Pumpkin ale. Unsure of spice addition.

[lakai84]

This is my first all grain batch. I'm unsure of when I should add my spices. Last 15 minutes of boil? Once I terminate the boil? It's 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon pd Ginger. 1/8 each of nutmeg and clove.

8 lbs butternut squash roasted. Added to mash in muslin bag.
8 lbs Two row
1 lb carapils
1 lb crystal 60L
1.5 oz northern brewer for 60 minutes
.5 fuggles last 15.

Let me know what you think

 

[bobbytuck]

I always add it at knockout, then let it steep for 30 minutes. My spices for my pumpkin ale are about the same as yours. A little goes a long way. You might want to drop the cinnamon down to 1/2 teaspooon.

In the years I've been making pumpkin ales, I've realized that it's very easy to overpower the spices -- and essentially ruin the brew.

What I do now is literally a pinch of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg, pinch of ginger, clove -- and then I let it all steep for 30-45 mins. The steeping is what infuses the wort -- not the quantity.

 

[lakai84]

Okay I'm going to decrease my quantities a bit and let it steep once I terminate the boil? This is the confusion I'm dealing with. The spices are going to suspended in the wort anyway, or will they fall to the trub.

 

[bobbytuck]

I dunno what exactly happens. I suspect some fall, some get into the fermenter. Either way, the steep is what makes the magic.

But then again -- it depends on what you're looking for with the finished brew. I like my pumpkin ales with the spices in the background -- just a hint. I know Southern Tier makes 'Pumking' -- and I like it very much -- but I wouldn't call the spices in the background.

Part of what's driving my own experimentation is that I've ruined several brews with heavy-handed spices. And when I say ruined, I mean that literally -- the spices were just too overpowering and never really mellowed with age. (Folks will say give it time -- but two years is a long time, and they're still in your face powerful. I dumped a batch from several years ago -- simply because the spices never mellowed with age.)

Now, I just give myself over to the fact that if there's a hint of spices -- that's enough for me and the folks that drink my brew. If a pumpkin ale has a slight taste of ginger and cinnamon and clove -- then that's all I need. My brew is pretty good pumpkin ale -- fizzy, not too heavy (1.050 or so), with a distant spice. Folks love it -- so that's enough for me.

I've thought about making one that's very heavy -- essentially a pumpkin IIPA -- with a heavy mouthfeel, big alcohol (1.075+), and big, bold spices light on the hops -- but I've not gotten around to trying it. My goal right now is to make session brews that taste good. The big stuff interested me when I first started brewing -- it was a kind of "alcohol challenge" -- but now I'm interested in making session brews -- light-ish on the alcohol (5.5% or less), but big on the taste.

 

[OLDBREW]

I like in 5 gal batch

1 tsp cinn
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
25 minutes left in the boil addition

hops noble type around 12 15 ibu bittering addition

 

[ToastedPenguin]

I did a 10G batch 2 weeks ago. I used 1tsp of nutmeg, allspice and clove, 2 tsp of ginger and 4 cinnamon sticks. So far I like the balance, not over powering and the pumpkin is still detectable. I'm adding vanilla to the secondary and letting it age till the end of September at which time I'll bottle half and keg half and let sit till November.

Forgot to mention I added all the spices with 5 min left in the boil.