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It's that time of year again...PUMPKIN!!!

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drives_a_bike

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I made a pumpkin porter last year. It was just the Power Pack Porter kit from Midwest, then added a spice pack from a local organic food store and steeped 60oz of pumpkin from a can. Actually turned out really well. We had a diaper keg party (instead of a baby shower, you offer keg cups at the cost of a pack of diapers), and the porter was gone in an hour! Everyone loved it.
However, I decided late last year that I was only going to brew recipes I come up with, partial mash style. So no more kits! Here's my plan for this years porter...it's a big porter, pumpkin beer isnt something I'd sit and drink several of so I'm going bigger than a traditional porter. I just want that out there before someone says "that isn't within the bjcp porter qualifications", I don't care, I'm not submitting it for a metal, I just want a great seasonal pumpkin beer for friends to enjoy.

Stingy Jack
2lbs Marris Otter
2lbs 6 row
8oz crystal 120L
6oz chocolate
4oz English black malt
3.15lbs dark lme
3.15lbs gold lme

1oz chinook @60
1oz Willamette @1

60oz canned pumpkin (in mash)
Pumpkin pie spice pack (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)

2 packs of US 04

Og 1.073
FG 1.016
7.5% abv
37 IBU

Thoughts? I want to order soon, so I can brew this before I head to Kansas city at the end of August.
 
I just did a pumpkin spice ale..I used a pumpkin spice partial extract batch from grape and granary in akron ohio..my lhbs..the I baked 60 ounces of l ibbys pumkin puree with a liberal dose of brown sugar @ 350 for one hour..I added 1/2 the pumkin at 60 and the other half at 30. I added the spice pack at flame out as instructions said..plus added another 1/2 tsp with priming sugar...I just bottled last weekend..the sample I had while taking gravity was really spiced up..lots of ginger and hot alcohol taste..deffinatley needs to mellow a while..Cheers!
 
Yeah it's that time of year already! I figure if I plan it out now, brew it by the end of the month and let it age till Halloween. It's perfect! I brewed last years around this time.
 
When we did our pumpkin porter we used "extra dark DME" and it was great. So black that you couldn't see the white spoon through the contents of the spoon, and it's pretty shallow.

Also, and you may already know this, we got almost no pumpkin flavor out of ours. We put a ton of pumpkin in secondary and got squat. After a bit of research and talking to the lovely folks at Northern Brewer we learned that we were supposed to put the pumpkin in the boil with about 15 min left to let it caramelize. When you mash the pumpkin do you leave the pumpkin in for the boil or do you leave most of it behind?
 
PUMPKIN BEER TIME WOOOOO! Yeah, I don't have anything constructive to add here, I just love fall and winter brews; Elysian's Night Owl in particular (if you haven't had it, get it and put it in your mouth! Best pumpkin beer evah!).
 
Cernst151. Adding actual pumpkin doesn't add a lot of flavor. The flavor many associate with pumpkin is actually the pumpkin pie flavor pack; cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, and ginger (you might know this already). Adding pumpkin during the mash however, does add a good amount of mouth feel and a very small squash flavor. That flavor may be more evident in a lighter pumpkin beer, but it barely there when it comes to a porter.

I'll probably try baking it before adding to the mash, just to see if I can get a little caremelized flavor. If not, oh well.

Edit: I guess this posted twice...I DID just get of work and am enjoying a Stone Barley Wine. Haha.

No; by the way, I don't leave the pumpkin in during the boil. I pull it with the mash grains
 
Cernst151. Adding actual pumpkin doesn't add a lot of flavor. The flavor many associate with pumpkin is actually the pumpkin pie flavor pack; cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, and ginger (you might know this already). Adding pumpkin during the mash however, does add a good amount of mouth feel and a very small squash flavor. That flavor may be more evident in a lighter pumpkin beer, but it barely there when it comes to a porter.

I'll probably try baking it before adding to the mash, just to see if I can get a little caremelized flavor. If not, oh well.
 
I find adding pumpkin as I did during the boil did add a nice pumpkin aroma. Also added some mouthful...I just checked carbination after two weeks in the bottle..just started forming head and has a little fizz..next weekend it should be perfection
 
I'm hoping to make my first pumpkin beer next weekend. My question is adding pumpkin to the mash. Does it cause any sparging issues? Should I add some rice hulls?
 
Can't wait I just bought grain to brew pumpkin beer It's always a hit around the holidays.
 
I'm hoping to make my first pumpkin beer next weekend. My question is adding pumpkin to the mash. Does it cause any sparging issues? Should I add some rice hulls?

I did a partial extract batch..so my grains were in a steeping bag..but I did run my wert through a strainer to filter it out a bit and aeriate going into the primary..it us slow goofy stuff.. so I would assume rice hulls for all grain is a must when sparging..I also had a ton of trub in the bottom of the primary so be prepared for that.
 

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