When do I add the Pumpkin??

[funkyskier]

Im getting things together to do an Austin Brew Supply Pumpkin Ale. The directions do not state when to add the pumpkin and they dont indicated if it should be strained out of the wort as it goes into the fermenter. I could use a bit of guidence.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bobeer]

so weird. I was just searching the forum for this exact same questions. Guess it's that time of year.

I read someone go good results with adding half the baked pumpkin at 30 min and the rest at 50-55 minutes. That's what I'm going to do. It's my first time brewing with pumpkin so I'm taking detailed notes so I can improve it next time. If you search the site for when to add pumpkin you'll find a lot of information on it and maybe you'll decide on what you want to do. Good luck!

 

[jonmohno]

Ive done both,but you can try adding irish moss or some yeast nutrient at the end of boil which may(I think) help it settle out more when you cool the wort,then strain it to the fermenter or just rack or dump it till you see the solids at the bottom. You can just add it all but your going to have more volume loss depending how much pumpkin you used.If you used alot I probably would strain it,or keep most of it out that you can.
It depends too if your going to rack it and secondary it,and if you have enough room, then I would dump all or most of it in.

Since they didnt describe what to do with the pumpkin that kind of tells me its just a matter of preference. Which usually seems to be just the way people like to do it(the way thats easier for them).

 

[CTownBrewer]

Is this AG or Extract?

You could add to the mash if it's an all-grain recipe. Personally, I think you'd get something different out of the mash vs the boil, so maybe do both. I'd filter it out somehow though as you transfer to the fermenter.

 

[jonmohno]

+1 I agree with that.Thats why I mash and boil. Although I think when I sparge most of the pumpkin puree ends up in the boil.Ive seen it disovle the thin pumpkin puree through the stainer bag. As far as BIAB.

 

[funkyskier]

Here are my brew notes:

AHS Pumpkin Ale Brew Date 8/25/12

1 1/4 lbs 2-Row Malt
1 1/4 lbs Vienna Malt
½ Lbs Cara Munich Malt
½ lbs Crystal 60L Malt

1 lbs Amber DME
3 lbs Extra Pale LME
1 lbs Light DME

½ oz. EKG @ 60
½ oz. EKG @ 15
Spice Packet @ 10
Yeast Fuel @ 10

WLP British Ale Yeast
Yeast Starter ½ cup of Pilsner DME and 2 cups water for 24 hours at room temp. Because the yeast was shipped from Texas and the cold pack was useless in the heat, I was concerned about the condition of the yeast.

Steep Grains for 45 Minutes.
Starting Temp = 2 gallons@162F
Rinsed wth 1/2 gallon@170F

2 Large Cans of pumpkin pie mix (spiced) in a can spread out over a cookie sheet and baked for 30 minutes.

Brew Notes:
Added ½ the Pumpkin mix at 40 minutes and the other ½ at 20 minutes. I put it into a large nylon steep bag to keep the boil from gooping up. It worked out well. Wort was clean as I strained it into the bucket. Only drawback is my steep bag is gonna be a pain to clean the pumpkin out of.

8/26
Lots of yeast activity only 9 hours after it went into the fermenter.

 

[billf2112]

From what I have been told is stay away from pumpkin pie filling/mix and go with pumpkin puree. I have several brewers who have made great pumpkin ales and they all add it to the mash. That is what I plan on doing.

 

[res291que]

I made a pumpkin ale last year twice first time was an extract so I steeped pumpkin with some specialty grains, second time I put it into my mash tun and mashed with my other grain. I use real pumpkins roasted in the oven by the way, both recipes turned out great, will be making another batch in the next two weeks.

 

[MMJfan]

I made my first pumpkin ale which was an extract and I just added the canned pumpkin straight to my wort at 60 minutes (I did bake the pumpkin for 20 minutes before adding it to the wort). It seemed to disolve in the wort during the boil. The recipe I used called for ending with 6.5 gal of wort in your fermenting bucket to compensate for all of the trub from the pumpkin which ended up being almost a gallon when I transferred it to secondary.

Just bottled it yesterday and it turned out great!

 

[kellzey]

DO NOT add five 15 oz. cans pumpkin to an all grain mash. Stuck sparge hell!

 

[janson745]

I made my first pumpkin ale which was an extract and I just added the canned pumpkin straight to my wort at 60 minutes (I did bake the pumpkin for 20 minutes before adding it to the wort). It seemed to disolve in the wort during the boil. The recipe I used called for ending with 6.5 gal of wort in your fermenting bucket to compensate for all of the trub from the pumpkin which ended up being almost a gallon when I transferred it to secondary.

Just bottled it yesterday and it turned out great!

How much of the canned pumpkin did you use, and what temp did you bake it at for 20 minutes?

