Autumn Seasonal Beer Imperial Pumpkin Pie Ale

[jwible204]

Hey guys, I'm going to be buying the supplies for this recipe and I can't help but to think about how much I'll be mashing! Did anyone else do this recipe with less grains? Or is having such a high OG what makes this so "pumpkin pie-ish"? I won't skimp out if this is what everybody else did and had great results with, but I figured I would ask. Thanks!

You can absolutely scale back the recipe, the spices/vanilla give it the pumpkin pie flavor. I like it being 'big' and Imperial because it has a nice big body. I would say scale down the base grain and some of the Crystal a hair, then flavor with spices as you see fit.

 

[MacGruber]

When I first made it, I scaled the grains down to 10 lbs pale malt and 2 lbs crystal-20. I cut the spices in half and added baked pumpkin chunks during the last 15 minutes of the boil. It was phenomenal and about 6%.

 

[LazyPasta]

Thanks for the response guys! For my 5 gallon batch, I decided to go right in between you two. I can't wait to brew this up. One more question though, is there any reason you didn't use vanilla extract from the bottle rather than using an actual vanilla bean?

 

[jwible204]

Thanks for the response guys! For my 5 gallon batch, I decided to go right in between you two. I can't wait to brew this up. One more question though, is there any reason you didn't use vanilla extract from the bottle rather than using an actual vanilla bean?

You can use vanilla bean if you like, I made the extract with real vanilla beans. It gives you more control over the flavor because you can add/swirl/taste.

 

[MacGruber]

I used store bought (Trader Joe's) bourbon vanilla extract at kegging. It was fantastic. Just make sure you use pure vanilla extract and not imitation.

 

[LazyPasta]

Thanks a lot guys..I appreciate it. I'll be brewing this on Saturday and I'll let you know what the initial taste tests are like!!!

 

[jwible204]

Thanks a lot guys..I appreciate it. I'll be brewing this on Saturday and I'll let you know what the initial taste tests are like!!!

Awesome! I will say, it won't be as 'pumpkiny' until bottling/kegging when you add the additional spice so don't be alarmed.

 

[MacGruber]

I second that! It will "taste pumpkin-y," but won't have the right aroma yet because it gets blown off during fermentation. Once you add the spices/vanilla at kegging/bottling it all comes together!

 

[barnhs]

I used store bought (Trader Joe's) bourbon vanilla extract at kegging. It was fantastic. Just make sure you use pure vanilla extract and not imitation.

I'm gong to try this. Instead of using store bought, I'm going to make my own. But I'm going to soak the bourbon vanilla beans (from Madagascar) in bourbon (from Makers Mark) instead of vodka. Not sure how much flavor this will add, but can't possibly be bed, can it?

 

[jwible204]

I'm gong to try this. Instead of using store bought, I'm going to make my own. But I'm going to soak the bourbon vanilla beans (from Madagascar) in bourbon (from Makers Mark) instead of vodka. Not sure how much flavor this will add, but can't possibly be bed, can it?

The bourbon will add flavor, but it really depends on how much you put in. My suggestion would be to add/stir/taste until it's where you want it.

 

[MacGruber]

I thought I was going to open up a can of worms with that bourbon vanilla extract. You can make your own but make sure it's balanced. For me, TJ's can't be beat.

 

[barnhs]

I thought I was going to open up a can of worms with that bourbon vanilla extract. You can make your own but make sure it's balanced. For me, TJ's can't be beat.

Brewed last night, and it's going to be BIG. Hit 1.100 in OG. Will proceed with caution on the vanilla. All the talk of bourbon vanilla beans made me think of something other than vodka. Thought about infusing rum too, but MM sounded like it was more appropriate.

Will let you know how it turns out.

 

[MacGruber]

Mine is still bubbling every four to five seconds and the yeast are going crazy in there.

 

[kingmatt]

Brewed up my second attempt at this on Sunday and tweaked the recipe a bit from last year.

I did a 50/50 blend of 2-Row and Vienna for the base to give it a bit more of a biscuit character. I also baked a can (29oz) of Libby's pumpkin that I added some pumpkin pie spice too for 30 min and added it to the mash (I felt a little disingenuous calling it a pumpkin ale without a little pumpkin in there).

I also split and am soaking a vanilla bean in dark rum and will add the whole mix to the secondary.

It is chugging away now so I will post back with the results in a few weeks

 

[jwible204]

I brewed this up yesterday, also tweaking the recipe to what I had on hand. I swapped out the C20 for 1# C60, 2# C40 and 1# CaraPils. I also baked canned pumpkin with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg because I'm entering it into a competition that requires real pumpkin to be in the beer. I mashed it for the 60 minutes.

My OG was 1.086 as I was a tad low on efficiency, but I'm still very happy with the results. The beer tastes/smells great already. When I added the spices @ 5 minutes everyone at the brew-event immediately knew what I was brewing.

 

[jwible204]

Brewed last night, and it's going to be BIG. Hit 1.100 in OG. Will proceed with caution on the vanilla. All the talk of bourbon vanilla beans made me think of something other than vodka. Thought about infusing rum too, but MM sounded like it was more appropriate.

Will let you know how it turns out.

