Autumn Seasonal Beer Imperial Pumpkin Pie Ale

jwible204 · Oct 11, 2010

34.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 89.5 %
4.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 10.5 %
2.00 oz Magnum [13.10%] (60 min) Hops 36.2 IBU
1.00 oz Sterling [6.00%] (10 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
4.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs London Ale (Wyeast Labs #1028) Yeast-Ale

Spice Additions - 1.0 heaping tsp of the following added @ 5 minutes -
nutmeg, cloves, alspice, ginger, cinnamon

At bottling - 1.25 tsp of Pumpkin Pie spice was added per 5 gallons as well as
~4 oz of real vanilla extract

Everyone who has tried this beer has absolutely loved it so I thought I'd share.

Bowtiebrewery · Oct 11, 2010

looks extremely simple... Simple being a good thing How long did you condition for?

jwible204 · Oct 11, 2010

After 3 weeks they were already tasting fantastic in the bottles. I'm at about 6 weeks from bottling and it is still getting better. I'm quite surprised how smooth it is at 9% ABV after such a short time.

Moody_Copperpot · Oct 14, 2010

If I wanted to try this as a five gallon batch, is it as simple as cutting the recipe in half?
Would you compare this to Souther Tier Pumking?

jwible204 · Oct 14, 2010

Moody_Copperpot said:
If I wanted to try this as a five gallon batch, is it as simple as cutting the recipe in half?
Would you compare this to Souther Tier Pumking?

yes, just cut the recipe/spice additions in half. also, it started out as a Pumking clone, but didn't really achieve that 'cake' like flavor of Pumking, it's more of a 'Pie' flavor.

at any rate, i built the recipe from the Pumking malts/hops so in that respect it's close.

redXstripe · Oct 14, 2010

jwible204 said:
yes, just cut the recipe/spice additions in half. also, it started out as a Pumking clone, but didn't really achieve that 'cake' like flavor of Pumking, it's more of a 'Pie' flavor.

at any rate, i built the recipe from the Pumking malts/hops so in that respect it's close.

J-

I'm a huge Pumking fan! I'm so excited to try this!

I noticed you opted not to go with the canned pumpkin as mentioned on the bottle. Do you think that could help add to the "cake" texture of the beer?

Also, can anyone help me out with converting this to extract?

Cheers!

HeavyBrew · Oct 14, 2010

Pumking is one of my favorite beers. Looks like you did a great job making your own Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Very nice. When you add those spices at bottling, don't you get that into your bottles? Or does in just sink to the bottom of your bottling bucket?

jwible204 · Oct 14, 2010

redXstripe said:
J-

I'm a huge Pumking fan! I'm so excited to try this!

I noticed you opted not to go with the canned pumpkin as mentioned on the bottle. Do you think that could help add to the "cake" texture of the beer?

Also, can anyone help me out with converting this to extract?

Cheers!

not sure on the conversion. i'd probably go with a bunch of Pale Extract and then some Crystal 20 for color/flavor.

jwible204 · Oct 14, 2010

HeavyBrew said:
Pumking is one of my favorite beers. Looks like you did a great job making your own Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Very nice. When you add those spices at bottling, don't you get that into your bottles? Or does in just sink to the bottom of your bottling bucket?

i'm thinking they sunk and/or dissolved because there definitely isn't any floating around the glass or anything.

Moody_Copperpot · Oct 15, 2010

Fantastic! I'm excited to try this out. What is the benefit of having it sit longer in the primary vs. the secondary? Just curious because I've more often seen it the other way around.
redXstripe, I have been an extract brewer for a while and just discovered how to become an all grain brewer for less than $100. Search "cooler MLT" on here

If you don't feel like doing that right now, download the free trial of http://beersmith.com/ it'll convert it for you.

Moody_Copperpot · Oct 15, 2010

Also, and this might be a stupid question. Is "real vanilla extract" a special type of extract, or is it what I can buy at the store?

jwible204 · Oct 15, 2010

Moody_Copperpot said:
Also, and this might be a stupid question. Is "real vanilla extract" a special type of extract, or is it what I can buy at the store?

i said 'real' because i had 2 vanilla beans that i soaked in vodka for about 4 weeks, then added the vodka to the bottling bucket.

Moody_Copperpot · Oct 15, 2010

How much vodka do you use per bean? And do you ground them up or just soak 'em?

jwible204 · Oct 17, 2010

Moody_Copperpot said:
How much vodka do you use per bean? And do you ground them up or just soak 'em?

i had 2 vanilla beans that i split down the center. i also scraped the insides to loosen them up. for 2 beans, i added about 2.5 shots of vodka.

jwible204 · Nov 5, 2010

Moody_Copperpot said:
Fantastic! I'm excited to try this out. What is the benefit of having it sit longer in the primary vs. the secondary? Just curious because I've more often seen it the other way around.
redXstripe, I have been an extract brewer for a while and just discovered how to become an all grain brewer for less than $100. Search "cooler MLT" on here
If you don't feel like doing that right now, download the free trial of http://beersmith.com/ it'll convert it for you.

did you try this out as an Extract?

Beer-Baron · Nov 17, 2010

This sounds good. I'd love to try this!

bigredbarn · Jul 19, 2011

You got down to 1.021 with 1 package of london ale yeast and 10 gallons of a 9% beer... ?

