Pumpkin Spiced Ale

[amaier48]

after reading about this dang pumpkin ale all day yesterday.... my mouth was watering... trying to make sure i had everything ready... went to get some pumpkin pie filling.... cant find it anywhere... 3 stores and none of them had it... might have to wait a few weeks till its more of a pumpkin time i guess... or do it with real pumpkin

 

[Skipper74]

went to get some pumpkin pie filling.... cant find it anywhere... 3 stores and none of them had it... might have to wait a few weeks till its more of a pumpkin time i guess... or do it with real pumpkin

I brewed mine with butternut squash (roasted about 9 lbs. an hour at 375F) and got great flavor/color. My only issue after tasting the hydrometer sample as well as a bottle after 7 days is the bitterness. Perhaps the butternut lets more come through than the pumpkin, but this beer is a lot more bitter than any commercial pumpkin ale I ever had. Still a tasty beer, but it's not just what I was expecting for the style.

 

[remman4]

fresh pumpkin was all that was available at my local stores...


perhaps the bitterness will mellow after another week or two?

my air lock smells great!

 

[Skipper74]

perhaps the bitterness will mellow after another week or two?

my air lock smells great!

I am hoping that the bitterness will mellow, although when I ran the recipe through Hopville after the fact, I came up with 40+ IBUs. When I looked at some of the commercial pumpkin ales, the IBUs were in the 10-20 range. I think the next time I make the recipe (and there will be a next time), I am going to cut the Willamette bittering addition in half, and possibly even lose the Cascades.

I agree that it does smell great, which is why I think I will leave the spices where they are for the next round.

 

[cimirie]

Awesome! So excited. I'm brewing up a apple cinnamon brown ale today. During the brew I will be drinking my pumpkin! I'll get a picture up then!

This sounds way too unique for me not to inquire. An apple cinnamon brown? Really? Have you tried it before? What's it like? Recipe???

 

[Rev2010]

This sounds way too unique for me not to inquire. An apple cinnamon brown? Really?

Actually not all that unique, meaning the style, his recipe might be. There are pumpkin ale's, why wouldn't there be "Apple pie" style ales?


Rev.

 

[craig_reed]

This sounds way too unique for me not to inquire. An apple cinnamon brown? Really? Have you tried it before? What's it like? Recipe???

I will post the recipe in my signature, or if you want to message me I can send you my beersmith file -

 

[craig_reed]

Actually not all that unique, meaning the style, his recipe might be. There are pumpkin ale's, why wouldn't there be "Apple pie" style ales?


Rev.

Brew it every year now for about 5 years going! :rockin:

 

[craig_reed]

I am hoping that the bitterness will mellow, although when I ran the recipe through Hopville after the fact, I came up with 40+ IBUs. When I looked at some of the commercial pumpkin ales, the IBUs were in the 10-20 range. I think the next time I make the recipe (and there will be a next time), I am going to cut the Willamette bittering addition in half, and possibly even lose the Cascades.

I agree that it does smell great, which is why I think I will leave the spices where they are for the next round.

TRUST me, it will not be bitter. Just let it mellow out. Virtually no hop presence.

 

[Skipper74]

TRUST me, it will not be bitter. Just let it mellow out. Virtually no hop presence.

Thanks, I appreciate the reply and am glad to hear it. How long do you recommend letting it condition? Bitterness aside, it seems like a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

 

[craig_reed]

I am hoping that the bitterness will mellow, although when I ran the recipe through Hopville after the fact, I came up with 40+ IBUs. When I looked at some of the commercial pumpkin ales, the IBUs were in the 10-20 range. I think the next time I make the recipe (and there will be a next time), I am going to cut the Willamette bittering addition in half, and possibly even lose the Cascades.

I agree that it does smell great, which is why I think I will leave the spices where they are for the next round.

TRUST me, it will not be bitter. Just let it mellow out. Virtually no hop presence.

 

[craig_reed]

Thanks, I appreciate the reply and am glad to hear it. How long do you recommend letting it condition? Bitterness aside, it seems like a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

What stage are you at now? Are you talking about bottle condition? I let it go 3-4 weeks or so. Fact is, I have one bottle left (22ozer) from last year's brew session. It is amazing even now!

