Pumpkin beers: Discussion, developing recipes, tips tricks, and a good practices

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Boerderij_Kabouter

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It is that time of year... Fall is approaching and pumpkin beer is on our minds.

I thought it would be good to have a collective thread for us to discuss pumpkin beers, and all our respective recipes.

To start, here is a great article to read about using pumpkin:
Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Brewing with Pumpkin: Tips from the Pros -

Brewing with Pumpkin: Tips from the Pros
Author: Thomas J. Miller
Issue: October 2001
Online Date: Monday, 24 September 2001


Brewer: John Tully of Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. John completed a course at Siebel in 1996 and joined Lakefront in 1999 as head brewer.

"Our malt bill makes the base beer used in our pumpkin beer something between a pale ale and an amber lager. In other words, it’s a slightly amber-colored pale ale, but we ferment it as a lager.

The hops we use are Mt. Hood, and we target a very low bitterness profile. About 12 IBUs. We want just enough hops to counteract the sweetness from the malt, but we don’t want to overwhelm the spices, which contribute to this beer’s unique flavor.

We use canned pumpkin in five-pound cans. They’re easy to get. Homebrewers can find something similar in their grocery store, but probably in smaller sized cans. We use about one hundred pounds of pumpkin in a fifty barrel batch. That’s only about .064 pounds per gallon, so a five-gallon batch of homebrew would need roughly one-third of a pound of canned pumpkin. (With fresh pumpkin, you'd use more because it's not as concentrated.)

We add the pumpkin during the mash. We have experimented with this a lot over the years. For a while we thought we could pre-boil the pumpkin, kind of to gelatinize it and make it more manageable in the mash-tun, but it ended up making no measurable difference. So now we just add it straight into the mash-tun, and leave it in for the total length of the mash.

Pumpkin makes for a tough mash. It’s necessary to constantly rake the top of your mash because the pumpkin forms a gelatinous layer that stops the sparge water from flowing through.

Once we’re in the kettle we’re adding the hops, plus cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice, which is a proprietary mix from a local spice house. For a fifty barrel batch we’re adding three-and-a-half pounds of cinnamon, one pound of nutmeg, and five pounds of pumpkin pie spice. (For a five gallon batch, this equals only .016 pounds of pumpkin pie spice, .011 pounds of cinnamon, and .003 pounds of nutmeg.) Obviously, the spices you add are very limited in quantity.

After the boil we whirlpool and let it sit a bit longer than normal so that the spices settle out. Then we transfer over to the fermenter. Some of the spices will go with it, but we don’t worry about that. It will settle out during fermentation anyway, and will not hurt the brew. We use a German lager yeast from White Labs."

Brewer: Geoff Harries of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery in Hayward, California.Geoff homebrewed from 1981 to 1987. He became the head brewer at Buffalo Bill’s from '87 to '89, then the GM and head brewer at Brewpub on the Green from '90 to '93. He bought Buffalo Bill’s and is now the owner and head brewer.

" Our pumpkin beer is brewed at several locations for us, but one definite rule is that we always use fresh, whole pumpkins. The kinds vary depending on the season and what is ripe, but we like to use Atlantic Giants and Big Macs. Both are jumbo in size and have lots of fiber. Especially the fiber makes for easier mashing.

We roast the pumpkins, since a raw pumpkin is really nothing but a squash and if you try to use them raw, nothing comes out of them. Roasting converts some of the starch inside the pumpkin, and lets us extract sugars and sweetness. We cook them to the point where they’re kind of done—maybe a little brown around the edges, just when they are starting to caramelize. But we don’t want them turned to mush. Since pumpkins come in all different sizes, cooking times will vary. Once they are ready we cut them open and pull out the seeds.

For six-and-a-half barrels, we use about thirty pounds of pumpkins, though this will depend greatly on the pumpkin. This is a bit more than one-half pound for a five gallon batch, but once you start brewing you’ll realize you don’t want that much pumpkin anyway. Remember, this is a beer, not a vegetable beer. The pumpkin is there to complement the malts, not take them over. Besides, too much pumpkin makes for a tough sparge.

