Autumn Seasonal Beer Punkin' Ale

[heckofagator]

Wondering the same.....I'm going shopping tomorrow and will just scan these pages as much as a can. If not, I'll just stick with everything from page 1

 

[thefolkmetal]

I say don't alter it. Just go with the base recipe. You won't be disappointed!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

People have tried a lot of different things and many of them sound really good.

But I'm a big fan of the OP recipe. There haven't been any alterations aside from helpful tips.

 

[jmpreiks]

People have tried a lot of different things and many of them sound really good.

But I'm a big fan of the OP recipe. There haven't been any alterations aside from helpful tips.

Thanks Reno! Will be brewing it on Friday.

 

[jmpreiks]

How many volumes of CO2 do you try to hit with this? I'll be bottling since I don't have a kegging setup. I imagine that you'd want this on the lower end of the normal American Ale range, something like 2.2 vols?

 

[waltzbrewingco]

How many volumes of CO2 do you try to hit with this? I'll be bottling since I don't have a kegging setup. I imagine that you'd want this on the lower end of the normal American Ale range, something like 2.2 vols?

I was about to ask the same thing.

 

[Nicegirl]

I've brewed this beer twice now and have forced carbed it both times to 2.6 vol.'s. You'll loss a bit in the bottling process so your final product should be at about 2.5 vol.'s in the bottle, which past experience has told me is just about perfect!
Hope this helps.

 

[Vesteroid]

I brewed this over the weekend and had a horrible stuck sparge with a lb of rice hulls.

I worked it out and finished the brew. It had a wonderful color and taste and I hit the OG numbers but was a little light on the volume into my fermeter.

I didnt use the dry yeast, used a different smack pack and silly me didnt write it down, so cant remember precisely what it was. All i know is I did a two liter starter and it was bubbling away in several hours.

Should be fun to see what happens in two months

 

[55x11]

Just brewed it yesterday. Followed the original AG recipe from page 1. Hit O.G. 1.062. No stuck sparges for me - used 0.5lb of rice hulls, mashed at 156F.
Using WLP-001 yeast instead of S-05. Should be good, let's hope it's ready for October.

 

[guitarman31]

Brewing the all grain recipe tomorrow with SWMBO. Can't wait to see how it turns out, I'll have to compare to my recipe from last year.

 

[jmpreiks]

People have tried a lot of different things and many of them sound really good.

But I'm a big fan of the OP recipe. There haven't been any alterations aside from helpful tips.

Took a day off work and brewed this yesterday. Hit my expected OG of 1.066 dead on. The mash started at 158°F instead of 156°F like I wanted so it may finished a little sweet. The pumpkin messed up my water calcs I guess.

As others have commented, the pumpkin really clogged up my BIAB bag so I had to let a lot drain out in a bucket and dump it back in for the boil (I don't have a fancy pulley system).

I only got 4.65 gal in the fermenter though due to extra trub losses and the fact that my transfer hose fell in the dirt and I had to end the transfer when there was still at least half a gallon I could have got out of the kettle. Guess I need a clip for the hose....:smack:

Thanks for the recipe! The wort tasted like pumpkin pie! I do hope the spices mellow out just a bit over time though.

 

[TCollins]

Just curious... I know this is not a beer one wants to rush, but what is the quickest grain to glass anyone has had with this recipe? Thanks in advance 😃

 

[55x11]

Just curious... I know this is not a beer one wants to rush, but what is the quickest grain to glass anyone has had with this recipe? Thanks in advance ��

My first attempt at this recipe is still fermenting now - but I don't see how it's different from any other ale. Mine will be done about 4-5 weeks after brewing, hopefully. I bottle, so 2-3 weeks of fermenting plus 2 weeks of bottle carbonation/conditioning. Maybe I could do it it in 3 weeks if I rush it. If you are kegging, and following good brewing practices you can probably do it in 2 weeks! Why not?

If anything, I suspect pumpkin spice is akin to hops or other spices and decays fairly quickly (a few months) - want to drink it up before it gets too old.

 

[TCollins]

My first attempt at this recipe is still fermenting now - but I don't see how it's different from any other ale. Mine will be done about 4-5 weeks after brewing, hopefully. I bottle, so 2-3 weeks of fermenting plus 2 weeks of bottle carbonation/conditioning. Maybe I could do it it in 3 weeks if I rush it. If you are kegging, and following good brewing practices you can probably do it in 2 weeks! Why not?

If anything, I suspect pumpkin spice is akin to hops or other spices and decays fairly quickly (a few months) - want to drink it up before it gets too old.

Thanks for the response! I just started kegging, but I'm hesitant to keg this one as I will likely want to share and bring some with me to holiday parties, etc.....decisions, decisions. Can't wait to post some pics in a few weeks!

 

[thefolkmetal]

You can always keg and then bottle a few out of he keg itself after it's been carbonated. I usually keep some Grolsch style bottles around for that purpose. Or, a growler would work. For long term storage, you can just use regular bottles, if you want to age some. Just be sure to sanitize those.