 

[MMJfan]

janson,

I used the extract recipe from this thread: Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale

The recipe calls for 60 oz. of canned pumpkin which sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't that much. I spread the canned pumpkin out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled some pumpkin pie spice over it and baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I then spread a layer of brown sugar on top of it and baked it for an additional 5-7 minutes. Your house will smell amazing while baking this!

I added the spice tea made with Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus at bottling as the recipe suggests as well and this really put this beer over the top.

 

[janson745]

janson,

I used the extract recipe from this thread: Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale

The recipe calls for 60 oz. of canned pumpkin which sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't that much. I spread the canned pumpkin out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled some pumpkin pie spice over it and baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I then spread a layer of brown sugar on top of it and baked it for an additional 5-7 minutes. Your house will smell amazing while baking this!

I added the spice tea made with Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus at bottling as the recipe suggests as well and this really put this beer over the top.

That's awesome. Thanks. I just got a Midwest extract kit in the mail for a Pumpkin Ale. It says "you provide the pumpkin" So I am just trying to figure out how to do that.

 

[MMJfan]

Good luck!

 

[phiberoptik]

I made a pumpkin ale last year twice first time was an extract so I steeped pumpkin with some specialty grains, second time I put it into my mash tun and mashed with my other grain. I use real pumpkins roasted in the oven by the way, both recipes turned out great, will be making another batch in the next two weeks.

Which gave you the best color/flavor? Would you try combining the two and doing some mash and some boil?

 

[Gartywood]

DO NOT add five 15 oz. cans pumpkin to an all grain mash. Stuck sparge hell!

I just did a 7.5 gallon batch with 60 oz of pumpkin. I did a 5 gallon batch of the same recipe last year and got a massively stuck mash. Here's what i did this year:

1) add strike water to mash tun.
2) add rice hills to tun
3) add grains to tun
4) stir and break up dough balls
5) mix a generous amount of rice hulls into pumpkin purée.
6) add pumpkin to top of mashtun.
7) DO NOT STIR
8) i used a batch sparge

Last year I didn't take these steps and the mash stuck instantly. This year with these steps the mash didn't stick until 75% of the way through the sparge. I was able to unstick with stirring and ended up with the correct volume and my predicted gravity with very very little stress. Fly sparging might actually prevent the stuck sparge better as my stuck sparge came after my second sparge infusion

 

[turkeycreekbrewery]

I have had a stuck mash in the past. Despite what some say, I add to my boil for the full boil. It does clog the screen from the boil pot to the carboy. However it does not fully get stuck just slow transfer. This is OK. I have requests every year from friends to brew it for them for holiday parties excellent beer.

 

[janson745]

So I am wondering if I did not add enough pumpkin in my ale. I only used 2 15oz cans in the steeping of the grains. Would it be wise of me to bake another 30oz and add it to the bottom of my carboy in secondary? I plan to rack the beer to it in the next few days.

I will be getting the spice tea for the bottling, but I just want to make sure there is a bit of a pumpkin flavor...

All help is appreciated!

 

[mjdonnelly68]

DO NOT add five 15 oz. cans pumpkin to an all grain mash. Stuck sparge hell!

I just made a Sweet Potato Stout with 5lbs of mashed sweet potato in the mash. Threw in 4oz of Rice Hulls and had no problem with a stuck mash (I fly sparge). Went like clockwork.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I had zero issues with 60oz of Pumpkin Puree in the mash for the 5 Gallon Thunderstuck Pumpkin ale...i threw 1lb of rice hulls into my grains and shook it up before I put them in the mash...batch sparging had no issues...and it was my very first AG ever.

 

[funkyskier]

I like the idea of adding the tea at bottling. To bad I just bottled before I read the post.

 

[J187]

I just brewed a pumpkin extract and I used actual pumpkins, pie pumpkin in fact, which is tastier and more apt for eating than carving pumpkins. I cubed about 5lbs of the pumpkin and roasted it on cookie sheets with a little water at the bottom, softened beautifully. I added the roasted cubes to the boil at about 45 min using steeping bags. Steeped til the end of the boil, drained and discarded. Not sure how it will come out, it's about a week into fermenting.

 

[AdamPag]

If you're doing AG or Partial mash, the pumpkin gets Mashed with the grains (RICE HULLS OR GTFO) seriously... the pumpkin clogs up everything. If its extract, you can throw the pumpkin in the boil, strain it out as best you can, and top off an extra .5-1gal as its gonna displace a lot of the wort no matter what you do

 

[MMJfan]

So I am wondering if I did not add enough pumpkin in my ale. I only used 2 15oz cans in the steeping of the grains. Would it be wise of me to bake another 30oz and add it to the bottom of my carboy in secondary? I plan to rack the beer to it in the next few days.

I will be getting the spice tea for the bottling, but I just want to make sure there is a bit of a pumpkin flavor...

All help is appreciated!

I've read where people don't add any pumpkin to their pumpkin ales at all. The spices are where you get most of the flavors from and the pumpkin is more of a texture/mouth feel and a bit of flavor, but not much. I would say stick with what you've got...