We always experiment with the base beer, but it’s generally a red ale/amber beer. We are looking for something with an orange to red hue. All the color in the beer comes from the malt. None comes from the pumpkin.

We go through the standard sparge. We have had trouble with this stage in the past, and what we have discovered is if you overcook the pumpkin it gets all mushy and causes the stuck mash. So, it’s important to not over roast.

Hops should be low-key. Be subtle, just to balance the malt sweetness. You don’t want the beer to be bitter. Think pumpkin pie in a glass, and shoot for that flavor profile. The dominant character will be the up front malt flavor, followed by a finish that highlight the spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. And speaking of spices, we use whole spice. This year we’ll put them in a big sparge bag, and then hang them in the conditioning tanks, after the boil. This is the way to get that nice, spiced character because it’s kind of like dry-hopping."

Brewer: Brett Vanderkamp of New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan. Brett took the Siebel brewing course and opened New Holland in July 1997.


"The first thing to remember with pumpkin beer is that it’s going to be a long brew day. The way pumpkin is used in the brew plays a big role in what kind of troubles you’ll have making it, and the ultimate flavors you will get, but it is a difficult brew. If you put the pumpkin in the kettle and boil it, you’ll get some pumpkin flavor and body, but not as much as if you had put it in the mash. Plus, you get everything that comes with it, the good and the bad.

In the mash, you’ll get all the by-products of the pumpkin you’re looking for. Flavor, body, some fermentable sugars. This is the good stuff. We put our pumpkin in the mash-tun but, of course, this method comes with a cost. That cost is the mash you’re going to deal with. Pumpkin is sticky as hell in the mash and a pain in the butt to run-off. Count on needing two to three times as much time to run-off the wort to the kettle.

We use rice hulls in the mash and this helps a little, though the mash still gets gummed up. The rice hulls provide more husk material to make the bed more porous, but they don’t add flavor to the mash.

Initially we used fresh pumpkin but after some experimentation we found we got better results from canned pumpkin. Now that’s all we use, and it requires much less labor. When you’re brewing large batches, cutting up fresh pumpkins is too much extra work. Homebrewers could probably go for it though.

We add the pumpkin at mash-in and use about 400 pounds of pumpkin for a 1600 pound grain bill. That’s about twenty-five percent of the total grain bill. I’d suggest that for homebrewers it’s better to start off doing pumpkin beers with less pumpkin than more. This way they can get used to what they are doing and the impact that pumpkin has on the beer.

We use Mt. Hood hops, which is a Hallertau seedling. We hop lightly, just under 20 IBUs. There are two strikes, one at 30 minutes and one at 75 minutes. The latter hopping adds only a touch of flavor and aroma, but not much.

More important are the spices. We use ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I recommend spicing with 30 or less minutes left in the boil. Add it before this and you’ll boil away flavor and, most importantly, aroma. Then we pitch with American ale yeast and ferment at standard ale temperatures (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, 21 Celsius)."
 
Here are my two recipes I am developing and will be brewing this weekend. I am not settled on which will be my pick yet.... thoughts?

Recipe: Pumpkin Lager I
Brewer: Justin S. Talbot
Asst Brewer: Paul Jacquart
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.82 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 6.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 22.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
MALTS
1 lbs 8.0 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 6.67 %
9 lbs Pilsner (Rahr 2 Row) (1.8 SRM) Grain 40.00 %
6 lbs Munich Malt (Durst) (9.0 SRM) Grain 26.67 %
6 lbs Vienna Malt (Briess) (3.5 SRM) Grain 26.67 %
4.00 lb Pumpkin (Mash 1.0 hours) Misc
HOPS
5.45 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.50 %] (60 min)Hops 22.3 IBU
SPICES
0.05 oz Ginger Root (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.05 oz Ginger Root (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.05 oz Nutmeg (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.10 oz Nutmeg (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.20 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.20 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.20 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.22 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
2.20 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
2.20 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2.20 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc
YEAST
2 Pkgs Pilsen Lager (Wyeast Labs #2007) Yeast-Lager


