Pumpkin Ale - How do you avoid the mush?

[101DDD]

Partial noob, partial mash . I'm ready for my 3rd batch, and it appears I've settled on a pumpkin ale (popular for fall). I've read through enough recipes, but the question I keep coming back to is how to avoid the "muck" from pumpkin?

I've read that you can do whatever type of pumpkin (mine will probably be canned) and throw that in with the mash. But with the amount you're dropping in, I've heard that sediment really piles up. I'm making 2 gallon batches, so losing some at my level isn't that cool. Any thoughts? Grain bags? Nylon? Filter before bottling (with this one I wouldn't know what to do to get the liquid out of the muck)?

I guess I could just do something without pumpkin ....Any help is appreciated.

 

[prosper]

I've always just stepped up the batch size to compensate for additional trub losses. Grain bags or cheesecloth/nylon filters really don't help (I typically use something like that, and still expect significant trub with pumpkin ales.)

 

[barleyhole]

I added 60 oz of canned pumpkin to the boil after roasting for 1.5 hours. Only mashed specialty grains with a lb of pale malt in a nylon bag. It seemed that most of the pumpkin settled in the kettle when cooling, and didn't make it to the fermenter. I increased the batch size as others have, which is needed to compensate for the pumpkin. Can you do a 2.5 gallon batch? Overall, I did not have any pumpkin mess. The yeast cake in primary was an interesting goo of almost caramel texture though. I'd say, don't worry about straining, etc. just let as much settle in the kettle when you put into primary, and the rest will settle there.

 

[101DDD]

Can you do a 2.5 gallon batch? Overall, I did not have any pumpkin mess.

I can do a bigger batch, but I'd probably have to drop the extra. I'm using those Mr. Beer kegs...so there not THAT much room at the top.

But I'm curious...Are you siphoning out of the kettle, which leaves behind the sediment...or what? Cause if I tipped my brew kettle to empty it...EVERYTHING is coming with it

 

[barleyhole]

no, i'm just tipping it. It takes around 45 minutes to cool it down to where I can sparge, top off with water, and pitch the yeast. Typically the last 10 minutes the proteins, hops, and other solids (in this case, pumpkin) settle out a bit in the kettle, and I am just careful to leave all that trub behind. I do pour over a strainer, just in case, but even if a little bit gets in there, it's no big deal. It seemed like a little bit of pumpkin got in the fermenter, but it was mixed in the yeast cake and not messy at all when racking to secondary (with auto siphon). If your fermenter can hold the extra, that's all that matters, and you'll have 2 gal. at the end to put in the keg.