Autumn Seasonal Beer Pumpkin Ale

[richthrift]

Recipe Type

Extract

Yeast

Danstar Windsor

Yeast Starter

No

Batch Size (Gallons)

5

Original Gravity

1.056

Final Gravity

1.017

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

25

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

4 days 65 F

Tasting Notes

None

I just made this recipe using BrewTarget and I was wondering if it looks right

3 lb-Muntons Amber LME
1.5 lb-Brown Sugar
1.5 lb- Light DME
1.5 lb-Crystal 60L
1 lb- Smoked Malt

1 oz Cluster Hops 60 mins

Danstar Windsor Yeast

1 tsp Nutmeg 30 mins
1 tsp Clove 30 mins
1 tbsp Cinnamon Extract 30 mins
3 lbs Pumpkin 60 mins

The info above the recipe was calculated by brewtarget with the exception of the pumpkin which isnt including in the fermentables or the misc section. I was just wondering how big of an effect the pumpkin is gonna have on thhe recipe.

 

[zzARzz]

You may want to ease back on the spices a bit. Cloves are particularly strong, especially if you are using ground cloves. When making a large pot of soup (3-4 gallons) that calls for them, I only use 2 or 3 whole ones which is more than enough to make their flavor pronounced. I wouldn't use more than a couple whole ones (or 1/8 - 1/4 tsp ground) in your pumpkin ale and add all the spices at the 10 minute mark to avoid any astringency in the wort. Taste it at flame out and if it isn't strong enough just stir in a bit more, cover and wait 10 minutes, then try it again. Spices are easy to add but impossible to remove once they're in there. No sense in making 5 gallons of spiced ham if you don't have to

As for the cinnamon extract you may want to add that when you are ready to bottle, adding 1tsp at a time and stirring it in gently until you like what you taste.

The beer sounds good, though, so definitely post an update as to how it turned out!

 

[richthrift]

Thanks for the input. Im using the BrewTarget software which is free until I can afford Beersmith. BrewTarget isn't as in depth as BeerSmith so I was trying to find out what to expect from this recipe that I made in like five minutes haha. Thanks for the help!

 

[TheLagerLad]

You may want to ease back on the spices a bit. Cloves are particularly strong, especially if you are using ground cloves. When making a large pot of soup (3-4 gallons) that calls for them, I only use 2 or 3 whole ones which is more than enough to make their flavor pronounced. I wouldn't use more than a couple whole ones (or 1/8 - 1/4 tsp ground) in your pumpkin ale and add all the spices at the 10 minute mark to avoid any astringency in the wort. Taste it at flame out and if it isn't strong enough just stir in a bit more, cover and wait 10 minutes, then try it again. Spices are easy to add but impossible to remove once they're in there. No sense in making 5 gallons of spiced ham if you don't have to

I wish I would have read this before brewing my pumpkin ale. I put a whole tsp or ground cloves in and when I popped the first bottle this past weekend, I knew instantly it was too much.

Surprisingly, it's not horrible. I'll continue drinking and sharing it with the warning that if you really hate cloves, youre not going to want to drink it.
Next year, I'll knock it back to 1/4 tsp at most.

 

[zzARzz]

I wish I would have read this before brewing my pumpkin ale. I put a whole tsp or ground cloves in and when I popped the first bottle this past weekend, I knew instantly it was too much.

Surprisingly, it's not horrible. I'll continue drinking and sharing it with the warning that if you really hate cloves, youre not going to want to drink it.
Next year, I'll knock it back to 1/4 tsp at most.

I've made more than my share of mistakes using too much clove, so I tend to ere on the side of caution when using strong flavors like cloves or star anise. At least you know you won't make that mistake again