Mash Schedule: Hochkurz Decocotion
Total Grain Weight: 22.50 lb
----------------------------
Hochkurz Decocotion
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
15 min Protein Rest Add 31.50 qt of water at 140.9 F 133.0 F
40 min Maltose Rest Add 9.00 qt of water at 187.5 F 144.0 F
40 min Dextrinization RestDecoct 9.79 qt of mash and boil it 158.0 F
8 min Mash out Decoct 9.68 qt of mash and boil it 169.0 F

And number 2:

Recipe: Pumpkin Lager II
Brewer: Justin S. Talbot
Asst Brewer: Paul Jacquart
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (0.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.82 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 6.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 17.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
MALTS
16 lbs Pilsner (Rahr 2 Row) (1.8 SRM) Grain 72.73 %
3 lbs Munich Malt (Durst) (9.0 SRM) Grain 13.64 %
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.41 %
8.0 oz Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 2.27 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 1.14 %
4.00 lb Pumpkin (Mash 1.0 hours) Misc HOPS
4.20 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.50 %] (60 min)Hops 17.3 IBU
SPICES
0.05 oz Ginger Root (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.05 oz Ginger Root (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.05 oz Nutmeg (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.10 oz Nutmeg (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.20 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.20 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.20 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
0.22 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
2.20 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
2.20 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2.20 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc
YEAST
2 Pkgs Munich Lager (Wyeast Labs #2308) Yeast-Lager



Mash Schedule: Hochkurz Decocotion
Total Grain Weight: 22.00 lb
----------------------------
Hochkurz Decocotion
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
15 min Protein Rest Add 30.80 qt of water at 140.9 F 133.0 F
40 min Maltose Rest Add 8.80 qt of water at 187.5 F 144.0 F
40 min Dextrinization RestDecoct 9.57 qt of mash and boil it 158.0 F
8 min Mash out Decoct 9.47 qt of mash and boil it 169.0 F

Both of these are dococted lagers.

Well let the discussions begin. Please post your recipes and give others good feedback!

:mug:
 
The best pumpkin beer I have ever had was used making sweet potatoes. It imparts that same pumpkin flavor without mess in the fermenter. You cub up some sweet potatoes and spice them up the bake them. Giving them a nice caramely cooked outside is very nice.
 
Interesting idea with the sweet potato...

Links to other pumpkin beer threads:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/pumpkin-ale-brewday-131354/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/pumpkin-ale-using-real-pumpkins-131542/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/dogfish-head-punkin-ale-130923/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/pumpkin-questions-130568/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/jake-o-lantern-imperial-pumpkin-ale-78696/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/sweet-potato-beer-112093/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/pursuing-pumpkin-perfection-128105/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/pumpkin-porter-83429/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/you-wanted-pumpkin-ale-tastes-like-pumpkin-pie-15137/



Recipes from our database:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/thunderstruck-pumpkin-ale-ag-extract-versions-26699/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/maple-pumpkin-ale-24249/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/richards-pumpkin-ale-23489/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/pa-pumpkin-ale-93123/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/h-b-pumpkin-ale-90454/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/rhoobarb-s-fall-pumpkin-ale-87517/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/my-first-pumpkin-beer-82710/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/great-pumpkin-pie-ale-78995/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/roasted-pumpkin-seed-seasonal-ale-74473/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/jolly-jack-pumpkin-ale-68391/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/punkin-spice-52389/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/roasted-pumpkin-ale-44247/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/spiced-pumpkininny-ale-27184/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/st-fuads-flaming-pumkin-ale-24854/
 
Any reason for a lager? I think the spices might stand out too much in a clean beer. Thats really why I detest most spiced "Christmas" beer.

