Autumn Seasonal Beer Lady Rumpkin Pumpkin Rum Ale

[TheWeeb]

Why brown sugar to carb? Did you do it the same way you would if using priming sugar?

yes, as brown sugar is table sugar without the molasses removed; I find it adds a bit of bitter/dark caramel notes that go well with darker brews like stouts and old ales, and seemed like a good fit for a pumpkin brew.

This is a great calculator to use for proper volumes of CO2 by style and type of priming sugar used:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

 

[jrodskreet]

sounds good

 

[tellish33]

I just transferred to secondary. I started with 5.5 gallons in primary and ended with 4.5 gallons in secondary. Is this ok. I've never had this much head space. The picture kinda sucks but here it is.

 

[tellish33]

I have another question. How long in secondary? My O.G. was 1.080 and my reading when I transfered to secondary was 1.010.

 

[Hopelesst]

We had the same loss of volume on our batch. You'll be fine. There is enough booze in there to keep anything from growing. We did 2 months in sevondary but there is a lot of room for personal preferance on the aging.

 

[TheWeeb]

Ditto on the volume, probably four and a quarter gallons for me. Secondary on mine was three weeks, and I wish I would have let it go longer to settle a bit and clear some, but that can take place in the bottles. I had my third bottle yesterday and it is progressing nicely, a bit more hops than I expected, but those will fade some by Halloween.

 

[Hopelesst]

Prepping to bottle this tonight. I brought the carboy up so anything I stir up has a chance to settle out and wow, look at that sediment!



It looks like a lot more has settled out of solution than I expected. I might have less volume left here than I expected but oh well. I already expect this to be an annual brew.

 

[Carros]

Brewed this up last night as an all grain.

11# 2-row
1.5# crystal 60
1# biscuit
.5# flaked wheat
1# light brown sugar
1# maple syrup

I baked 4oz of molasses with 90oz of pumpkin and added that to the mash as well.

2oz Glacier [6.5%] @60 min
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice @15 min

I pitched some yeast slurry from a lighter gravity pumpkin ale I brewed a couple of weeks ago. It was bubbling away nicely when I left for work in the morning, and when I got home tonight I was greeted with this.

Luckily the mess was contained and was an easy cleanup, and is now hooked up to a blow off tube.

The hydro sample tasted fantastic so I am really looking forward to seeing how adding the rum changes this, and how it tastes once it is finished.

 

[Hopelesst]

We added a few grains of champagne yeast to about half the bottles and carbed with enough brown sugar to give us about 2.1-2.3 volumes.

My patience is finally wearing thin. I NEED to taste this beer.

 

[ptra1004]

For what it is worth, this beer turned our fantastic when we made it last year. Those who received bottles last year are all asking about it again. My final version of the recipe came out at about 9.7% and we left it sweet. It should probably have dried out a bit more. I am kicking myself for not fitting this one in the schedule this year.

 

[smellie_hippie]

6 lbs light DME (Boil 60 min)
1 lb Traditional Dark DME (Boil 60 min)
1 lb Brown Sugar (Boil 60 min)
1 lb Maple Syrup (Boil 60 min)
¼ cup Molasses (baked with pumpkin)
1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (Steep @155 degrees 20 min)
1 lb Biscuit Malt (Steep @155 degrees 20 min)
8.0 oz Wheat, Flaked (Steep @155 degrees 20 min)
60.00 oz Pumpkin, Canned, baked (see notes, Boil 60 min)
1.5 oz Goldings (5.0% AA 60.0 min) 15 IBU
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)

Trappist Ale yeast WL500 in three-liter starter

Pumpkin spice tea: 2 Tablespoons of quality pumpkin pie spice mixed with 12 ounces of good spiced rum (I used Kraken) prepared on brew day but added at secondary

Brewing this in a couple of weeks, and I am not gonna lie about how excited I am to try this recipe! :rockin: I want to follow this recipe pretty close, but I am struggling with following some of it...

Since it's extract, I would steep the grains in like 2 gallons @ 155, then transfer to boil kettle and raise water volume to something like 6 gal with the rest of ingredients?

I was also gonna use the strainer/funnel mentioned later in the thread to retain as much wort as possible...

 

[TheWeeb]

Since it's extract, I would steep the grains in like 2 gallons @ 155, then transfer to boil kettle and raise water volume to something like 6 gal with the rest of ingredients?

Yes, if you have the capacity of course. I am limited to 4 gallon boils, so topping off to 5.5 - 6 gal to make up for all the pumpkin volume is wise if you expect to get a full five gallon batch out of it.

I was also gonna use the strainer/funnel mentioned later in the thread to retain as much wort as possible...

The first batch I tried to use a large funnel with a strainer screen when I transferred to secondary, it got plugged up quickly and was worthless.

Next batch, five gallon paint strainer bag to line the primary bucket, which worked much better since there was much more filtering surface. Using Irish moss at the end of the boil and cold crashing before transferring to secondary really helped, as well as cold crashing before bottling and racking from the top down.