 

[TCollins]

Great point!

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

This brew came out so good that I'm brewing it again!! Just picked up the grain bill and hops today. So stoked to ring in the fall season with this phenomenal pumpkin ale! Here's a link to a video I did last year brewing this beer! CHEERS!
http://youtu.be/-skr1iKjiKc

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

Just curious... I know this is not a beer one wants to rush, but what is the quickest grain to glass anyone has had with this recipe? Thanks in advance [emoji2]

This ale is good from right out of fermentation! It does get better with age but the spices tend to fizzle out the longer you let it set. The spices are more notable in the beginning but overall this ale is delicious anytime after fermentation is complete. I recommend Irish moss or a whirfloc tablet to help the proteins settle out and have a nice clear beer. If you keg it, it will be super clear on its own as it ages and the proteins continue to settle. CHEERS!

 

[TCollins]

Thanks! Yeah I'm chomping at the bit to get it moving forward...patience is my downfall. Need to start another batch, so I forget about about this one for a couple more weeks!

 

[TCollins]

Finished at 1.010 from OG of 1.071....will this be drier then the original recipe? Is finishing lower a product if over-pitching? Was hoping for a sweeter brew.

 

[Wiesty]

So I'm going to be brewing this soon, no rice hulls. I was thinking of blending the pumpkin very finely with some water and adding it to the mash. Do you think this will help?

 

[DrunkleJon]

I would still use hulls if you can. They arent expensive and can really save you from a stuck sparge. I think that probably the best way to do this without them would be to mix in strike water with grains to form the filter bed, stir thoroughly, then mix the pumpkin in with the last gallon or so of strike water and gently add that on top of the mash. That way it mashes for the full time and can be filtered out when you drain your first runnings. You may get stuck in your sparge though if you stir too vigorously.

Then again this is pure hypothetical me thinking off the top of my head while only half caffienated.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

I would still use hulls if you can. They arent expensive and can really save you from a stuck sparge. I think that probably the best way to do this without them would be to mix in strike water with grains to form the filter bed, stir thoroughly, then mix the pumpkin in with the last gallon or so of strike water and gently add that on top of the mash. That way it mashes for the full time and can be filtered out when you drain your first runnings. You may get stuck in your sparge though if you stir too vigorously.

Then again this is pure hypothetical me thinking off the top of my head while only half caffienated.

Not a bad idea but there is the issue of hitting your mash temp correctly. It would be near impossible to get your pumpkin to be just the right temperature that when you add it you get proper mash temperatures.

Maybe try steeping the pumpkin in a bag in the strike water as you warm it up. You probably won't get as much out of it but it'll be something.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Finished at 1.010 from OG of 1.071....will this be drier then the original recipe? Is finishing lower a product if over-pitching? Was hoping for a sweeter brew.

Over-pitching won't do this. The yeast will only ferment what sugars are available to them and no more.

My guess (and it's very likely/common with this recipe) is that the pumpkin puree messed with your mash temperatures and brought it down a few degrees, thus the drier beer. What was your process? I like to add the pumpkin nearly straight out of the oven into the mash water (before doughing-in) and letting the strike temperature balance out that way.

 

[TCollins]

Yeah after some further researching I was guessing this might be the culprit. The pumpkin cooled...and I definitely mashed under temp....nonetheless it will be amazing. Just a good excuse to start another batch! Thanks Reno

 

[waltzbrewingco]

Bottled mine yesterday, gravity sample tasted and smelled great! I can't wait to pop one open.

 

[55x11]

Over-pitching won't do this. The yeast will only ferment what sugars are available to them and no more.

My guess (and it's very likely/common with this recipe) is that the pumpkin puree messed with your mash temperatures and brought it down a few degrees, thus the drier beer. What was your process? I like to add the pumpkin nearly straight out of the oven into the mash water (before doughing-in) and letting the strike temperature balance out that way.

mine started at 1.062 (I somewhat deliberately backed off on the ABV a bit - too many strong beers, want something drinkable), but it looks to finish at about 1.012-1.014. I thought it would be higher, maybe 1.016-1.018 range, due to pumpkin puree and higher mash temperatures.

 

[Wiesty]

I should reiterate. I was thinking of blending the puree with the water and heating it with the strike water so i dont lose temperature. I think the consistency would prevent it from causing a stuck sparge no?

 

[joe_brewer]

Wiesty - I did this the last time I brewed this and it worked great. I'm brewing 10 gallons of this tomorrow and will do the same thing, I will, however be using rice hulls as insurance.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Not a bad idea but there is the issue of hitting your mash temp correctly. It would be near impossible to get your pumpkin to be just the right temperature that when you add it you get proper mash temperatures.

Maybe try steeping the pumpkin in a bag in the strike water as you warm it up. You probably won't get as much out of it but it'll be something.

How about heading the last gallon or so separately with the pumpkin mixed in? More of a sauce style. Should be heart controllable that way