My Second Brew Pumpkin/additions

[SamJ]

Hi All,

I am waiting for my second kit to come in the mail and wanted to be proactive. I looking for comments/suggestions to my additions to the pumpkin extract brew from midwest.

Original per Midwest:
ingredients include: 6 lb. Gold liquid malt extract , 8 oz. Carapils, 8 oz. caramel 10L specialty grains, 1 oz. Mt. Hood, 1 oz. Cascade, 1 cup brown sugar, tsp. cinnamon, tsp. nutmeg, yeast, priming sugar and a grain bag. Use a 15-oz. can for a subtle pumpkin flavor, or try a 30-oz. can for a more pronounced pumpkin taste. White Labs California Ale Yeast WL001

1. Steep crushed grains for 10-30 minutes at 155 degrees.
2. Add malt extract and brown sugar while brew pot is off the burner.
3. Bring to a boil and add 1 oz Mt. Hood bittering hops. (30-60 Minutes)
4. Add 1 can of pumpkin or prepare fresh and add to boil for last 5 minutes.
5. Add 1 oz Cascade aroma hops and spices for the last 2-5 minutes.
6. Cool and add yeast.
7. Ferment and bottle. (2 stage fermentation is recommended)

My possible additions: The below additions are kind of a combination of what i researched on this forum. Hoping to get your thoughts and or ideas.

I am looking to roast roughly 10 lbs of sugar pumpkins in the over at 350 for about 45-60 mins, with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled over the top (not sure how much though???) peel the hard skin and put the mush in bags. From this I will add half during 15 mins to brew and the rest the last 5 mins of brew.

Second fermentation: When should I do this? I was thinking a week before moving to second fermentation for about 2 weeks. I was also thinking of adding about 5 oz of vanilla exact and 2 cinnamon sticks in the secondary. What do you think?

I also saw adding a pound of lactose at bottling?? Not sure what this does?

Is the White labs yeast that I bought be fine for this brew?

I am looking forward in reading all of your recommendations or comments.

Thanks,

Sam

 

[GrogNerd]

rack to secondary OR keg/bottle ANYTIME AFTER primary fermentation is complete

primary fermentation is complete after successive gravity readings 1 to 2 days apart remain constant. depending on the OG, this could be a few days to a week or longer.

but yeast like to clean up after themselves (isn't that kind of them?) so add a couple days for that

for normal-sized beers (OG around 1.050) I like to give them 3 weeks, take ONE gravity reading as FG and bottle

WLP001 is clean neutral yeast and is awesome for showcasing hops or spice character over yeast character in a beer

 

[SamJ]

Ok great, So keep in the primary until the yeast is done doing its thing and then switch to the secondary for another couple weeks? How do I know when the secondary is done?