Autumn Seasonal Beer Punkin' Ale

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

temperature of the pumpkin, will affect your mash temp. Pumpkin closer to your mash temp, the better.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

The two times I've brewed this I added the pumpkin to the mash last (it was room temp) and it brought my mash temps way down. I don't know if that helps you figure out your temp problem, but I though I would share my experience

Trying this now. Pumpkin just went into the minimasher; house smells goooooood. Was a little concerned that the mash liquor would fit in the igloo, but it was perfect.

Does it make sense to not cool the pumpkin completely before adding to the mash?

temperature of the pumpkin, will affect your mash temp. Pumpkin closer to your mash temp, the better.

This is very good advice. But personally what I do is not let the pumpkin cool down all that much. I add all of my strike water at 15-20*F higher than my dough-in temperature to preheat the mash tun cooler. So I just add the pumpkin at the same time and let physics do the rest.

 

[waltzbrewingco]

I love the color of this ale!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Popped my first bottle....yummmm!

I love the color of this ale!

Nice photos! Very purdy

 

[DagoBrewer]

The two times I've brewed this I added the pumpkin to the mash last (it was room temp) and it brought my mash temps way down. I don't know if that helps you figure out your temp problem, but I though I would share my experience

I boiled some water and set the cans of pumpkin it there while I was heating up my strike water. It helped with mash temp and made it easier to get all the pumpkin out of the can!

 

[leftcontact]

Minimashed. Came in about 14.6 Plato OG, suspect I didn't have the strike water quite high enough or the pumpkin puree mixed in quite well enough. Looks, smells, and tasted pretty good on the way into the bucket though..

Wound up using 3.3 lbs of Munton's light and 2.7 lbs of Munton's Maris Otter, mostly because I grabbed the wrong can, and also dark brown sugar vice light brown. Be interesting to see how this works out.

 

[cpa4ny]

Brewed this weekend - used a lovely Australian blue pumpkin.

Bought about 2 kg worth of pumpkin, after baking shrinkage, ended up with about 1.7 kg (covered the pumpkin slices in cinnamon, came out of the oven looking delicious).

Used half a pound of rice hull and that seemed enough - no issues with stuck sparge.

Used hochkurz mash with a 15-minute protein rest @ 52C and a 10-minute mash out.

The wort came out surprisingly clear @ 1.074 (used 1.5 lbs of nice brown sugar).

Oxygenated the wort for 90 seconds and pitched a 1.6L starter of Brett Trois (WLP 644).

Look forward to tasting it in 2 weeks' time

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Brewed this weekend - used a lovely Australian blue pumpkin.

Bought about 2 kg worth of pumpkin, after baking shrinkage, ended up with about 1.7 kg (covered the pumpkin slices in cinnamon, came out of the oven looking delicious).

Used half a pound of rice hull and that seemed enough - no issues with stuck sparge.

Used hochkurz mash with a 15-minute protein rest @ 52C and a 10-minute mash out.

The wort came out surprisingly clear @ 1.074 (used 1.5 lbs of nice brown sugar).

Oxygenated the wort for 90 seconds and pitched a 1.6L starter of Brett Trois (WLP 644).

Look forward to tasting it in 2 weeks' time

what is going on in your last picture?

 

[cpa4ny]

It's clear wort after the mash-out. I am using a Braumeister, so that's why it may look unfamiliar.


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[mkyl428]

I went to replace the blow off with an airlock on my 2nd batch of this, and apparently fermentation was so vigorous this time it blew krausen out the sides of my bucket lid!!! Even with a blow off... Crazy!!! My buckets actually make a seal too! Guess my yeast were happy!

 

[madcore]

Damn mine barely did anything


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[Peruvian802]

My wife (my biggest beer critic) has done blind tastings against pumpkin ales made by Weyerbacher, dogfish head, and Brooklyn brewing and this recipe wins every time.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

I cracked open a bottle of this tonight (bottled last week so still a bit young, but I'm impatient ) for a tasting.