MacGruber · Aug 4, 2011

I'm sold. I'm going to be brewing this up as my next batch. I hope it comes out just as good with a 5 gal conversion.

Hoppylikerabbits · Aug 30, 2011

How much pumpkin is put into this recipe? I don't see it on the ingredients list. Unless im blind.

bh10 · Aug 31, 2011

Hoppylikerabbits said:
How much pumpkin is put into this recipe? I don't see it on the ingredients list. Unless im blind.

Probably zero, since Pumpkin King doesnt have any.

Medevac_Chief · Sep 1, 2011

can you subsitute rehydrated Irish Moss for the whirlfolac tabs??

Moody_Copperpot · Sep 1, 2011

bh10 said:
Probably zero, since Pumpkin King doesnt have any.

I think you mean Pumking, and yes they do use real pumpkin. It's seasoned, roasted, and added to the mash in that beer.

redXstripe · Sep 1, 2011

bh10 said:
Probably zero, since Pumpkin King doesnt have any.

I believe the bottle of Pumking says it uses pumpkin.... Many commercial versions, if not most use pumpkin.

I think what most people use is two regular size cans of pumpkin puree for a 5gal batch. Other recipes also suggest to bake the puree for a short amount of time. Not sure why...

*edit* sorry- just saw the above post!

ChadLeBald · Sep 9, 2011

jwible204 said:
Spice Additions - 1.0 heaping tsp of the following added @ 5 minutes -
nutmeg, cloves, alspice, ginger, cinnamon

I'm not sure how to interpret the amount of spice listed above: is it 1 tsp of EACH of the following, or just 1 tsp COMBINED? (I'm guessing the former, but if I'm wrong, that would be quite the over-spiced brew!)

MaxSpang · Sep 9, 2011

If I were to throw in a little pumpkin, like a can of pumkin pie filling, would that ruin it? For 5 gal, that is.

Thanks

uberlad · Sep 15, 2011

ChadLeBald said:
I'm not sure how to interpret the amount of spice listed above: is it 1 tsp of EACH of the following, or just 1 tsp COMBINED? (I'm guessing the former, but if I'm wrong, that would be quite the over-spiced brew!)

Also curious about this. Looking to do my brew in the next few weeks and want to be prepared!

Also, someone else had asked about getting a 9% ABV with just one pack of London yeast. I never saw an answer out of this. I'm guessing there was a starter involved -- but wow, 9% would be fantastic. Very curious!

ChadLeBald · Sep 15, 2011

uberlad said:
Also curious about this. Looking to do my brew in the next few weeks and want to be prepared!

Also, someone else had asked about getting a 9% ABV with just one pack of London yeast. I never saw an answer out of this. I'm guessing there was a starter involved -- but wow, 9% would be fantastic. Very curious!

Well, I brewed something similar this past weekend without confirmation...and looking at other recipes across the interwebs, I deduced that it was most likely 1 tsp of EACH of the spices. I took a sip of the brew 3 days into fermentation and I do think I made the right call - for sure there is a pumpkin pie thing going on, but it's balanced, not SPICE, SPICE AND MORE SPICE!

So have at it! But NOTE: keep in mind that the OP's recipe was a 10 gallon batch, so adjust accordingly depending on your batch size. In fact, I got about 12 gallons into the fermenter so even a 10 gal batch would be more spiced than what I'm getting.

Regarding the yeast: I had harvested some WLP001 prior, and did do a yeast starter with that. Fermenting nicely so I would suggest a starter - to your point, it is a 9% ABV...

uberlad · Sep 16, 2011

ChadLeBald said:
Well, I brewed something similar this past weekend without confirmation...and looking at other recipes across the interwebs, I deduced that it was most likely 1 tsp of EACH of the spices. I took a sip of the brew 3 days into fermentation and I do think I made the right call - for sure there is a pumpkin pie thing going on, but it's balanced, not SPICE, SPICE AND MORE SPICE!

So have at it! But NOTE: keep in mind that the OP's recipe was a 10 gallon batch, so adjust accordingly depending on your batch size. In fact, I got about 12 gallons into the fermenter so even a 10 gal batch would be more spiced than what I'm getting.

Regarding the yeast: I had harvested some WLP001 prior, and did do a yeast starter with that. Fermenting nicely so I would suggest a starter - to your point, it is a 9% ABV...

Yeah, I saw it was a 10 gallon batch. I'm doing 5 gallon, so I'll be cutting everything in half like another posted recommended. I'm probably going to be looking at half tsp of each spice.

Thanks for the help

Medevac_Chief · Sep 16, 2011

if the place i order from doesnt have sterling, would mount hood be an acceptable substitute?? ordering ingredients soon so please help

ChadLeBald · Sep 17, 2011

Medevac_Chief said:
if the place i order from doesnt have sterling, would mount hood be an acceptable substitute?? ordering ingredients soon so please help

Saaz would be a better direct substitute for Sterling than Mount Hood. That said, I personally used Hallertau late in the boil for my recent imperial pumpkin. And according to AHS, Mt. Hood is similar to Hallertau, so in that regard I think you'd be just fine in doing so.

FWIW, I added them @15 minutes (4.2% Alpha)

Autumn Seasonal Beer Imperial Pumpkin Pie Ale

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Member

In Hops We Trust

Well-Known Member

Active Member

In Hops We Trust

Active Member

Well-Known Member

In Hops We Trust

Similar threads