Pumpkin Ale help!

[Shaffer1515]

I just racked my pumpkin ale and sadly I can't taste much pumpkin in it which is what I was going for. How can I get more pumpkin flavor in it? Can I cook some more pumpkin up, rerack it on top to add more pumpkin flavor? Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[andrewtouron]

*****bump*****

 

[DocScott]

Pumpkin has little to no flavor in a beer. It doesn't produce many flavor compounds or fermentables. Your best bet is to add pumpkin spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) at bottling to give it the pumpkin pie like flavor present in pumpkin beers.

Careful not to go overboard with the spices btw... I'd start around 1/8-1/2 tsp depending on which spice in a 5 gallon batch. At the point where you are, id Add to priming solution at time of bottling. Maybe 1/8tsp clove and 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

 

[Shaffer1515]

Pumpkin has little to no flavor in a beer. It doesn't produce many flavor compounds or fermentables. Your best bet is to add pumpkin spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) at bottling to give it the pumpkin pie like flavor present in pumpkin beers.

Careful not to go overboard with the spices btw... I'd start around 1/8-1/2 tsp depending on which spice in a 5 gallon batch. At the point where you are, id Add to priming solution at time of bottling. Maybe 1/8tsp clove and 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Thanks, I am pretty easy on spices now and it tastes like a descent autumn ale but I was hoping to get it more like the Sam Adams pumpkin beer with a really good pumpkin flavor. I know the pumpkins favors are pretty bland just don't know of how to get more of it.

Thanks!

Ben

 

[beaksnbeer]

I add baked pumpkin to the secondary I stopped adding to the primary as it seems to get washed out

 

[Shaffer1515]

I add baked pumpkin to the secondary I stopped adding to the primary as it seems to get washed out

Cool, that's what I was thinking maybe baking a some pumpkin and a little brown sugar and then racking it on top and hope for some of that pumpkin goodness to rub off.

 

[And1129]

There's been a lot of controversy on this topic. What exactly is a Pumpkin Ale and does it actually require any pumpkin in it or just "pumpkin pie" spices as mentioned above? I've done it once with poor results and have given a lot of thought to the next time i'm going to try it. Pumpkin is fairly bland and does need some spices to bring it out, or even make it palatable. Imagine a pumpkin pie without cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, etc? I think a pumpkin ale would need to use a significant percentage of pumpkin in the mash; that way, the enzymes present in the mast would convert some of the starches from pumpkin into sugars the yeast can ferment. Further pumpkin flavor may be extracted by adding some in boiling or in secondary, but I think having it in the mash is key. I think i'm going to do this experiment: I'll make a pretty standard pale ale and use it as a control. Then brew the same recipe with pumpkin in the mash and see if you get a few points higher O.G. from the added pumpkin. Then I may or may not play with adding pumpkin in the boil. And lastly, I would make one with the added spices after having tried the others with no spice additions at all. I wonder how different they all would be? It'll probably be a few months before I can get all this data together, as well as empty a few carboys, but this is what I will/would do to answer this question.

 

[Shaffer1515]

There's been a lot of controversy on this topic. What exactly is a Pumpkin Ale and does it actually require any pumpkin in it or just "pumpkin pie" spices as mentioned above? I've done it once with poor results and have given a lot of thought to the next time i'm going to try it. Pumpkin is fairly bland and does need some spices to bring it out, or even make it palatable. Imagine a pumpkin pie without cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, etc? I think a pumpkin ale would need to use a significant percentage of pumpkin in the mash; that way, the enzymes present in the mast would convert some of the starches from pumpkin into sugars the yeast can ferment. Further pumpkin flavor may be extracted by adding some in boiling or in secondary, but I think having it in the mash is key. I think i'm going to do this experiment: I'll make a pretty standard pale ale and use it as a control. Then brew the same recipe with pumpkin in the mash and see if you get a few points higher O.G. from the added pumpkin. Then I may or may not play with adding pumpkin in the boil. And lastly, I would make one with the added spices after having tried the others with no spice additions at all. I wonder how different they all would be? It'll probably be a few months before I can get all this data together, as well as empty a few carboys, but this is what I will/would do to answer this question.

Seems like a goo test, I had 2 of the large cans of Libby's pumpkin in the mash and the flavor was noticeable when tasting the mash, now that it's fermented not so much, just spices. Perhaps ill give it some more pumpkin and see what happens.

 

[Wingnutt73]

How much Pumpkin did you use?