It's definitely way better than the pumpkin kit from my LHBS that I did last year. I think next year when I make this I'll scale back the spices a touch and maybe even add more pumpkin (or go a bit longer in the roast) to bring out the pumpkin flavor a bit more. It's there, but the spices are more prevalent imho. Of course, it's still way too young to tell how it's going to be.

Thanks for the recipe!

 

[kenoglass]

So yesterday was 3 weeks in the primary. Checked the gravity and it ws. 1.012...so looks like my FG is a bit lower. I am gonna bottle it tomorrow or the next day should I bottle it with brown sugar or no??

 

[kenoglass]

A shot of my baby

 

[Reno_eNVy]

My wife (my biggest beer critic) has done blind tastings against pumpkin ales made by Weyerbacher, dogfish head, and Brooklyn brewing and this recipe wins every time.

That is beyond awesome. Though I'm sure most of that can be attributed to your excellent brewing skills.

I cracked open a bottle of this tonight (bottled last week so still a bit young, but I'm impatient ) for a tasting.

It's definitely way better than the pumpkin kit from my LHBS that I did last year. I think next year when I make this I'll scale back the spices a touch and maybe even add more pumpkin (or go a bit longer in the roast) to bring out the pumpkin flavor a bit more. It's there, but the spices are more prevalent imho. Of course, it's still way too young to tell how it's going to be.

Thanks for the recipe!

I actually did this recipe in hopes of subduing the spices a bit. But trying to go less might be good as well.

As far as roasting goes.... for some reason it kind of hit a plateau and just "boiled" under the surface instead of roasting more. It was odd...

 

[gwapogorilla]

I've got my 1056 yeast starter churning right now, so that I can brew this recipe next weekend. Thank you for sharing Reno!:rockin:

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

I already have to brew another batch of this due to my friends and I chugging down the last one! At least this time I can do it with fresh pie pumpkins since they are in stores now!


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[PackerfaninSanDiego]

it's been 33 days in the fermenter......should I or should I wait to bottle?

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

Ok, brewed this one again using 2 pie pumpkins in the mash. OG is 1.063 again. No video this time though.

 

[gatsby174]

I just pulled my first pint. It's been aging at room temp for a month, then another month aging in the kegerater. It tastes bang on with an Ithaca country pumpkin! I followed the recipe to a "t". Well done Reno, this is an
annual fall recipe for me!

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[madcore]

Ok so I brewed mine in August...and I messed up and boiled my spices full boil holy poop it is super strong spice! Like it punches you in the face strong.... Oops and no I didn't put too much in just put it in at the beginning of the boil


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[zachattack]

Brewed this yesterday, thanks for the recipe!

 

[gwapogorilla]

Getting ready for brewing this weekend. I already have my yeast starter of 1056 ready to pitch. Here I am getting the pumpkin ready for baking. I will actually bake it a few times (at least twice) in order to get a "Maillard reaction" going on the pumpkin fibers.

As far as the grain bill, I omitted the brown sugar so it wouldn't ferment out so dry. I replaced the brown sugar with molasses and added more malt to make up for the gravity difference. I also added some rye, as I really like the body rye provides, it helps make a nice fluffy head and I think it will blend with the spices nicely.

I also pumped up the pumpkin to 7 lbs, as I read a few comments in this thread that the pumpkin was hard to detect. No one has tried more that 4 lbs. of pumpkin from what I have read...so I'll take one for the team.:rockin:

Here is my grain bill. I am assuming low efficiency numbers (70%) due to the slow run off because of the pumpkin.

1 lbs Rice Hulls (Briess) (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 6.5 %
10 lbs 4.8 oz 2-row (Rahr) (1.8 SRM) Grain 2 66.9 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Biscuit (Dingemans) (23.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.7 %
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L 6-Row (Briess) (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.5 %
1 lbs Rye Malt (Weyermann) (3.6 SRM) Grain 5 6.5 %
7.00 lb Canned pumpkin (Mash 60.0 mins) Other 6 -
9.6 oz Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 7 3.9 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 12.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 2.6 IBUs
1.50 tbsp Pumpkin pie spice (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 10 -
1.0 pkg American Ale(1056) (Wyeast Labs #1056) [4.2 oz] Yeast


Has anyone tried adding "Pecan extract" to this beer when bottling/kegging? I think it would compliment the recipe nicely.

