Pumpkin Puree Question

[Nike_Eayrs]

So I am going to attemt my first pumpkin beer and I am not sure how to add the puree. I've read people put it in the mash and the boil. My concern is regarding the stuck sparge or too much trub in the boil. Can somebody with some "pumpkin experience" shed some light on what is their best practice? Thanks, I am excited to get this ready for the fall. Cheers!

 

[TyTanium]

Dissolve it in your strike water before mashing.

1) Less of a sticky goopy mess; easy to dissolve
2) You bring the pumpkin to the proper strike temp so you can hit your mash temps (pumpkin is a heat sink)
3) Starch conversion
4) Most of the goop gets filtered during sparging. More normal-ish boil; less like a boiling cauldron of lava.
5) Rice hulls. Be generous.

Bonus) Go easy on the spices. Subtlety wins here.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

It helps to bake the puree in the oven until it starts to caramelize and concentrate the flavors.

 

[Zamial]

It helps to bake the puree in the oven until it starts to caramelize and concentrate the flavors.

I have done this with 3 pumpkin beers of years gone by. It always burned on the edges and stuck to aluminum foil/cooking sheet and was a huge PITA.

The last 2 batches I did not. I mashed one with the strike water method mentioned above and it worked great. The other I added into my hop bag at the start of the boil and I think I kept most of the pulp in the bag and extracted the anticipated flavors per the samples (It was an extract batch).

IMHO the biggest thing to consider is the yeast strain. If you can not get Denny's Fav 50 then cut the spices by 1/3 - 1/2 and use a Belgian strain, anything else is a waste of time.

 

[smokinghole]

I just mashed in hot then dumped the pumpkin straight in took a mash reading, I was happy and I went on with my brew day. Putting it anywhere but the mash wastes wort or beer and thats just stupid considering how much work you put into making the beer in the.first place. So why worry about having murky puree in your fermentor when you can just mash it? Mine is a sweet stout this year with caramelized lactose and maple sugar. Its big its a little roasty, and its lightly spiced. I used 6 whole cinnamon sticks in a 9.5gal final volume. Then I used a half a fresh ground whole nutmeg in a tea ball. Way less than most recipes I see, no clove, no all spice, no ginger.....I hate that stuff in Pumpkin beer.

 

[Cyclman]

I don't think you'll get a consensus on here, there are many techniques, and many make great beer. I have always added to the boil. Yes, it'll fill the carboy more than the 5G level, but I was always worried about a stuck sparge, and you can use a blowoff and ferment cool.

After 2 weeks, I rack it into secondary, after hitting FG. Always came out delicious. I agree with go low on spices, you can add but not subtract. I also believe a pumpkin beer has to have pumpkin, or it's just a spiced ale. Maybe a delicious one but I am all for authentic.