I have gotten all the supplies to make a 5gal batch this weekend. The receipe I have calls for 60oz whihc you back for about 30min and then add to the Boiling wort. + you add a 1tsp of Pumpkin spice. just a reference point but let me know what if any difference your receipe called for?

 

[Shaffer1515]

How much Pumpkin did you use?

I have gotten all the supplies to make a 5gal batch this weekend. The receipe I have calls for 60oz whihc you back for about 30min and then add to the Boiling wort. + you add a 1tsp of Pumpkin spice. just a reference point but let me know what if any difference your receipe called for?

This is the recipe i used I found it on the recipe DB.

8.00 lb Golden Promise (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 50.38 %
3.625 lb Pumpkin* (2 x 29 oz. cans of Libby pure pumpkin) (3.0 SRM) Grain 22.86 %
1.00 lb British Caramalt (34.0 SRM) Grain 6.30 %
1.00 lb Toasted Malt** (27.0 SRM) Grain 6.30 %
1.00 lb Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 6.30 %

1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 6.30 %

0.25 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 1.57 %

0.50 oz Magnum [13.40 %] (60 min) Hops 21.9 IBU

1 t. cinnamon (5 min)
1/2 t. allspice (5 min)
1/2 t. ground ginger (5 min)
1/4 t. nutmeg (5 min)
1/4 t. clove (5 min)

*Pumpkin baked uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees to caramelize some of the sugars and gelatinize starches
**Maris otter malt toasted for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven

Mash at 152 degrees for 60 minutes. Pumpkin should be included in mash. Be sure to use rice hulls as the pumpkin will make for a slightly sticky sparge.

Boil for 60 minutes. I used magnum to bitter but you can use any clean bittering variety being sure to adjust amount to get 22 IBU. Add molasses with 10 minutes left in the boil. Add all spices with 5 minutes left in the boil.

 

[Wingnutt73]

That is similar to the receipe I have Not sure about the time on the spices though that may be the issue. Seems like you have plenty but may not be enough time to really get them in there. Did you taste the wort during cool down? Also mine does not call for the Rice hulls but again its pretty close to the one I have. One last thing is the Mariss Otter would give it a more Creamier Malty taste may be covering up the spices.

 

[BrewerinBR]

I do 2 batches of Pumpkin Ale each year, one is dark and one is pale. Yesterday I did a Smoked Pumpkin Stout and today I am doing a Smoked Pumpkin Ale (using an English are recipe). Here is how I prepare pumpkin to get the most flavor. Friday I stopped at an Amish Farm and purchased a 20lb fresh pumpkin. Sunday I cut it into quarters and smoked it over an open beach wood fire until it was soft, not mushy just soft. I let it cool and then peel it and chop it in 1/2 inch cubes. I ended up with about 12 pounds of soft smokey pumpkin. I put in the fridge to chill.
So this morning I start the morning like a typical brew day and get my mash going for an English Pale Ale:
10 # Marris Otter
1 # Victory (or any biscuit malt)
1 # Medium Crystal
1 # toasted oatmeal
Mashing in ay 138F.
Then I take the 6lbs of pumpkin and boil it hard for 10 minutes and add that to the mash. Stir it in and check the temp, should be about 151F to 153F, if not extract some grain and pumpkin and boil it then add it back, repeat until you hit 151F to 153F Mash for 1 hour. Sparge as you normally do and commence the boil. I use Nugget hops as the spicy flavor compliments the smokey pumpkin and shoot for about 50 IBU. At flame out I add 2 Tsp Cinnamon, 1/2Tsp Ginger, 1/4 Tsp Clove and 1/8 Tsp Nutmeg. Cool and pitch (I use either Safale S-04 or WLP005 British Ale) Ferment 21 days at 68F.
On day 21 I get 1 small can of libby pumpkin and put it in a 4 quart pan with 1 quart water, 1/2 OZ hops (EKG is my normal) with 1Tsp Cinnamon, 1/4 Tsp Ginger, 1/8 Tsp Clove and a pinch of nutmeg and boil and cool and then add it to the ferment and gently stir. 10 days later I prime with brown sugar and bottle. Makes a wonderful pumpkin ale that taste like pumpkin.
The stout is similar process but different grains and different hops.
10 # Pale Ale
1 # Victory ( or any biscuit malt)
1 # Medium Crystal
1 # Special Roast
1/2 # Chocolate
1/4 # Black

Same mash process and boil but I use 1 OZ Northern Brewer at 60 and 1 OZ Fuggle at 10 and 5, with the same spices at flame out. Shoot for about 34 IBU total.