Try using brown sugar, that is a must!

 

[Skipper74]

What stage are you at now? Are you talking about bottle condition? I let it go 3-4 weeks or so. Fact is, I have one bottle left (22ozer) from last year's brew session. It is amazing even now!

Try using brown sugar, that is a must!

Yes, I was talking about bottle conditioning. The samples I tasted were from the hydrometer and a bottle after one week. I will wait another couple of weeks before tasting again. I did not use brown sugar, but I did add 2 tbsp. of molasses with 15 min. left on the boil.

 

[craig_reed]

Yes, I was talking about bottle conditioning. The samples I tasted were from the hydrometer and a bottle after one week. I will wait another couple of weeks before tasting again. I did not use brown sugar, but I did add 2 tbsp. of molasses with 15 min. left on the boil.

Nice. I will tell you that it gets better with age. Just set aside a six pack and don't think about it. Halloween night these will be amazing!

 

[collinsDPT]

I put all my pumpkin (120oz) in a nylon boil bag. Threw it in with 5-10 min left and also put it in the primary. Worked great

 

[yancydc]

I brewed the AHS pumpkin ale kit on sunday with roasted pumpkin and butternut squash which I steeped and then threw in again at 10 without the bag. Smelled great when I moved into primary, veggie chunks and all.

However, I'm an idiot and didn't really look at the directions correctly, so I used the full ounce of Kent Golding for bittering, instead of saving half for flavoring. Beersmith says it'll still only be about 18 IBU, which should be fine. I was a little worried, but I decided to relax and hope the pumpkin and spice flavors can handle it. Can't wait to try it!

 

[SkipWankman]

How much brown sugar did you use? I'm going to pumpkin pie filling ~60 oz with a stout kit then add some coffee into the 2ndary fermenter.

 

[BarronVonCharron]

How much brown sugar did you use? I'm going to pumpkin pie filling ~60 oz with a stout kit then add some coffee into the 2ndary fermenter.

1 pound in the boil, 4 oz to prime

 

[SkipWankman]

1 pound in the boil, 4 oz to prime

Thank you!

 

[Ma23456]

I'm about to brew a pumpkin wheat tomorrow and this is my game plan
8 lbs pumpkin boiled take the water and use that for mashing then I plan on making more ( pumpkin tea same concept as the water used for mashing) and using that to sparge with I am using a giant 30 lb jack-o-lantern pumpkin
Follow the wheat beer recipe 3.3 lb. of Wheat Malt Extract, 2 lb. American 2-row malt, 1.5 lb. Wheat malt, 8 oz. Munich 10L, 2 oz. Hallertau pellet hops, priming sugar, and yeast.then in secondary add 1 tsp of nutmeg/ cinnamon / allspice Then add 1oz of vanilla beans

What are people's ideas?

 

[solo103]

Sounds pretty good they also make a pumpkin powder wich u can add to boil it is just dehydrated pumpkin it works pretty well. Mckormiks also makes a good pumpkin pie spice. Wich works pretty well

 

[Skipper74]

This past weekend, I tasted one bottle from each of the batches that I did--one using pumpkin and one using butternut squash. They are very close, but I think I may prefer the butternut squash, as it seems to give the beer a bit more body. The color is great (and similar) on both batches.

In addition, due to a screw-up on my part, I accidentally switched the order of the Mt. Hood and Cascades in the second batch. The bitterness level is almost exactly the same, but the one with the 1/2 oz. Cascade as the flavor addition has a very slight citrus flavor that I enjoy. I think that I may brew a third batch (just to keep my suppy solid through Christmas), but this time, I will omit the Mt. Hood entirely, and add the Cascade with 15 min. left on the boil. I may also up the vanilla to 3 tbsp.

Has anyone else tweaked this recipe in a similar way?

