Just downed a cellared bottle of Pumpking

[McMalty]

This brew is still really good, even after sitting for 7 months or so. I don't think that pumpkins are typically cellared, but i did it anyway. If anything, it only lost a tiny tiny bit of hopiness, but still my #1 pumpkin ale. (sorry if i'm misleading, 7 months isn't much time in the cellar, but considering i can't keep my hands off this brew, it's long enough)

Anyone else hoarding their ST Pumpking?

 

[Seven]

I'm hoarding 4 bombers of Pumking in my keezer. I've had it since last fall. It's my favorite pumpkin ale and I hope to find a good all-grain recipe for it some day.

 

[ceweldon]

I am going to have to give Pumking another try. When I first had it, the only time, the first couple of sips I thought it was amazing. Then it turned on me and all I tasted was way over flavored. Too much cinnamon and all spice flavors. This year I'll give it another shot, maybe now I'll be prepared for it.

 

[TheMan]

I actually just drank one a few weeks ago that I held on to. Great beer. Best pumpkin in my opinion.

 

[Zamial]

While I have no idea how close this is to Pumpking, it is better than any of the commercial pumpkin beers I tried last fall and I recommend it highly!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/samhain-pumpkin-ale-140674/

 

[rgontasz]

Some pumpkin beers are great aged! Weyerbacher's pumpkin ages wonderfully! I still have a couple of 07's put away (when they still came in bombers). It tastes like you poured caramel over your piece of pumpkin pie. mmmm!

 

[pwndabear]

ugh, pumpking is way too much for me. i had a couple sips and just couldnt even finish it. thought it was gross.

 

[Seven]

While I have no idea how close this is to Pumpking, it is better than any of the commercial pumpkin beers I tried last fall and I recommend it highly!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/samhain-pumpkin-ale-140674/

This recipe looks great. I'll have to give this a try. Thanks for the link!

 

[Rev2010]

ugh, pumpking is way too much for me. i had a couple sips and just couldnt even finish it. thought it was gross.

I loved it the first year I had it (two years ago). This past I bought a few since I loved it and this year round I didn't care for it, was way too sweet and candy like. Probably just my taste buds, but maybe this years batch was slightly different.

Weyebacher Imperial Pumpkin is my absolute favorite. I love the prominent nutmeg taste and somewhat grainy mouthfeel. Good to hear it ages well. I had a few cases but they are all far gone now.


Rev.

 

[pwndabear]

to be honest, the best pumpkin beer i have ever had was a homebrew that one of my buddies made and sculpted it after pumpkin but scaled it WAY down

 

[governorkc]

you guys are so lucky you kept some pumking around. I bought 12 of them this year and they were gone a few weeks later

I am planning on making a clone this year. probably going with this recipe.

For this years' pumpkin ale I decided to try to clone ST Pumking. I did a side-by-side last and it is very difficult to tell it from the genuine article. The intense aroma, unique graham cracker/raw pumpkin flavour, and spicing are all there. Recipe is based on label/ST website, various forums and my own speculation and tweaking when racking to secondary. I think the keys are the lactose and the ginger/vanilla. I really wasn't expecting that I would closely replicate the unique flavour profile of pumking, so I am both surprised and very pleased with the outcome.

Vol: 5.5 gal
Kettle Vol: 7 gal
OG: 1.090
IBU: appx. 34
SRM: appx. 11

Fermentables:
14 lbs. 2-Row Pale malt
1 lb. Victory
12 oz. Crystal 80°L
1 large Pumpkin (skinned, cubed and roasted with honey then added to mash)
1 lb. Demerara sugar (added after hot break)

Hops:
3/4 oz. Magnum @ 60 min.
1/4 oz. Saaz @ 15 min.

Additives:
8 oz. Lactose @ 15 min.
1/2 tsp. Yeast nutrient @ 10 min.
1 Whirlfloc tab @ 10 min.
2 tbsp. chopped Candied Ginger @ 5 min.
2 Cinnamon sticks @ 5 min.
1/2 tsp. Cloves @ 5 min.
1.2 tsp. grated Nutmeg @ 5 min.
1/2 tsp. Allspice @ 5 min.
1 Vanilla Bean (added to secondary)
1/2 tsp. ground Cinnamon (added to secondary)

Yeast:
2 packs Safale US-05

Mashed @ 152°F for 90 min.

Boiled for 60 min.

Fermented @ 66°F RT for 2 weeks in primary and 3 weeks in secondary. Force carbonated in keg.

Notes: The lactose could possibly be increased from 8 oz. to 10 oz., but definitely no more than that. Excluding the allspice and nutmeg might nudge it even closer to an exact clone, but it is not critical. I think that they key elements are the victory malt, lactose, vanilla and ginger.

 

[McMalty]

you guys are so lucky you kept some pumking around. I bought 12 of them this year and they were gone a few weeks later

yeah, it was very difficult, but i just started buying other beers while i had a few pumpkings left.....then the seasons changed and so did my tastes and b4 u know it, i was craving something else and content with the pumpking aging nicely under my bar.

I think it's the withdrawal that gets us. I bought a case of the bombers last fall, and i have 3 left....i had to slowly ween myself off of it, so..........apparently pumpking=crack. not to mention creme brulee. ST definitely just goes down to "the block" and picks up a milk crate full of narcotics to dump into their brew; i'm not 100% on that, but i'm 99%. then u have the Unearthly......aged a few months, holy effin crap....SO GOOD, i'm pretty sure i'd hit someone with my car to get it.

ST is ahead of the curve. I'm going to rent out a corner in their brewery. Not bother anyone, just go about my business, maybe start a online quilting business. I'll sit in the corner peacefully making quilts by tying together old t-shirts. Then when their brews are ready to hit the market, i'm just gonna hop on a forklift, grab a pallet and drive it 10 mph the whole 500 miles back to my house; no question, it's definitely worth it.

 

[DragonOrta]

I've still got a few left. I tried to get my friends to like it, as I didn't like it at all, and none of them did either.