Pumpkin Ale Questions

[Jaehnig]

Have read online that pumpkin ales need two weeks in primary, two in the secondary, and 2-4 in the bottle. Does that sound correct?

Next, if I used dry yeast and created a yeast starter with it and the airlock has come to a standstill, should I "stir it shake up" the primary? It's only been three days and I still have 11 to go if it needs to sit in the primary for two weeks.

Third, out of the airlock came vegetable, fruity, and other interesting smells like fresh grass maybe. If my ale does not taste as I planned is there restraints on what I can add when I put it into the secondary?

V/R,
BrewTech

 

[2thGuy]

If your airlock stopped after 3 days it might be done with most of the fermentation. Take a hydrometer reading and if it is about what your FG should be don't shake it. My pumpkin ale last year did take a long time to age. It started out smelling very cidery but it turned out fine eventually.

 

[Hamsterbite]

What temp is it fermenting at? What was the OG? Shaking stirring after pitching will lead to oxidation and off flavors, and opening the fermenter exposes it to contamination...I wouldn't.

I would transfer to secondary after a week regardless of how far it's attenuated. Weird smells early on can completely disappear with some age. Unless it's a brew you're familiar with and it's clearly different than past batches, I'd think you'd be best served to give it plenty of time.

How did the starter look/smell?

 

[Jaehnig]

What temp is it fermenting at? What was the OG? Shaking stirring after pitching will lead to oxidation and off flavors, and opening the fermenter exposes it to contamination...I wouldn't.

I would transfer to secondary after a week regardless of how far it's attenuated. Weird smells early on can completely disappear with some age. Unless it's a brew you're familiar with and it's clearly different than past batches, I'd think you'd be best served to give it plenty of time.

How did the starter look/smell?

O.G. Was 1.055 but possibly a bit higher. Current temp between 70-72(on duty can't see it now). Starter was lively and it smelt like young beer. Primary took off. First 24-48 hrs airlock was "boiling!"

 

[Stauffbier]

Leave it alone for 3 weeks. Don't bother with a secondary unless you're adding something to the beer like more pumpkin or spices or if you just like doing secondary. If you're not adding anything, then check your FG after three weeks in primary, and then bottle it up!

 

[Hamsterbite]

All sounds good so far...just needs time. For a two week primary, that might just help to enhance the flavor profile if this style. I don't know it well enough to say. If you're following a recipe that says to do it, I guess I'd give it a shot. Normally though, a two stage beer calls for one week in primary for the purpose of stopping the flavor of trub from becoming overbearing in the beer. At least, that's my understanding.

 

[Jaehnig]

I'll check the gravity today and see where I am at.

I have attached a picture and would like to know what all of the floating things are in the beer. Yeast? It smells beer-like and not sour. Does not smell like a pumpkin ale...

 

[stratslinger]

Looks like krausen, maybe with some hops residue, floating on top. Very normal for a beer that's only been in primary for a few days. At this point, I'm completely with Stauffbier - close that fermenter back up again and leave it alone for 3 weeks at least! I wouldn't bother with a secondary (I've had at least one beer I secondaried wind up oxidizing, but part of that was because we took too long to drink the keg!) unless you plan to add more pumpkin or something... I'd have to double check my notes, but I think I put last year's pumpkin ale on tap after 3 weeks and it definitely wasn't ready yet - the first week or so I was really disappointed with it due to a wierd vegetal thing that was going on with it. But after about a week on tap it got where it needed to be - this year I plan to give it at least 4 weeks before it goes into the kegerator.

As to yours not smelling "like pumpkin ale" - how much pumpkin did you add? Did you roast it at all first? How much, and what kind, of spices did you add?

As to the pumpkin, I've done a pumpkin ale with a buddy where we didn't roast the pumpkin first, and we found no pumpkin character in the finished product. Last year I roasted mine, and got a nice amount of pumpkin there - this year I roast it a little longer (60 minutes @350F, as opposed to 45 @350F), just to see if I could ramp it up a little more.

For the spices, give your beer another week or two for the yeast to clean up and such, then take a gravity sample to make sure you're where you need to be gravity-wise, and taste the sample. If you find that you want to add some more pie spices to get more of that character, it's easy to make up a spice tea - just boil up a cup or two of water, add a little cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to it, and add that to the beer and let that all set for another week or so - that should enhance the spice notes nicely in your beer - just don't get carried away and overdo it!

 

[JordanThomas]

You can take a gravity reading to find out if your yeast did its job quickly. Both of my batches (so far) mostly finished fermenting within 72 hours of kicking off. S-04 and S-05. If your gravity reading stays the same between the first day you check it and 2/3 days after that reading, you can be mostly assured that your beer is done fermenting.

Now, if you want to transfer to secondary, wait a week and a half longer, then transfer. It will allow your trub to settle, so when you siphon off the beer it takes less of that gunk with it. The secondary will mostly be for clarification. Secondary probably is a good idea if you used whole pumpkin.