 

[bluestang50]

Original recipe = italic
What I did = bold

7lb Pale Malt Extract
1lb 20 Lovibond crystal malt (to keep it as lighter color)
2 oz 1 1/2 oz Willamette hops (60 min)
1/2 oz Cascade hops (60 min)
1 oz 1/2 oz Mt. Hood hops (15 min)

10 lb Whole Pumpkin
1 tsp 2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract (substitute 1-2 vanilla beans) (10 min)
1/2 tsp freshy ground nutmeg (10 min)
1/4 tsp 1/2 tsp ground allspice (10 min)
1/2 tsp ground dried ginger (10 min)
1/2 tsp (1g) irish moss (15 min)

WLP001 (California Ale Yeast)

I had the pumpkin in a steeping bag for the last 40 mins of the boil. I did not put any pumpkin or spices into the primary during fermentation.

I let it stay in primary for a little over 2 weeks and then racked into a keg. I racked on top of a teaspoon of cinnamon, all spice, and 1/2 a cup of brown sugar. I let this condition in the keg at 42 degrees for another week and a half.

I know my method was kind of odd, but it tastes amazing. There is a perfect amount of bitterness at the end that people who drink light beers don't mind it, but those of us who like hoppy beers enjoy it as well.

I will be brewing this again tomorrow night. Does anyone have an recommendations on my odd method before I do it again?

 

[SteveDay]

Just brewed up a batch last weekend from a recipe I found online. The guy claims it won him a local brew contest. Anyway, I followed his recipe exactly (though after reading these posts, I'm definitely going to prime with brown sugar) which doesn't mention anything about roasting the pumpkin. So I chopped it, skinned it, and just threw it in there.

Now I'm worried about getting a raw vegetable flavor. Should I have roasted it first? It's been fermenting for 4 days and the cabinet I keep it in smells amazing. So maybe I'm just worrying unnecessarily....

 

[Skipper74]

Now I'm worried about getting a raw vegetable flavor. Should I have roasted it first? It's been fermenting for 4 days and the cabinet I keep it in smells amazing. So maybe I'm just worrying unnecessarily....

I roasted the pumpkin in mine, but I am not sure that it was necessary. I am not sure whether the raw vegetable flavor would even be that noticeable (if it exists at all) because the spices may cover it up. When I made my second batch, I accidentally reversed the Mt. Hood and Cascade hops and everything seems to have worked out okay. I think this is a pretty forgiving beer in that it has a good amount of spice that can cover up some mistakes without being overwhelming. Personally, I'd not worry about it.

 

[collinsDPT]

Bottled my pumpkin today. Ended up adding 3tbsp vanilla, .5 tsp cinnamon (+2 sticks added in secondary) and 4oz of brown sugar to prime.

Everything went great but I was a freaking idiot and added ground cinnamon which I failed to realize would not dissolve into the brew. The result was a lot of particles. We will see how cloudy it is in a few weeks after carbonating.

I hope it turns out well...

 

[cincybrewer]

Bottled my pumpkin today. Ended up adding 3tbsp vanilla, .5 tsp cinnamon (+2 sticks added in secondary) and 4oz of brown sugar to prime.

Everything went great but I was a freaking idiot and added ground cinnamon which I failed to realize would not dissolve into the brew. The result was a lot of particles. We will see how cloudy it is in a few weeks after carbonating.

I hope it turns out well...

i didn't think cinnamon was water soluble but just about every pumpkin ale recipe i've seen calls for a spice mix which includes cinnamon.

 

[sweaterman]

i didn't think cinnamon was water soluble but just about every pumpkin ale recipe i've seen calls for a spice mix which includes cinnamon.

It will most likely floc out. Not dissolve.

 

[cincybrewer]

It will most likely floc out. Not dissolve.

Which personally I'm fine with. I plan on using gelatin which should help clear the beer up. But I'm assuming that even if it doesn't dissolve, the beer will still take on some of the flavor which is my main concern.

Thanks.

 

[amaier48]

i think i am going to bottle this tomorrow. i want to use the brown sugar to prime it. i did search this thread and one fella said he used 2/3 of a cup of brown sugar to prime. i am wondering how much this primed. because i did loose some due to the trub. my guess right now i have 3-4 gallons that i will be bottleing. how much brown sugar would be good? or whats a good way to figure this up?

