting

1) Are you using a pie pumpkin or the regular gourd Jack O Lantern type? The reason I ask is that the gourd's flavor is definitely not as robust or sweet as a pie pumpkin. The bummer is that I don't think there's very large pie pumpkins out there.

Used a Jack O Lantern type - unfortunately they didn't have any pie pumpkins when I was shopping :/

 

[Paps]

Thought about pitching some more yeast and trying to get it down a little more, but haven't decided for sure yet.
:/

maybe swirl the yeast around a bit to wake them up again and warmer temps.
If repitching consider a higher attenuating yeast strain like s-05 ot notty.

 

[bondra76]

how did the final product turn out?

 

[wstbrewing]

Hmmm... I wonder if it killed 'em?

 

[bondra76]

The Great Pumpkin must have gotten him.

 

[CharlieM]

I was hoping for a final report as well !

 

[Paps]

He dieded.

 

[wstbrewing]

Cause oF death: Massive pumpkin yeast infection?

 

[BrewSavage]

Where do we send the flowers?

 

[paulwells55337]

I made this same recipe except in a bucket but I added 8 cloves and pumpkin pie spice boiled in vodka at 2nd racking.

I've found that getting a good specific gravity reading is difficult because I think the pumpkin mixed with the cider causes a high reading. My first reading was 1.080. I let it sit for 2 weeks, racked, added spices, then let sit 2 more weeks. After the 4 weeks I was getting a constant 1.034 reading.

By the way, my product turned out amazing. It's almost too sweet for my liking.

Sorry for the delay in responding - been a crazy week at work.

So, I got back on Sunday night and the pumpkin concoction had dropped to 1.034. Left it for two more days hoping it'd get down to 1.02 or a little lower, but it didn't move at all. Racked to a 1 gallon secondary and have been cold crashing for the last two nights with plans to bottle soon. There are a few bubbles, but no airlock activity.

I tasted a sample last night and it's actually pretty good! It's got a pretty decent body right now and the flavor is good, but a little too sweet for my taste (and I LOVE sweet). Thought about pitching some more yeast and trying to get it down a little more, but haven't decided for sure yet.









Used a Jack O Lantern type - unfortunately they didn't have any pie pumpkins when I was shopping :/

 

[Lerickal]

Awesome.

 

[Harambe]

RIP HappyFermentations... i'm going to recreate your pumpkin experiment in your honor.

 

[triethylborane]

Never add pumpkin. Its a killer, folks.