 

[ptra1004]

Regarding the funnel issue, if you have the time and a but of money, I got one of our suppliers at my restaurant to get me another "China hat". It is a huge stainless strainer that is conical. It has worked great when I do extract batches. The one I got even had a clip on it that allows it to rest above my kettle...

 

[smellie_hippie]

Thanks for the quick response!

I am hoping to bottle this as Christmas gifts for my family... giving a small 12oz bottle and a nicer swing top bottle.

"Try the little one first, and then save the big one for as long as you can manage for aging"

 

[Herky21]

Did you add the full 12 oz. of rum to the secondary? and would you adjust it on another take of the recipe?

 

[jrodskreet]

I hope I'M not out of place but here is my rendition of this recipe taken from the others on this thread. These are my notes from my brew day:



13Oct2012: Using the Pumpkin Ale kit from Midwest and adding some of my own ingredients. Will add:
-2 cans (30 oz ea) of Libby’s pumpkin pie mix
-2 12 oz bottles of orange blossom honey.
-12.5 fl oz bottle of Maple syrup.
-2 lb dark brown sugar.
-vanilla extract.
-cinnamon sticks.
-nutmeg
-8 oz rum.

Pumpkin Pie: Add 2 cans of pie mix to pan. Sprinkle 1 lb of dark brown sugar over the top. Add 1TBsp of vanilla extract to the top. Drizzle 12 oz of honey over the top. Drizzle 6 oz of Maple syrup over the top. Sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake 300 at 30 min.

Spiced Tea for secondary, make 1 week before secondary, let sit in secondary for 2 weeks. Move 27Oct2012. Add on 10Nov2012. Tea on 03Nov2012.:
8 oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp real Vanilla extract

I sanitized primary after moving Chocolate Stout to secondary. 2.5 Gallons water for steeping the grains was at a steady 150°- 155. Steeped the grains for 30 minutes. Boiled Pie Mix, 3 oz (provided 8oz saved 5oz for bottling) brown sugar, 1oz Mt Hood hops for 60 minutes. At 15 min left I added the Gold LME, provided spices, 1 oz Cascade hops, 1 lb dark brown sugar, 12 oz orange blossom honey, 6.5 oz Maple syrup. I added ice boiled and frozen 3 nights before. I pitched Safale 05 mixed with 4oz water and 1 drop vanilla extract. I made 5.25 gallons.

OG 1.079 at 84F

 

[Hopelesst]

Opened our first bottle last night. Lots of booze in the nose, but spices come through nicely. At first I got a sharp, fruity tartness backed with the rum and barleywine malt flavors. Roasty pumpkin rises up toward the end. The spices really show up at the end , cleansing the other flavors from your pallet. As it warmed, it got better. The tartness subsided, and more of the pumpkin, nuts, and roast came through.

Needsmore time to deal with the ethanol. Looking back, 12 oz of rum was too much for less than 5 gallons. I didn't think to reduce it for the final volume. Given time it should meld together well. I'm looking forward to this as a winter warmer.

oh, we shot for 2.1 volumes of carbonation and I think it turned out great.

 

[tellish33]

Finally got mine bottled today. Smells awesome. I got 4 gallons out of a 5 gallon batch. Used 4.5 oz of brown sugar for carbing. Should be ready to drink by thanksgiving I hope.

 

[SLI]

Totally brewed this a few weeks ago, in a pumpkin. Getting ready to add the rum sometime soon, but I'm in no hurry with such a big beer...

 

[TheWeeb]

That is SWEET! I am having an Autumn brew tasting party this coming weekend, about 20 people will try and critique this year's batch, will post the reaction good and bad.

 

[Hopelesst]

Remember how I said I got worried about carbination and added a few grains of champagne yeast to each bottle? Well guess what. We crack one of the 6 that didnt have the added yeast and it is a completely different beer. More spice, richer malt, less ethanol, less tart, brighter pumpkin, and more drinkable. I should have just trusted the recipie and come out with a better beer.

Another 6 months and the yeast-ed bottles will prolly be fine. The heat on the natural ones is a bit severe (no worse than some commercial barleywines I've bought) but its a much better beer at this point.

I already plan on this being an annual brew, so I'll know better next time.

Thanks again Weeb!

 

[TheWeeb]

Agreed, I think I will put a case of this year's batch away for next year. It should really be rich and smooth by then.

 

[tyecies]

Just transferred the original recipe with a few changes to the secondary. I substituted 1 pound of maple syrup for .5lbs honey and .5lbs white sugar for cost reasons, used 2oz goldings hops (seemed wasteful to throw away the other .5oz) and added 1oz of cascade at 15 minutes to add some citrus with a bit more bitterness. I also added 1 tbsp of vanilla extract to the rum/spice tea. I used 2 packets of Safale-05 instead of WLP500 as I prefer a more neutral yeast with fewer fruit esters. I also don't have a great way to control fermentation temps, so when I brewed with WP500 in the past I got too much banana for my liking. I broke my hydrometer on brew day, so I don't have an OG, but FG at transfer was 1.016. It was in the primary for 2 weeks, so I'm not expecting it to drop any further. Taste was quite good with pumpkin and malt up front, though a bit sweet. Didn't get too much spice. I'm hoping the combo of increased alcohol bite from rum alongside the increased spice aroma from the secondary adds some depth to the beer. Secondary for 3 weeks, bottle for 3 weeks, and hopefully we'll be all set.