I have to ask, though... If you planned a 1.055 starting gravity, and dry yeast, why did you use a starter? Is your batch 10 gallons? I'm sure it didn't hurt, but I was under the impression that dry yeast was fine to pitch as-is on anything 5/6 gallons and 1.060 or lower. Anyhow, my 2 cents

 

[ryan17c]

I'd recommend leaving the lid on as much as possible- tempting to look, I know, but every time you open the lid you put the beer at risk. I've currently got a pumpkin ale in secondary (Midwest kit) and racking to secondary did wonders for clearing it out. I recommend not disturbing your primary for at least 5 days prior to transferring to let the trub settle, then transfer to secondary (carefully!) if that's something you want to do. I wouldn't let it sit in the trub for more than 10 days or so, though, since it could throw off the flavor a bit. To second JordanThomas, you will get tons of trub at the bottom (see attached picture from my primary after I racked- it's about 2 inches of gunk at the bottom), so be ready to lose some beer. I think I lost around 2/3 gallon because of the pumpkin soaking it up.

Try a taste of your next hydrometer reading and see what you think it needs in terms of spices. I had this question about a week ago and got some good feedback on a different thread, but to summarize- sterilize the spices you want to add by boiling in a cup of water, let them cool off to a reasonable temp, then add directly into the secondary. That was my method and it was easy enough to do.

 

[Jaehnig]

I wanted to go above and beyond with my first brew and learn as much as I can while doing it. I heard that starters work well and seem to be the preferred method.

My projected O.G. Was 1.065. I don't believe I got that high though.

Was a 5 gallon batch.

I plan to rack into a secondary to clear it up and to add spice and flavor, etc into the beer.

 

[Stauffbier]

see attached picture from my primary after I racked.

Sorry for going off topic, but is that a fermometer strip on the inside of your bucket that I see?

 

[gcdowd]

Sorry for going off topic, but is that a fermometer strip on the inside of your bucket that I see?

I was thinking the same thing. Yikes!

 

[Jaehnig]

Current gravity reads about 1.018. I'm about in track but may lose a couple more numbers. Looks pretty good though. Temp sits at 72 F.

AbV is at 4.8-4.9%. I think by Monday I will rack into secondary. My hydrometer did not have a tube to fill so I clean and sanitize and float it in the primary. I will taste before I rack into the secondary and then add spices.

I plan to add more pumpkin pie spices as well as maybe bake and then add boiled pumpkin "tea" as well.

Still no pumpkin smells haha. Airlock smells the same and almost no activity.

Suggestions\thoughts?

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Sorry for going off topic, but is that a fermometer strip on the inside of your bucket that I see?

I wondered if I was seeing things!?

 

[Stauffbier]

Current gravity reads about 1.018. I'm about in track but may lose a couple more numbers. Looks pretty good though. Temp sits at 72 F.

AbV is at 4.8-4.9%. I think by Monday I will rack into secondary. My hydrometer did not have a tube to fill so I clean and sanitize and float it in the primary. I will taste before I rack into the secondary and then add spices.

I plan to add more pumpkin pie spices as well as maybe bake and then add boiled pumpkin "tea" as well.

Still no pumpkin smells haha. Airlock smells the same and almost no activity.

Suggestions\thoughts?

Pumpkin tea would be useless unless you added a lot. If you add a lot it will water down your beer. If you want to add more pumpkin in the secondary you could bake whole chunks of pumpkin with a little brown sugar and spices and add that to secondary without any extra liquid. You can add a spice tea, though. Just keep the volume of liquid low.. Like maybe a cup of water with whatever spices you plan to use. You can add a spice tea to the secondary or you can skip secondary and add it to the bottle bucket...

 

[Jaehnig]

Maybe I will just add the baked chunks to the secondary then. They don't have to be boiled for risk of infection reasons first?

 

[Stauffbier]

Maybe I will just add the baked chunks to the secondary then. They don't have to be boiled for risk of infection reasons first?

Not boiled, but baked..

 

[Jaehnig]

Just clarifying. I read on some recipes that it should be baked then boiled and the "tea" can be added. But thank you for the help.

 

[Stauffbier]

Just clarifying. I read on some recipes that it should be baked then boiled and the "tea" can be added. But thank you for the help.

I guess you could do that and reduce the liquid down to a thick, small volume. You just want to be careful about adding too much liquid, so you don't water it down too much..

 

[Jaehnig]

I understand that now. I was posting to get some more information on it. That was just the way that I read it. I am only using recipes as references. I have my own recipe so far and will see where it takes me! Thanks!

 

[ryan17c]

Sorry for going off topic, but is that a fermometer strip on the inside of your bucket that I see?

Yes, when I first started brewing I thought that it was supposed to go on the inside (amateur move- probably should have realized this since the buckets are opaque...) and never bothered to move it. I realize now (since it's been pointed out) that it's probably a terrible idea and a bacteria catcher. Luckily, I've brewed several batches in there and had no adverse impact on the quality- will be taking it off when I get home, though. Thanks for pointing it out.