Thoughts on pumpkin ale

Just poured a pint from tap after 7 days of set it and forget it force carb. Pumpkin flavor good, spices lacking despite doubling recipe amount. Still needs a little more zip to it. Could I have tasted to early? How much more time should I give it?

 

Most of my beers taste OK after a week but much better at 2 weeks and longer.

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A local brewery makes an excellent pumpkin beer that is almost perfect IMO. However when they serve it they rim the glass with cinnamon sugar and that just takes it to a whole new level. Maybe you could try something like that until the spice flavor shines through some more.


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Good idea on the Spiced d rim glass. Will try it today!

 

made an ale two days ago. We added two cans of pumpkin purée to the wort and did a 60 min boil. Can you think of any reason that this would not work? I will say I have never seen a beer take off like this before. We are using a blow off tube and it is constant bubbles nonstop no breaks at all. Should I be worried?

 

Don't worry at all. Mine did same thing. Two 29 ounce cans pumpkin in the boil. Fermented like crazy with blow off tube! Perfectly normal!

 

From my experience adding actual pumpkin to the mash/boil doesn't really produce any pumpkin flavor in the finished beer but more of a smooth mouth feel. Adding the spices is what really makes the pumpkin flavor come through. This year I'm thinking about skipping the pumpkin altogether and just adding oatmeal to get the smooth mouth feel and just worrying about the spice additions. You can pretty much add spices whenever throughout the whole "beer making" process. I usually add some at the 5 minute mark in the boil and then at kegging/bottling time if it needs a little more. Good luck! Great time of year to brew your fall beers!!