Is it possible to add canned pumpkin directly into the bottling bucket?

[mayday935]

I am making a pumpkin weizenbock, and the recipe called for 30 oz of canned pumpkin in the mini mash. When I racked about one week ago to the secondary, I added about 3 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice. A tasting at the time of racking didn't find much pumpkin flavor, but I thought the spices might bring it out so I waited. The SG has been the same for the last week since racking, but when I tasted it today you can hardly taste any pumpkin flavor at all.

A brewer friend of mine suggested adding a can of pumpkin directly to the bottling bucket, and another suggested adding it to the secondary. Each had issues with the other's suggestion. As far as adding to the bottling bucket, brewer B said that the fruit sugars plus priming sugars may cause the bottles to explode. Brewer A suggested that adding the pumpkin to the secondary at this point (when fermentation is pretty much done) would shock the yeast so that I would be feeding priming sugar to dead yeast when I went to bottle.

I'm paralyzed with indecision. Any thoughts and suggestions would be very much appreciated!! And, for the record, just going with additional pumpkin pie spice in the bottling bucket is not an option I'm interested in. I want pumpkin flavor, not just spice!

 

[Yooper]

No!

Well, yes, I need to explain that it IS possible. But if you add canned pumpkin to the bottling bucket and bottle the beer, the odds are that you'll have bottle bombs. Pretty good odds, as in- don't do it. Your will blow up bottles and possibly injure yourself, others, and pets.

 

[Soup4you2]

I'm still pretty new at this, but i believe that all the sugars, etc need to ferment before bottling.. plus how can you really be sure that the canned pumpkin is truly sanitized with out introducing it into the boil?

Now if you were using a real pumpkin, then i imagine you could bake it and add it to the carboy for another couple weeks.. but again i'm new and just guessing..

 

[barnhs]

I'm still pretty new at this, but i believe that all the sugars, etc need to ferment before bottling.. plus how can you really be sure that the canned pumpkin is truly sanitized with out introducing it into the boil?

Just add it to the mash. If your doing a partial mash, add it to the grain bag. If its all grain, make sure to add some rice hulls to keep the mash from getting stuck.

 

[McGarnigle]

If you added exactly the right amount of pumpkin to he bottling bucket, it might carbonate properly (I.e., you would use it instead of priming sugar). But I don't know what that amount would be and it would likely be too low to add discernible pumpkin flavor.

I don't know where the shock-the-yeast argument cones from. I think one of your brewing friends doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[dstranger99]

A brewer friend of mine suggested adding a can of pumpkin directly to the bottling bucket, and another suggested adding it to the secondary. Each had issues with the other's suggestion. As far as adding to the bottling bucket, brewer B said that the fruit sugars plus priming sugars may cause the bottles to explode. Brewer A suggested that adding the pumpkin to the secondary at this point (when fermentation is pretty much done) would shock the yeast so that I would be feeding priming sugar to dead yeast when I went to bottle.

Oh my ..........lol..............:cross:

 

[bob1852]

What flavor are you looking for? Pumpkin itself has very little flavor. The pumpkin pie flavor is 99% spices in my opinion.

 

[barnhs]

What flavor are you looking for? Pumpkin itself has very little flavor. The pumpkin pie flavor is 99% spices in my opinion.

Totally agree. Other the the orange color, and maybe a little mouth feel, it's hard to discern the flavor. Just remember to bake the pumpkin at 350 for an hour. In addition to adding some sugar caramelization, it will help to sterilize anything in it.

 

[Firebat138]

add it to the mash and you are good...

 

[McGarnigle]

He already brewed the beer and racked it to secondary, so adding pumpkin to the mash won't work at this point.

 

[FATC1TY]

You are pretty much past the point of adding any pumpkin to be honest. Just add the spices and roll with it. Add them to some vodka and add it to the beer. Do it to taste.

Adding to your bottling bucket is a stupid idea. You could add it to secondary, but honestly, it'll impart VERY little flavor.

 

[jbaysurfer]

"A brewer friend of mine suggested adding a can of pumpkin directly to the bottling bucket, and another suggested adding it to the secondary."

DON'T listen to the first brewer, that's not friendly advice! The other is doable, but just know you're introducing fermentables to the secondary so you're going to get another Krausen and a higher ABV beer when it's all said and done.

 

[Revvy]

I'm a pumpkin beer purist, I believe it ain't a pumpkin beer if it doesn't have REAL pumpkin in it. BUT saying that, you want your pumpkin in the mash, in the primary or in the secondary, and enough time for the yeast to eat any sugars it might get from it, for any fermentation to stop, and to have sufficient time for the beer to clear. And maybe at least one more racking from whatever you put the pumpkin in. But NOT in the bottling bucket.

If you really want to do this, then don't bottle right away, add pumpkin to whereever it is now, let it sit for a week to 10 days, then rack it to another vessel and let it sit for at least another week (if you can cold crash) or at least two, THEN bottle.

 

[deggenbe]

start a 3 gallon batch or something. add your pumpkin at the correct stage with this one, then ferment.
try to keep the recipes other than this identical.

when done fermenting you can combine them.


more beer!

 

[Revvy]

start a 3 gallon batch or something. add your pumpkin at the correct stage with this one, then ferment.
try to keep the recipes other than this identical.

when done fermenting you can combine them.


more beer!

Good idea!

 

[Firebat138]

thanx captain obvious...

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I'm a pumpkin beer purist, I believe it ain't a pumpkin beer if it doesn't have REAL pumpkin in it. BUT saying that, you want your pumpkin in the mash, in the primary or in the secondary, and enough time for the yeast to eat any sugars it might get from it, for any fermentation to stop, and to have sufficient time for the beer to clear. And maybe at least one more racking from whatever you put the pumpkin in. But NOT in the bottling bucket.

If you really want to do this, then don't bottle right away, add pumpkin to whereever it is now, let it sit for a week to 10 days, then rack it to another vessel and let it sit for at least another week (if you can cold crash) or at least two, THEN bottle.

True, but i think most of us also realize that the pumpkin add's very little to the overall beer...may be a bit better body, and a very slight taste...but mine was very slight was 60oz in 5 gallons.

 

[J187]

Revvy's and Degenbe's ideas both sound good. So you didn't forget the addition of pumpkin to your mash, but you didn't get quite the flavor you are hoping for? An easy modification to make is to try to add some more spices, you can do this right into the secondary and leave it for a couple days before bottling. I put significant amounts of spices in my pumpkin as well as 6lbs of fresh pie pumpkin meat. You could add some allspice, cloves, etc - might make the difference.


Also, I just reread a little more carefully - you tasted it at racking time and added the little bit of spices then too? So you tasted the wort either right before spicing or just after? Have you retasted it since? The reason I ask is that those spices you put it in there wouldn't have fully been present in the taste right away... it's not like you are salting a steak and 3 seconds after you've applied salt to the steak you can taste the salt - it needs time. Especially when you aren't using the heat extraction of a boil.