Brewing my first PUMPKIN!

[andrewhicks237]

Hey guys,

Doing my 4th All-Grain this weekend and had a question...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/schlafly-pumpkin-ale-clone-attempt-sorta-201624/

I was told I need to bake the canned pumpkin on a cookie sheet... How long and do I put it on foil? I understand the reasoning behind it, sort of... But how hot for how long and what should I be looking for. Also, do I add this to my strike water right before I hit my pre boil target? during? as I start the boil? Just curious as to how I should do it.

Also, is the 2x15 oz cans of pumpkin enough? Should I do 3 cans? 1? THANKS FOR FEEDBACK!

On deck: Schlafly Pumpkin clone
Fermenting: Boulevard Nutcracker Ale clone
Lagering/Aging/Souring:
Conditioning: Green Flash WC IPA clone/Mild English brown ale
Drinkin': Raspberry Brown

 

[TopherM]

1) Canned pumpkin is already cooked. You can cook it to get some caramelization, but you aren't really going to get much else from cooking pumpkin that's already cooked. I don't cook the pumpkin in my recipes.

2) I put my pumpkin in the mash. If you do traditional three vessel brewing, make sure you use rice hulls to avoid a stuck sparge.

3) I always use around 60 oz. FOUR 15 oz cans.

Good luck!

 

[andrewhicks237]

Three Vessel? And so you are saying its not necessary to cook it for an hour at 350? What does the carmalization do? Rice husks?

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Three Vessel? And so you are saying its not necessary to cook it for an hour at 350? What does the carmalization do? Rice husks?

I'm not an all-grain brewer, I'm a partial mash brewer. I cooked my pumpkin at 350 for about 30 minutes. The theory is that with the carmalization you bring more flavor out of the pumpkin. However, I've heard pumpkin doesn't have much flavor to it. The key is your spice additions, the pumpkin is basically for coloring and to be able to claim it's a true pumpkin brew.

 

[TopherM]

Three Vessel? And so you are saying its not necessary to cook it for an hour at 350? What does the carmalization do? Rice husks?

And so you are saying its not necessary to cook it for an hour at 350?

Definitely not necessary. When people talk about cooking the pumpkin, they are talking about raw pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is already cooked.

What does the carmalization do?

Carmelization makes the sweetness of the pumpkin more prominent in the final brew. As the last poster stated, though, it's the pumpkin pie spices, not the pumpkin, that really gives the pumpkin pie flavor to the brew, so you can accomplish much of the same thing just through the spices you add.

Three Vessel?

You said you were an all-grain brewer. I guess you do brew in a bag? The major all-grain methods are brew in a bag and traditional brewing in three vessels (Mash Tun, Hot Liquor Tank, and Boil Kettle).

Rice husks?

Pumpkin fibers are pretty small, and wiggle their way through most grain bags, false bottoms, etc. If you do BIAB, no big whoop, it just becomes turb, but if you are a traditional AG brewer, pumpkin fibers will clog false bottoms, valve screens, etc., making it impossible to sparge. The solution to this is adding rice hulls below the mash that act as a much finer filter but still allows wort to flow.

 

[andrewhicks237]

Oh yeah I do all-grain... Just was confused 3-vessel is not a term I've heard so far. Relatively new! I fashioned a Tun out of a rubbermaid cooler, no BIAB. Thanks for the feedback! Do you know of a ST Pumpking Clone by any chance?!?!?!