 

[missjacki]

I wish I knew, my kids broke my hygrometer . It'll be kind of fun guessing the ABV when it's done though!

Ha Ha! Me too! In fact the whole reason I'm on this thread right now is I was brewing an easy extract ale on friday when my son broke my hydrometer.

Clearly, I needed a new one ASAP so I went to my LHBS and got one....but of course I couldn't buy JUST a hydrometer....so I got to thinking about those jack-o-lanterns being preserved on the front porch in the 40 degree weather and decided to go for it....hence....here I am

2 beers and 2 hydrometers in 1 weekend....

 

[McBainne]

I live in NY and like everyone else pumpkins are tough to get after Thanksgiving. To be safe, this year I bought 3 Sugar Pumpkins and spent the day roasting them with maple syrup and turning them into puree. After they cooled I bagged them and put them in the freezer. Just throwing it out there for other Pumpkin Ale lovers.

 

[mewithstewpid]

Ill just throw some of my experience in here too (which is not much)

i brewed a pumpkin last year, it was awful. No real pumpkin flavor or spice favor. I used 1 tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger, but put it in early in the boil. bottled with 2oz vanilla, no vanilla pulled through.

this year, i used this recipe:

steep 20 min .5lb biscuit
6lb Amber LME
1o East Kent Goldings 60 min
.5oz east kent goldings 10 min
4lb pumpkin pie filling, non-spiced, baked 45-60 minutes prior. 60 min

1 tsp irish moss 15 min

2tsp cinnamon 5 min
1 tsp nutmeg 5 min
1 tsp ginger 5 min

placed the 4lb pumpkin used for the 60 min boil (which was in a muslin bag) in the primary fermentor

4oz vanilla extract bottling

US-05

I will let you know in a couple weeks how it turns out. The hydrometer samples were good, so i have high hopes.

here is a picture of mine finished, with cinnamon-sugar ring of course!



notes for next year:
-dont put pumpkin in the primary, only use for boil
-dont forget to put the vanilla extract in!
-more (other?) hops, i dont get a lot of hop flavor/aroma, so i will put more in 20min+

other than that it is good, although i may also increase the spices, i dont taste much even with all that I put in

 

[SkipWankman]

I made a java stout in which i decided to add some pumpkin to. I added 60oz easy pumpkin pie mix to the last 15 min of boil. I tasted a little before it went into primary and man did it taste good. But after going through primary and secondary i cant even taste the pumpkin. Maybe because of the coffee? I don't know but I primed with brown sugar and you do get a hint of sweetness

 

[Dynachrome]

I made a java stout in which i decided to add some pumpkin to. I added 60oz easy pumpkin pie mix to the last 15 min of boil. I tasted a little before it went into primary and man did it taste good. But after going through primary and secondary i cant even taste the pumpkin. Maybe because of the coffee? I don't know but I primed with brown sugar and you do get a hint of sweetness

I've never done secondary. That said, I think secondary is also referred to as clearing or cleaning. The yeast cake collects the spices, It might take the pumpkin starches as well. They may precipitate down.

I added spices toward the end of the boil on my last pumpkin. I decanted to a different container to bottle. The yeast cake left over after I had decanted smelled really spicy - after - I started scooping it out to dispose of it.

 

[amaier48]

i bottled mine 1 1/2 weeks ago, i used the 2/3 cups brown sugar. i probably only got 3 1/2- 4 gals of beer. but after a week and a half it still is not carbonated... any suggestions?

 

[remman4]

Mine carbed up in two weeks, what temperature are you conditioning your bottles?

 

[amaier48]

65-70

 

[DanLaque]

I made the pumpkin from NB, I did the optional step of adding the real pumpkin, but I am having the same problem of it not carbing up after 2 weeks, but I just flipped the bottles and I am going to wait another 3 weeks before trying it again. My OG was 1.072. FG was 1.012. That is corrected for temp. I am dying to try it.

 

[remman4]

Give it more time to carb! Most people recommend 3 weeks minimum on this site