I've only brewed one pumpkin beer. It was a Scottish Ale base with pumpkin in the mash and the traditional spices. It was great. The maltiness of the Scottish Ale really accentuated the pumpkin spices. I'm thinking a Pumpkin Dunkelweizen might be good too.

I used canned pumpkin in the mash. Honestly, I don't see a reason not to use canned. If you look on the ingredients, the only thing listed is "pumpkin". Sounds ok to me. If you want to use the real thing, make sure not to use the run of the mill "Jack-O-Lantern" pumpkin. They arent the sweet pumpkin used in pies.

I really don't know what the actual pumpkin added to my flavor. I'm sure more of it came from the spices. It probably added some body. It sure makes for a sticky mash. Make sure to use rice hulls liberally. If I do another one, I'll probably use it just so I can call it a pumpkin beer.

Finally, I stayed away from "pumpkin pie spice". It has some extra anti clumping agent I wasn't so sure about. I used Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and allspice. When I get home, I'll look up the recipe.
 
Any reason for a lager? I think the spices might stand out too much in a clean beer. Thats really why I detest most spiced "Christmas" beer.


My wife really loves Pumpkin beer in the fall and her favorite is usually Lakefront brewery's offering. They change the recipe every year but it is always a lager.

So that is what I will try this year.

The spices will only be overpowering if you add too many. :D

:EDIT: Thanks Revvy!!!
 
Give me suggestions and I will update this.

When using pumpkin in beer...

DO
1. allow a LONG time for your lauter, it will be comically slow
2. use a bunch of rice hulls
3. bake the pumpkin first if you are using fresh pumpkin, then use it in your beer.
4. consider using some 6-row barley for more conversion (diastatic) power
5. start brewing your pumpkin beer EARLY. They can take a while to blend the spice and pumpkin notes seamlessly with the base beer.
6. use later additions to maintain the aroma of any spices (under 30 minutes, I split my additions between 30 minutes and 5 minutes)
7. use a secondary or a clearing tank to remove the large amount of trub this beer will throw

DON'T
1. use your pump to transfer wort from the mash to the boil kettle, it WILL compact the bed
2. use jack-o-lantern style pumpkins, use a baking pumpkin
3. brew a pumpkin beer for your first AG batch
4. brew your beer in the beginning of October and expect to drink it for Halloween
5. combine pumpkin in the boil with whole hops, the ensuing sludge is not manageable
 
I am going to do a decoction mash this year in the hopes that I will get more out of the pumpkin and that my lauter will be significantly easier. Any one think that is a good or bad idea?
 
I use at least some 6 row in my pumpkin ale. It's higher diastatic power helps with the conversion of the pumpkin.
 
I vote for sticky for this thread. We will be getting swamped shortly.

The biggest hint I have is to remember that the pumpkin beer will still have all of the characteristics of the base beer style you are brewing. Meaning you have to factor in aging and conditioning time of the underlying beer, plus a little more for the merging/mellowing of any spices if they are too strong.

For example, I brewed my Pumpkin Porter and Ale for Thanksgiving on Labor Day...figuring at 8 weeks, I MIGHT have some ready for Halloween.

But they were still green, so I only brought a couple to my annual Halloween thingy, along with a sampler of commercial pumpkins.

I was somewhat disappointed that I wasn't really enjoying my own beer while passing out candy.

BUT come Turkey Day the beer was fantastic, and was a hit at the holiday. Both beers had mellowed considerably, and were just amazing beers.

And then 2 months later, I discovered another bottle and this had mellowed further.

When it was green, even though it was carbed, you got a hot alcohol burn, and a really funky sourness from the pumpkin in the back of the throat..and way too much spice, especially the clove....Not undrinkable, but far from wonderful,

The last one was amazing, and sublime; the pumpkin and spice are nicely balanced, somewhat tart against a backbone of a deep rich burnt caramel and toffee note, with even a black coffee hint coming through. Nothing overwhelms, instead they meld together seamlessly.

There's a nice blend of both carbonation and a lingering mouth feel, and a deliciously seductive nose of toffee and cloves.

