Thunderstruck pumpkin ale questions

[william_shakes_beer]

Got this extract recipie from the thread noted above. Looking for an extract pumpkin spice recipie to prepare to drink in the fall. A couple questions:

//-------------------shamelessly copied recipe follows

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: WLP002 English Ale
Yeast Starter: Yes - at least 1L
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.015
IBU: 32.1
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 14.3
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 - rack off of trub to clear

EDIT: This recipe has been changed to reflect improvements over the years. The original recipe was way too aggressively hopped.

Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale

6.25 lbs light DME
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
8.0 oz Biscuit Malt
4.0 oz Wheat, Flaked
60.00 oz Pumpkin, Canned (Boil 60.0 min)
.75 oz Goldings (5.0% AA 60.0 min) 13 IBU
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)
1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) or Fermentis S-04

Spread the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F before adding to the brew.

Steep the grains for 20-30 minutes at about 155°F.

During clearing stage, add a spice tea of 1-1/2 tsp "Pumpkin Pie Spice" or Pampered Chef "Cinnamon Plus." Steep spices in 1 cup hot water for 10-15 minutes, cool then add. Consider adding the spice tea a little at a time to achieve the desired flavor profile.

There will be several inches of trub almost regardless of how you try to contain the pumpkin. Your yield may be slightly less than 5 gallons.

//--------------------end shamelessly copied extract recipie

1. Seems like this recipie assumes a secondary. I haven't used a secondary thus far. Is it important? what's the impact of doing this in a 4 week primary?

2. If i choose to do no secondary, when do I add the spiced tea? After the ward has cooled when I pitch? 2 weeks into the primary? in the bottling bucket?

3. I realize that pumpkin offers little actual flavor. What we think of as "pumpkin" flavor is really the spices. What would be the predicted impact of omitting the pumpkin altogether? Does it contribute fermentables?

 

[onipar]

I'm also hoping to do a Pumpkin Ale soon for the fall. To the OP, did you decide on this recipe after reading through a bunch of different ones? I've read a few different ones myself, and this one sounds decent.

I haven't made one of these yet, but for what it's worth, I've read others say that they've made Pumpkin Ale without any pumpkin and it came great. I personally, even if it doesn't add much flavor, would like to try it with the pumpkin. Also, I'm almost positive the pumpkin has unfermentable starch and sugar.

To add my own question, has anyone made this using whole spices in the boil? Is it better to use the ground spices in the bucket?

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I selected this recipie because it seemed to be about what I was looking for in terms of boil size, ease of process ( its similar to those I've already been successful with) and in reading through the original thread it seemed to be the result of a refinement process by the author. I've never tried pumpkin and wanted to start with a recipe that would be drinkable.

 

[passedpawn]

1. Seems like this recipie assumes a secondary. I haven't used a secondary thus far. Is it important? what's the impact of doing this in a 4 week primary?

2. If i choose to do no secondary, when do I add the spiced tea? After the ward has cooled when I pitch? 2 weeks into the primary? in the bottling bucket?

3. I realize that pumpkin offers little actual flavor. What we think of as "pumpkin" flavor is really the spices. What would be the predicted impact of omitting the pumpkin altogether? Does it contribute fermentables?

1. I think pumpkin will leave a TON of trub in your fermentor. This is one time (like with fruit beers) I'd recommend a secondary. Also, cold crash and use gelatin or some other fining to control suspended pumpkin crap. If I were to use real pumpkin (don't think I would ever do that), I'd secondary after 2-3 weeks, crash immediately, add gelatin, then bottle a week later.

2. I've done 3 pumpkin spice beers. I add all spices in the last few minutes of the boil. (although I've added ginger and vanilla in the primary of my current Pumking clone, which is fantastic and will get its own thread here someday).

3. The impact is very little. If you want mouthfeel, you can do that without the pumpkin. You know what I'm gonna say about flavor. Others will disagree, and maybe their flavor receptors are better than mine. I won a gold medal in a very large brew comp with a pumpkin beer with no pumpkin. I'm sold.

Good Luck!

 

[jcryan2]

I've brewed this recipe the past two years, it is top notch! If you use the pumpkin you will have a good two to three inches of trub in primary after a week. I personally like to get the brew off the crud before I add the spice tea in secondary.

I found last year this beer jumped a level in quality if you let it sit an extra month before drinking. I'll brew mine in mid-August for drinking around Halloween.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

OK, thanks for all the input. I know what I'm going to do.

A procedural question: When I .....er......ahem..... liberate someone's recipie and make modifications, what is the accepted methods for giving props to the original author? Juat askig in the event i choose to post a recipie in the near or distant future

 

[william_shakes_beer]

to the responder that aded vanilla: sounds interesting. Did you use extract or beans soaked in vodka? how much and when did you add?

 

[onipar]

Concerning the spice tea: Do you get the best flavor adding directly to the secondary, or to the boil? Is it better to use whole spices or ground spices? If you do use ground spices, do you add the water *and* the ground spices directly to the secondary, or just the water the ground spices were steeped in?