Autumn Seasonal Beer Imperial Pumpkin Pie Ale

[BudzAndSudz]

Let's talk yeast for a moment, yeah?

Last year on all three batches of this I used WLP013 London Ale yeast. It was absolutely the best beer I've ever made. Now since I can't leave good enough alone I want to try and see if there's an even better option out there. So far the strains that interest me most, in order, are;

WLP037 Yorkshire Square Ale
WLP005 British Ale
WLP002 English Ale

My guess is that these are all going to be good, and perhaps may even be indistinguishable from one another, but I wanted to see what the community here thinks!

 

[jwible204]

Let's talk yeast for a moment, yeah?

Last year on all three batches of this I used WLP013 London Ale yeast. It was absolutely the best beer I've ever made. Now since I can't leave good enough alone I want to try and see if there's an even better option out there. So far the strains that interest me most, in order, are;

WLP037 Yorkshire Square Ale
WLP005 British Ale
WLP002 English Ale

My guess is that these are all going to be good, and perhaps may even be indistinguishable from one another, but I wanted to see what the community here thinks!

I've never used WLP037 but just read about it, sounds like it would be just fine. Most English/American Ale yeasts would work fine for this beer, though I prefer a more malt-forward yeast for this style.

This year I used a combo of WLP023 and WLP007.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

I would agree with you. Everything I've read about 037 is that it's pretty malty as well (being another english strain of course). I still like the WLP013, but the super low flocculation annoys me. purely an aesthetic thing really, but a nice clear beer is pretty enjoyable. I also REALLY like the thought of "Toasty, malt-driven esters" from WLP037.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

I've never used WLP037 but just read about it, sounds like it would be just fine. Most English/American Ale yeasts would work fine for this beer, though I prefer a more malt-forward yeast for this style.

This year I used a combo of WLP023 and WLP007.

Are you worried at all about 80% attenuation in a beer with such a high OG?Seems to me that it's potentially pushing the limits of drinkability for a beer if you're going from 1.090 to 1.020ish, but maybe I'm wrong on that. That's really my only hesitation with the 007, but then again, just using a plain ESB yeast that doesn't attenuate below 1.030 might have the exact opposite effect and make a beer that's just overly sweet and thick on the palate.

 

[jwible204]

Are you worried at all about 80% attenuation in a beer with such a high OG?Seems to me that it's potentially pushing the limits of drinkability for a beer if you're going from 1.090 to 1.020ish, but maybe I'm wrong on that. That's really my only hesitation with the 007, but then again, just using a plain ESB yeast that doesn't attenuate below 1.030 might have the exact opposite effect and make a beer that's just overly sweet and thick on the palate.

Legged 5.5 gallon of this year's tonight. Attenuated to 1.015, but still has a sweet taste. It has more spice coming through than previous years, most likely because of the spiced brown sugar and pumpkin I caramel iced and added to the mash (because of competition requirements). I still spiced it as usual and added vanilla, I'm stoked to try it next week!

I also have 4 oz of graham cracker extract coming that I'll be adding to the next 5.5 gallons, I think that's going to put this beer over the top.

 

[mwzakt20]

I'm curious if anyone ever tried this recipe w malt extract? I've only been brewing for about a year and havent attempted an all grain brew. I'm thinking of getting some amber malt w some crystal malt grain for my wort. I'm thinking the amber malt will provide a sweeter flavor than a pale malt.

I can't wait to try this out. All the suggestions on this thread sound awesome & were very helpful in prepping. Happy brewing!

 

[BudzAndSudz]

Legged 5.5 gallon of this year's tonight. Attenuated to 1.015, but still has a sweet taste. It has more spice coming through than previous years, most likely because of the spiced brown sugar and pumpkin I caramel iced and added to the mash (because of competition requirements). I still spiced it as usual and added vanilla, I'm stoked to try it next week!

I also have 4 oz of graham cracker extract coming that I'll be adding to the next 5.5 gallons, I think that's going to put this beer over the top.

So even with that low of an FG you don't get any hotness from the alcohol? I suppose with such a monster OG it should still be covered pretty well. I think I like the thought then, because I remember last year, despite being so tasty, it was a "one-glass" beer. Just SO much body that one glass was about all you could handle, despite how good it tasted. Hopefully a lower FG will increase the drinkability.

I've been considering the Graham Cracker extract thing too. Did you read that in the Pumking thread? haha. I'm a bit worried it'll push it a bit over the top in terms of overwhelming flavor, but it also might just hit the sweet spot.