I would without hesitation pay 9 bucks for a 22 of this if it had the name Rogue, or Stone on it....and it kicked the ass of any pumpkin ales in the stores last October. This beer right now is at it's peak....and it was the last one.

So start brewing it asap if your base beer is going to be 1.060 or above, and is going to contain darker crystal malts. Don't expect this to be a quick turnaround, especially if you are bottle conditioning. Just like any bigger beer, it will need some mellowing time.

I know people who usually brew their pumpkins in early July.
 
Thats a great point Revvy. My Pumpkin Scottish Ale took a lot longer to mellow and age than normal. Don't expect to brew a pumpkin beer at the beginning of October and have it drinkable by Halloween!
 
A bit of wisdom from my brew club: If you can smell the spice during the boil, you're losing the flavor of the spice. Add spices at flameout to prevent loss.
 
If you are planning to add canned pumpkin to the boil, I can't stress this enough, but; do not use whole hops. I did, and the combination of pumpkin goop made a huge mess. It was nearly impossible to use my autosiphon after I chilled the wort to rack to my fermenters.

Since I was using carboys for both my beers I couldn't just dump them in like in a bucket. I ended up using a kitchen strainer and a spoon, and every time the strainer got too full of hops and goop, which was about every minute, I had to scoop that mess out into a garbage.

Also, plan on using a secondary and if you are adding pumpkin to secondary, then plan on a tertiery.
 
So does anyone have an opinion on my recipes? The first one is an Oktoberfest and the second is either a dark pale ale or a light amber ale (kind of in the middle).

I can't quite decide which to do, but I generally lean toward simple recipes....
 
So does anyone have an opinion on my recipes? The first one is an Oktoberfest and the second is either a dark pale ale or a light amber ale (kind of in the middle).

I can't quite decide which to do, but I generally lean toward simple recipes....

Fun thread, I'll be making a pumpkin beer soon too and am still trying to iron out a recipe. Coincidentally, I also had the idea of decocting the pumpkin in the mash, thinking that I would extract more flavor and body from the pumpkin, though I've not heard of anyone else doing it before you mentioned it. My original idea was also for an oktoberfest-style base, though now my preference is moving towards an amber with a good amount of crystal, some toasty malts and a touch of molasses. So my vote is for your recipe number 2. Maybe if there are enough people, we could have a pumpkin beer swap?
 
I'll be brewing up a "pumpkin" spice ale this coming weekend that is derived from Ken Lenard's recipes Summoned Spirits and Home Run Red Lager, here.

My friend wanted to make an Amber/Red and after having brewed one myself recently, and not necessarily caring much for it, I'd like to split this batch (using the Home Run Red as a base recipe) and spice my half. I'll "wimp out" or play it safe, depending on your perspective, and omit the pumpkin in the mash/boil. At this point, having never brewed a pumpkin ale before, and reading a bit on the subject, it's unclear to me what exactly pumpkin brings to the table, with it stated more often than not that the spices are the real player. Would be great to see a side by side tasting, with pumpkin and without but not so this time.
 
I have a question I hope someone can help me with: what kind of potential SG does canned pumpkin have? I use ProMash to build my recipes, and they don't have canned pumpkin in the malt data base, so I'll have to add it on.
 
I plan on just picking someone's recipe and doing that. I am not a recipe formulator yet. I am leaning towards Edcculus's so far because a heavy Malty pumpkin spiced Ale is what I think of when i think pumpkin beer. Almost pumpkin pie in a glass. When are you all brewing this to be able to drink mid to late october?
 
Dam, maybe I'll have to jump this up to my next brew. Maybe I can get one this weekend. I'd need to order ingredients tomorrow though.....
 
I am brewing whatever I choose this Saturday morning.

You better brew before judging the contest. Afterwards you may be a little :drunk:!

Right now for my recipe I'm thinking something along the lines of

6% ABV so it's easily drinkable but gives a little warmth in the cold months
Probably 25-30 IBU of a neutral hop all at 90 minutes.