As a side note there was a ton of sludge at the bottom, I probably lost .5gallons, though this was expected.

 

[tyecies]

Totally brewed this a few weeks ago, in a pumpkin. Getting ready to add the rum sometime soon, but I'm in no hurry with such a big beer...

That you actually brewed this in a pumpkin is just awesome. For my curiosity, how were you able to get an airtight seal?

 

[Kob]

Just read all 15 pages. I'm getting ready to brew this up over the next couple weeks for next winter/fall time.

Thanks for the effort guys. It's appreciated.

Mike

 

[SLI]

It's been in the bottle for a few weeks, and ooh boy, it's tasty!

Shoot, tycies, just saw your post. I didn't worry about an airtight seal. At first I tried to cover it up with the top of the pumpkin, but the fermentation was so vigorous that I had to just cover it up with a towel. Look up open fermentation, it's been my experience that it is really hard to infect a batch of beer.

 

[tyecies]

Just bottled today. Tastes fantastic. Lots of pumpkin, rum, and vanilla up front (my own addition). Can't wait for it to carb.

 

[TheWeeb]

I have about a dozen bottles stashed for this fall, will be interesting to see how it ages. Good stuff!

 

[Dxcv]

I just brewed the original recipe, with a few tweaks, of this today!
- Used two packets of S-33
- Used 12 oz of maple syrup in place of 16 oz
- I mixed some molasses and spice in with the pie
before baking (I did drizzle molasses as spices over
the top as well)
- I had a rum tasting party and settled on Captain
Morgan Black
- Used 2 oz of Kent Goldings as I over measured a bit

I only have a five gallon pot, so I boiled in 3 gallons of water. Must have worked, because it it happily bubbling away.

 

[sfrisby]

Figured it was about that time for this thread to come alive again.

 

[TheWeeb]

Yes, need to make a batch for fall...

 

[Dxcv]

I found this thread about a month ago and got really excited. It fit my desire for a seasonal brew. I plan to let it condition in the bottle through Halloween and Thanksgiving.

 

[thatjonguy]

Anyone have the formula to determine the alcohol content with the addition of rum?

I had it at one point and lost it.

 

[Dxcv]

It is fairly common to for this brew to finish after about a day or two of hard fermentation, right? I had a lot of airlock activity yesterday, but virtually none today. I am a little worried that it got a little too warm during fermentation. The current temp is about 78 but may have gotten up to 80.

 

[drea23]

Brewed this up last night as an all grain.

11# 2-row
1.5# crystal 60
1# biscuit
.5# flaked wheat
1# light brown sugar
1# maple syrup

I baked 4oz of molasses with 90oz of pumpkin and added that to the mash as well.

2oz Glacier [6.5%] @60 min
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice @15 min

I pitched some yeast slurry from a lighter gravity pumpkin ale I brewed a couple of weeks ago. It was bubbling away nicely when I left for work in the morning, and when I got home tonight I was greeted with this.

Luckily the mess was contained and was an easy cleanup, and is now hooked up to a blow off tube.

The hydro sample tasted fantastic so I am really looking forward to seeing how adding the rum changes this, and how it tastes once it is finished.

How did this turn out? Brewed this a while back as an extract, but thinking of trying it again as an all-grain. Do you have the details of time and temp you used for the mash?

 

[Carros]

How did this turn out? Brewed this a while back as an extract, but thinking of trying it again as an all-grain. Do you have the details of time and temp you used for the mash?

It turned out quite tasty. Unfortunately I don’t seem to have very good notes on this batch. It would have been a 60 minute mash. I would have mashed high, probably around 156.

 

[SevenFields]

I transferred mine to secondary and added the spiced rum. Do you think it will be ready to drink around Christmas?

 

[TheWeeb]

Thanksgiving even!

 

[Silent-7]

My buddy and I will be brewing our version of the original recipe on Friday. Can't wait to see how it turns out! Yeast starter is (hopefully) churning away at home at this very moment.

We got an early start so we should be able to get some good long bottle conditioning in before Thanksgiving rolls around.

Anyone have the formula to determine the alcohol content with the addition of rum?

I had it at one point and lost it.

I know you asked this almost a year ago, but if you still find yourself in need try the below equation.
(And if someone sees a mistake please correct me!)

abv = %ABV before rum addition (i.e. 9.2)
pr = Rum proof (i.e. 80)
R_vol = Volume of rum being added in fluid ounces (i.e. 12)
Tot_vol = Total volume of beer (at the time of rum addition) in gallons (i.e. 4.5)

New ABV = 100*[ (0.01*abv) + [(0.005*pr*R_vol)/(Tot_vol*128)] ]

 

[withoutink]

Hi guys, I am thinking about brewing this pumpkin ale. I wanted to see which of the variants here are best?

I'm looking for a sweet dessert beer, that is deep and complex. I would prefer not to have too much hoppiness, as I do not want it to fight the pumpkin.

Note this would be my second brew, my first is still in the fermenter =)