 

[jwible204]

So even with that low of an FG you don't get any hotness from the alcohol? I suppose with such a monster OG it should still be covered pretty well. I think I like the thought then, because I remember last year, despite being so tasty, it was a "one-glass" beer. Just SO much body that one glass was about all you could handle, despite how good it tasted. Hopefully a lower FG will increase the drinkability.

I've been considering the Graham Cracker extract thing too. Did you read that in the Pumking thread? haha. I'm a bit worried it'll push it a bit over the top in terms of overwhelming flavor, but it also might just hit the sweet spot.

It's not a beer I would drink pints of, but I'm OK with that. I have it on right now next to a very quaffable Simcoe/Chinook Pale Ale. The Graham Cracker flavor is the thing I've wanted to do for a while and I found this Extract company who makes every extract you can think of. They are alcohol based and the person on the phone said they sell to breweries pretty often.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

So do you like the dry finish of 1.015 better than last years? I think I remember finishing about 1.022 last year which was delicious. I'm pretty interested in higher attenuation though, like I said from a drinkability standpoint. Don't want to be sick of it after only one, even if (as you said) the goal isn't to drink more than 2-3.
I really wanted the Yorkshire Ale from White Labs (Biscuity and Toasty esters sound perfect for this beer), but it doesn't come out until November :/

 

[jwible204]

So do you like the dry finish of 1.015 better than last years? I think I remember finishing about 1.022 last year which was delicious. I'm pretty interested in higher attenuation though, like I said from a drinkability standpoint. Don't want to be sick of it after only one, even if (as you said) the goal isn't to drink more than 2-3.
I really wanted the Yorkshire Ale from White Labs (Biscuity and Toasty esters sound perfect for this beer), but it doesn't come out until November :/

You know, even with the drier finish it's still has a huge malt back-bone and plenty of body. I do think it's less 'creamy' tasting but fine nonetheless. I think to dial it in I'd aim for it to attenuate to about 1.020 in the future. This year's was also a bit different in that I added brown-sugar, that was only because it HAD to have real pumpkin for a competition I'm entering it in and I baked it before mashing with the sugar. That may have contributed to the attenuation along with the Dry English Ale yeast.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

I'm also looking at WLP009, Australian ale. Sounds like a very interesting option with "bready" characteristics. Might get it that "crust" flavor that's so desirable in this style. Thanks for all your feedback, btw.

 

[jwible204]

I'm also looking at WLP009, Australian ale. Sounds like a very interesting option with "bready" characteristics. Might get it that "crust" flavor that's so desirable in this style. Thanks for all your feedback, btw.

Glad to help, also glad that others like the recipe. Bready/Nutty/Toasty is exactly what I want in this beer.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

Me as well, which is partly why I've been wanting to search around for a yeast that's appropriate for this style. A lot of the "bready" character yeasts have poor attenuation though which is tough. I think a FG of 1.030 would be almost undrinkably sweet.

 

[kevin476]

I brewed this several weeks ago and kegged yesterday. WOW! I havent even added the vanilla yet and its awesome. I was really hoping that I would have something as good as Pumking and I did. Thanks alot for the recipe.

 

[kevin476]

Oh and I used WLP0028 because I get it free and fresh. It took the beer to 1.023

 

[BudzAndSudz]

Glad to help, also glad that others like the recipe. Bready/Nutty/Toasty is exactly what I want in this beer.

Agreed 100%, I feel like that's exactly what makes real pumpkin pie so enjoyable as well.

BTW, have you seen the slew of new posts in the Pumking Clone thread? You might want to rethink that graham cracker extract thing before you ruin your whole batch. Apparently it's disgusting and undrinkable. There are bunches of people dumping out entire kegs worth of their beer thanks to the GC extract.

 

[syke0021]

I just made this again today. 5 gallon batch and I hit 85% efficiency for the first time ever. OG was 1.100 PA 13%. I'm hoping that it finishes around the 1.033 mark for a respectable and sweet 9%er. This time, instead of actual pumpkin, I used two cans of Libby's Pure Pumpkin mixed with the spices and baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes. That went into two nylon paint strainer bags and steeped in the wort for the last 15 minutes and cool down. I also put a charge of 1/2 tsp each spice in at 15 minutes left as well. It still smelled great, just like last year. We'll see if it's as good or better than the one I made last year!