Golden Promise base
British crystal 34 or 45 (can't decide yet) probably about a pound
a pound of torrified wheat for a little body/head retention
a couple ounces of victory malt
4 oz. of molasses

Single infusion mash at 150 for 60 minutes.

I'm negotiable on amount of pumpkin too, the commercial brewers in the first post seem to be using way too little, which probably accounts for the lack of pumpkin flavor in most commercial pumpkin ales. I want to go with enough to be really noticable, without sticking the sparge to the point that I have to abandon the beer. Right now I'm thinking 2 or 3 of the big cans of puree.

Haven't decided on spice amounts yet but will be some combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice with some fresh ginger, added with 5 minutes remaining in the boil.
 
"Pumpkin makes for a tough mash. It’s necessary to constantly rake the top of your mash because the pumpkin forms a gelatinous layer that stops the sparge water from flowing through."





Wouldn't this problem be solved with BIAB method?
 
KingBrianI-

The Kabouter Kup is actually going to be judged on Sunday shhhh.... don't tell anyone. It just worked out that way with the judges.

My pumpkin is designed with the pumpkin amounts from New Holland's Icabod, and the spicing range from Lakefront. I really liked the spice amount and pumpkininess of my Jolly Jack (see database beers above) but thought the base beer wasn't perfect so I am going in another direction this year.

I am really hoping the deco helps with the lauter.

Alcibiades- BIAB may be a great way to do it. I would love to hear someone's experience trying that!
 
I probably won't brew one this year. I've been trying to get back to some simpler beer. I will be dong a Scottish Ale, but it will be straight out of BCS.

I'll bet if you brew by the weekend of the 22 it would be fine. Give 30 days in the primary, you will have ~20 days to carb and condition. If you bottle, thats still enough to bottle condition too. It will probably be better by the end of October though.
 
So here's what I'm coming up with so far:

OG (1.053 before pumpkin, ? after)
IBU 25
SRM 12

7 lbs. Golden Promise
1 lb. British Crystal 34L
1 lb. Torrified wheat
1 lb. Home Toasted Maris Otter
0.5 lb. Molasses
(2) 29 oz. cans of pumpkin (added to mash)
1 t. cinnamon (5 min)
1/2 t. allspice (5min)
1/4 t. nutmeg (5 min)
1/4 t. clove (5 min)
1 oz. fresh grated ginger (5 min)

0.57 oz. Magnum whole leaf hops (90 min)

Denny's Favorite 50 yeast (supposed to be rich and velvety, perfect for a pumpkin ale)

I'm hoping I get enough sugar out of the pumpkin to get 1.060 OG. If it ferments down to 1.014, that should hit 6%ABV on the nose. Does anyone know what contribution pumpkin has to the OG?
 
Well I'm probably gonna miss the Pumpkin Boat this year, maybe I'll pass over it and move straight to a Christmas Ale. I brewed my planned October/Novemeber beer a couple weeks ago anyway with a heavily smoked porter so sip while sitting around the campfire in the cooler nights.
Maybe I'll attempt my first Belgian for Chirstmas. A BIG one. Think a tripel would have enough time to age if I brewed this month or early next?
 
I don't know if I'm realistically going to ride the pumpkin boat either this year. With mom stuff going on and all. I would love to do the partigyle again, but would really love to do it as two 5gallon batches instead of the split 5 gallon partigyle I did last year, but I'd need to borrow someone's larger system to be able to do it.

And if I don't get it done by labor day, I might as well forget it.
 
I was just planning my pumpkin brew day this morning, I'll be cooking on the 21st. I brewed Yuri's Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale last year with pretty solid results. Wife and friends loved it. I enjoyed it. It took about three months to come in to its own, so I figure I'll have it read for T-givin' this year. My notes said to lower the IBUs and clove and add more cinnamon. So I'm dropping this to 20 IBU from 25, cutting the amount of clove in about half, and adding an extra stick of cinnamon. I might play around with some allspice, we'll see. Hooray beer!