 

[boicutt]

Not enough rice hulls for that amount of pumpkin imo. Stuck run-off galore!

I'm pretty sure the molasses with the additional pumpkin you are adding will maybe make it taste more pumkiny, but you're adding more sugar with the pumpkin so the dryness will come out to the same as if you used less pumpkin and brown sugar.

Don't count my words as fact, just what I assume from what I know.

 

[j1n]

What kind of pumpkin is that? I hope you are using sugar pumpkins....

Id also up the rice hulls. I used a pound and i still almost got a stuck sparge.

 

[gwapogorilla]

Not enough rice hulls for that amount of pumpkin imo. Stuck run-off galore!

I'm pretty sure the molasses with the additional pumpkin you are adding will maybe make it taste more pumkiny, but you're adding more sugar with the pumpkin so the dryness will come out to the same as if you used less pumpkin and brown sugar.

Don't count my words as fact, just what I assume from what I know.

You may be right about the rice hulls, but I'm inclined to disagree with you on the body of the beer.
The brown sugar would ferment out lower than the grains and molasses. Plus, what ever sugar comes out of the vegetables are going to be complex...they won't ferment easily either.

What kind of pumpkin is that? I hope you are using sugar pumpkins....

Id also up the rice hulls. I used a pound and i still almost got a stuck sparge.

Carving pumpkins. You can use just about any type of pumpkin for pies....my mom did it every year at Halloween time. Best pies I ever had! :rockin:

 

[thelouisvillekyle]

It's so fine, it's all mine.

 

[Salukibrew]

So....I have been a passionate home brewer for about 5 years now and am also brewing for a commercial craft brewing company now, however in my few years delving deep into the fermentation sciences field I have never until a month and a half ago attempted a Pumpkin beer. However by popular demand from my wife and friends I thought I would give it a shot on my 10 gallon system at home with a few small modifications from the OP's recipe to reach a final product that is more my taste and style.

It has turned out EXCELLENT! However I think I undershot my efficiency slightly (new mill and 3 hr sparge due to almost stuck mash) and thus produced a product that comes in around 7.5%. Which is great as a winter warmer but I wanted it to be a little more sessionable. None the less a great product and the spices and pumpkin balance very well in the finished product.

Pours a deep amber orangish hough and I have found it to have its best flavor and aeromatics become present around 42F - 46F. Pictures and official tasting notes soon to come. Also I would be willing to share my finalized version which is very close to the original and my ferm schedule and accompanying stats if folks want.

My Suggestion....use as many rice hulls as you can fit in the darn Mash Tun

 

[popquizkid]

So....I have been a passionate home brewer for about 5 years now and am also brewing for a commercial craft brewing company now, however in my few years delving deep into the fermentation sciences field I have never until a month and a half ago attempted a Pumpkin beer. However by popular demand from my wife and friends I thought I would give it a shot on my 10 gallon system at home with a few small modifications from the OP's recipe to reach a final product that is more my taste and style.

It has turned out EXCELLENT! However I think I undershot my efficiency slightly (new mill and 3 hr sparge due to almost stuck mash) and thus produced a product that comes in around 7.5%. Which is great as a winter warmer but I wanted it to be a little more sessionable. None the less a great product and the spices and pumpkin balance very well in the finished product.

Pours a deep amber orangish hough and I have found it to have its best flavor and aeromatics become present around 42F - 46F. Pictures and official tasting notes soon to come. Also I would be willing to share my finalized version which is very close to the original and my ferm schedule and accompanying stats if folks want.

My Suggestion....use as many rice hulls as you can fit in the darn Mash Tun

I for one would love to see your tweaked recipe and fermentation schedule. I brewed this myself with WLP-007 a month ago and about to transfer to keg for additional conditioning. Thanksgiving is at my house this year and I brewed it for family to enjoy on the holiday. It was a lot more work than most normal brews but I really enjoyed making this beer.