MacGruber, what size cans of Libby's did you use? I'm brewing up a 5 gallon batch tomorrow with a similar grain bill. I was thinking of using a 30oz can and baking it at 350 for 30 minutes with a little brown sugar, then using a muslin bag to add it to the boil with 15 minutes remaining. I'm only trying to achieve a little extra flavor/color with the pumpkin. Based on your experience with this recipe, would this work or would you recommend tweaking my plan.

 

[MacGruber]

I used two of the 30 oz. cans. I would get a paint strainer bag because the mesh is super fine. You'll have less of a mss on your hands. I also added the pumpkin pie spices to the pumpkin as well before baking. You still add pumpkin pie spices to the boil as well.

 

[syke0021]

Thanks for the advice. I had toyed with the idea of using a paint strainer bag in the past as a hop strainer, but have avoided it due to concerns about hop efficiency. It makes perfect sense for the pumpkin though! Out of curiosity, did you put your hop additions in separately or use the bag since it's already in your boil?

 

[syke0021]

Thanks for the advice. I had toyed with the idea of using a paint strainer bag in the past as a hop strainer, but have avoided it due to concerns about hop efficiency. It makes perfect sense for the pumpkin though!

Out of curiosity, did you put your hop additions in separately or use the bag since it's already in your boil?

 

[MacGruber]

I used two separate cheese cloths for my hop additions.

 

[kmac666]

I brewed this beer and it was awesome. I through in Libby's with about 15min to go in boil after baking and adding some pumpkin spice. Keg gone in under a week, amazing beer. This time, To mix up a bit thinking of smoking a few pumpkins in my smoker and then adding to the mash. Is this just too much, adding a smoke flavor to an already heavily spiced beer? Thinking of adding around 8lbs of cubed up smoked pumpkin to mash. How much in rice halls need to be added? 5 gal batch. Any thoughts, maybe I should stick with an already great beer and not mess with it.

 

[jwible204]

I like the idea of introducing smoke flavor/aroma, but I would do it with smoked malt because you have more predictable results. I think 1-2 lbs of weyermann smoked for 5.5 gallons of a beer this size would be good. It wouldn't be overwhelming but will come through in the nose and flavor.

 

[MacGruber]

I don't like the idea of adding smoke, but that's my taste. I couldn't imagine eating a smokey, pumpkin pie.

 

[kmac666]

I don't like the idea of adding smoke, but that's my taste. I couldn't imagine eating a smokey, pumpkin pie.

Yeah that's where I pretty much landed. I like to smoke foods so was thinking of maybe trying to make a smokey beer with the use of my smoker. Pumpkin is prob not the way. Leave this one as is, it's awesome.

 

[seedubxj]

Just about ready to keg this bad boy. I ended up @ 1.086 OG and it finished @ 1.022. Tasted my hydro sample, and its really nice. A little heat from the alcohol, but by no means overwhelming. Can't wait to taste it with the keg spice/ vanilla additions. Should be great for our halloween party this weekend. Thanks to the OP for the recipe!!!

 

[seedubxj]

Kegged tonight with 2 oz vanilla and 1.25 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. It's a little on the sweet side as of right now. I'm hoping that once it carbs up and has a few days to sit that the sweetness will die down a bit. Although I'm not too hopeful. I think the 1.022 FG may be the source of the majority of the sweetness. Anyone have a similar experience? Here is a pic. It's on the right. And I also kegged my IPA, which is on the left.

 

[Stephanj88]

Ok just wanted to make sure I have this right. I kegged this tonight, a 5 gallon batch with 1.25 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 2 ounces of vinilla. My question is the recipe said "At bottling - 1.25 tsp of Pumpkin Pie spice was added per 5 gallons as well as ~4 oz of real vanilla extract". Is that 4 ounces per 5 gallons or 4 ounces per the original 10 gallon recipe? I dont want to add to much vanilla to it and overwhelm the beer.

 

[seedubxj]

I would NOT use 4oz in 5 gallons. I almost feel that 2oz is too much (for my tastes anyways). Start with 2, and you can adjust up to fit your tastes as needed.

 

[jwible204]

I would NOT use 4oz in 5 gallons. I almost feel that 2oz is too much (for my tastes anyways). Start with 2, and you can adjust up to fit your tastes as needed.

It totally depends on the strength of your extract. I made my own, and the first year (just before I wrote this page) it was only sitting on the beans for a few weeks. I stress to add/stir/try until it's where you want it.

My current stash of extract has been sitting on beans for over a year now and is quite potent requiring much less.