That's going to be an absolute monster, holy ****. I'm curious as to how well it attenuates, lets us know!

 

[LazyPasta]

So I brewed this on Saturday and it didn't hit me until right now that I didn't even put my spices in!!!!! That's what I get for trying to brew while a bunch of other things are going on all around me. Anyways, my plan of action now is to wait until this absolutely ferocious fermentation dies down a bit and then add the spices. I know it won't be the same as being boiled in, but hopefully if I very carefully swirl them in, it may get some of the flavor? What do you guys think? UGH!

 

[jwible204]

Just boil them with a small amount of water to sanitize, cool and swirl in. Its the same as if you added to the boil.

 

[barnhs]

That's going to be an absolute monster, holy ****. I'm curious as to how well it attenuates, lets us know!

You and me both. Thought about fermenting lower than 70, but was concerned she'd never finish. Also, pitched a 800ml starter in my 3 gallon batch to make sure our boys "took the beach". They did. On the second day, was worried the Krousen was going to overflow my 5 gallon karboy. I'm three days in, and things have slowed considerably. will take a reading later tonight and see where it lands.

 

[barnhs]

You and me both. Thought about fermenting lower than 70, but was concerned she'd never finish. Also, pitched a 800ml starter in my 3 gallon batch to make sure our boys "took the beach". They did. On the second day, was worried the Krousen was going to overflow my 5 gallon karboy. I'm three days in, and things have slowed considerably. will take a reading later tonight and see where it lands.

Ok. Just took a gravity reading. 1.030 after 3 days, so looking really good on that front. But strong Banana Esters. Fermenting at 70, so its in the Wyeast range. Thoughts? High gravity stressing the yeast? Will the banana esters subside?

 

[jwible204]

I'd keep it cooler, mine is sitting at about 63 right now. I usually don't let my Ales get above 65 for the first week or so fermentation, unless it's a Saison or a another yeast that tolerates heat well.

 

[MacGruber]

Mine is fluctuating between 63 and 68 ambient.

 

[hopbrad]

I'm gong to try this. Instead of using store bought, I'm going to make my own. But I'm going to soak the bourbon vanilla beans (from Madagascar) in bourbon (from Makers Mark) instead of vodka. Not sure how much flavor this will add, but can't possibly be bed, can it?

hell no! sounds derishious. i did about 6 ounces of Flor De Cana spiced Rum with 6 vanilla beans quartered and split and added a little more than half of the liquid today and 2 of the beans. ill let it sit for 10 more days, which will be 30 days in the primary then bottle. i forgot i had kraken spiced rum in the basement, which already has some vanilla and clove flavor, i bet it woulda been awesome to let the vanilla beans soak in that.

 

[jwible204]

Woke up to some serious blow-off today. I pitched at about 9:30 yesterday morning, within 3 hours I had krausen and sometime overnight it started blowing off.

 

[swensonsn]

I am going to make this for sure, but in a 5 gallon batch. I believe I may cut the 2 row back a bit and add the roasted meat of a nice sized pumpkin. At any rate, This beer sounds delicious.

 

[MacGruber]

I did it with real pumpkin and brown sugar. Check out page four of this thread for how I did it. I had to use canned pumpkin this time, but wished I had real pumpkin. The canned was a mess.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

I threw my pumpkin in for the last 20 minutes or so of the boil. I think mashing it isn't the best plan because a) with this monster grain bill, my mash tun is pretty much full at 1.5 qt/lb infusion rate, and b) you're not trying to diastatically convert the pumpkin. At the end of the boil you can extract all the flavors without boiling off all the aroma, and you don't overwhelm your MLT.

I used a whole pie pumpkin and roasted it with a bit of spices and brown sugar until browned, then threw the soft chunks into the boiling wort.

 

[MacGruber]

That's exactly what I did last year buds, for exactly the same reason. I couldn't get real pumpkin this early so I settled for canned baked with spices in the boil for the last 15 minutes.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

Right on!

And for what it's worth, I fermented mine at about 70-75 degrees or so (just room temperature with a towel around it) and I never had issues with off flavors. This beer is so big that it seems unlikely that yeasty esters and phenols are going to overwhelm all the spices and malts. My friends are DEMANDING I brew a good 20 gallons of this again this year so I think it must've been alright. In fact, they've been asking me to brew another batch since January and I've had to tell them to wait until pumpkin season. Drives them nuts!

 

[barnhs]

Right on!

And for what it's worth, I fermented mine at about 70-75 degrees or so (just room temperature with a towel around it) and I never had issues with off flavors. This beer is so big that it seems unlikely that yeasty esters and phenols are going to overwhelm all the spices and malts. My friends are DEMANDING I brew a good 20 gallons of this again this year so I think it must've been alright. In fact, they've been asking me to brew another batch since January and I've had to tell them to wait until pumpkin season. Drives them nuts!

I'm encouraged by this! May have been my taking a gravity reading when it was still really actively fermenting, but it definitely smelled like pumpkin banana bread. Hoping it will pass. Btw, the reading we 1.030. After three days, that was close to the recipe. Racked after 5 days, and it's been in secondary at 65 for a week. Will check it again tonight and see how she's doing.