PS - what kind of yeat is everyone using? I used 1056 last year, but would like use a maltier profile one this year. Thoughts? Suggestions?
 
PS - what kind of yeat is everyone using? I used 1056 last year, but would like use a maltier profile one this year. Thoughts? Suggestions?

I'll be using denny's favorite 50. It is supposed to make a really velvety beer with lots of malt coming through without finishing too sweet. Sounds like a good match to me.
 
After reading about Revy's trouble with using a carboy as his primary, I'm wondering what would be a better primary? I have the option of using a 6 gallon carboy or using my 5 gallon Pail Ale. Should I use the 5 gallon bucket for primary then the carboy for secondary, or vice versa? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
 
I'll be brewing one sometime this fall, I'll let it age a year, I had a pumpkin beer from '07 that was just wonderful, the '08 had more vegetal flavor (this was back this winter).

I plan to mash in a pumpkin and thinking of fermenting in one. Not sure how long it would stand up to boiling (using an electric element). I'm growing my own pumpkins for this, atlantic giants.
 
Should I use the 5 gallon bucket for primary then the carboy for secondary, or vice versa? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

If you're making a 5 gallon batch, the 5 gallon Ale Pail might be a little tight for primary fermentation. I always try to use the largest container for the primary. A plastic bucket is more permeable to oxygen but I don't think it's a big deal unless you plan to leave the beer in secondary for an extended period of time. If you're only options are the 6 gallon carboy & 5 gallon bucket, I'd use the carboy for primary and bucket for secondary, IMHO.
 
My only advice: Go easy on the ginger.

I made a pumpkin ale a few years back. Undrinkable even after a year due to the medicinal flavor / aroma of (i think) the ginger. I followed a recipe from BYO, but the fresh ginger root I used was just too powerful. Didn't take much, either. Think Pumpkin NyQuil....or some other cough syrup....

Hmmmm.....maybe I outta open one of those pumpkin ales and see how 2+ years has mellowed 'er out. If I recall it was a really high ABV....so, you never know!

Anyway, that's all I got.
 
Thanks for the quick response (I love this forum). That's what I had originally planned so I'll stick with it. I might even get another 5 gallon BB for secondary this weekend. Then I can use it to make more Apfelwine!
 
I was planning a 5 gal batch of simple American Amber Ale for this Sunday, but this thread has convinced me to try a pumpkin ale. Here's the changes I was thinking:
- A single hops addition to about 20 IBU
- Bake some canned pumpkin and add it to the mash
- Boil (a sliver of) Ginger, and Cinnamon, Cloves, Allspice, Nutmeg

I've read a ton of recipes and they all call for different amounts of pumpkin (7.5oz - 4lbs), and spices, and added at different times. I'm thinking the less pumpkin the better, but I would like to taste it. I guess I'll try (1) 15oz can and see how that works. With the spices, would dry hopping with them be too much? I'll probably go with the recommended amounts in Yuri's recipe, with the adjustments that jacksonbrown suggested.

Here's what I've come up with, please let me know what you think.

Batch Size (Gal): 6.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 12.75
Anticipated OG: 1.057
Anticipated SRM: 17.0
Anticipated IBU: 23.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

9.50 lbs. Pale Malt US 2-row
0.50 lbs. Victory Malt
1.00 lbs. Crystal 55L
1.00 lbs. Munich Malt Light
0.50 lbs. Crystal 120L
0.25 lbs. Chocolate Malt 350L

15 oz. Canned Pumpkin Puree

0.75 oz. Northern Brewer (GR) 8.90% 60 min.
0.25 oz Ginger Root 15 min
0.25 tsp Cloves (Crushed) 5 min
0.50 tsp Nutmeg 5 min
1.00 tsp Allspice 5 min
1.50 tsp Cinnamon (Ground) 5 min

Safale S-05 Yeast

Bake the pumpkin on a cookie sheet at 350F until starts to brown (20-30 mins).
Mash at 158 for 60 mins
Boil 60 mins.
 
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