Effect of Pumpkin in beer

[Schreiner]

You can read up and down the internet about pumpkin beers loaded up with spices. Some of the commercial examples I like, others not so much.

I get it, pumpkin by itself doesn't have much taste, but how does it change the mouth feel, for example? Does it tend to increase the body, or decrease?

I plan on using roasted, mashed pumpkin flesh in the mash, if that matters, vs. putting pumpkin directly into the boil.

Any experience, or links to resources I missed that address this topic would be appreciated!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi, Schreiner -

My son brewed Brooklyn Brew Shop's pre-packaged mix for Pumpkin Beer last year. It turned out very good, and was in my opinion better than any of the commercial pumpkin beers I've tried. It was actually very much like having a mouthful of pumpkin pie. Here is a link to the instructions, which might offer some useful information regarding the mash and boil:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/pages/instructions-pumpkin-beer

When my son made his, he used some in the mash and in the boil, which seemed to work well. It seemed to me that the beer did have a nice, full mouth-feel; it was very pleasant and I am guessing that wheat was part of the grain bill, to help with this.

A couple of tings I know from my experiences cooking with pumpkin:

Butternut squash is actually a good suggestion as a substitute for most pumpkin, as it tastes more like what you expect pumpkin to taste like than most pumpkins actually taste; in fact, most canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash.

If you are absolutely committed to using pumpkin and don't want to consider butternut squash, then I would suggest a sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin; there may be other specific varieties that are just as good, as well, but the typical Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin is not one of them.

I have a recipe for Pumpkin Dubbel that I'd be glad to share, if you want to give it a try. It is not "my" recipe, and it is scanned into a PDF; so if you want it, please feel free to shoot a PM with your email address, and I can send it over.

Hope this helps -

Ron

 

[Weezy]

Imho, add some maltodex and flaked barley, in addition to the spices. Save yourself the work.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I should note that my son cubed and roasted his pumpkin as well - I believe that it was tossed with some brown sugar, then roasted at 325 degrees until the pumpkin got toasty-looking, about 60 minutes.

 

[eadavis80]

I don't know - maybe a touch of body - a hint of gravity and some color. I did it for the fun of it. I figure if I'm making a pumpkin ale I might as well put pumpkin in it, but I think its impact is pretty negligible.

 

[enkamania]

I actually do both mash and boil. It does give it that unique pumpkin texture, but doesn't really add flavor

 

[harry_the_face]

I ha tried in mash and it got stuck bad! Even with rice hulls. I do it in the boil ad I think it makes a difference in taste and color. Maybe this year I will do one with and one without and see if there is a difference.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]in fact, most canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash. [...]

Snope.

"As much of 90 percent of pumpkin sold in the U.S. (and 85 percent worldwide) is a proprietary cultivar known as a Dickinson pumpkin, which are less photogenic than the type of pumpkins commonly used for display purposes. The majority of canned pumpkin is not a blend of butternut and other winter squashes."

Grandma's everywhere can sleep easily tonight

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Well, there it is ~

 

[Schreiner]

Thanks for the responses, mostly. TasunkaWitko, I will PM you.