Autumn Seasonal Beer Punkin' Ale

[stever1000]

If you brew it in the next few weeks you should be good. I definitely recommend that you bake it first it will taste a lot better. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Thanks, I'm excited to try this recipe!

 

[AFhover08]

Hey so I bought all of the ingredients for this recipe intending to brew it in November but never got around to it. Does anyone have any ideas for another recipe I can brew using this same grain bill? I don't want to do pumpkin this late in the year

 

[rmclark12]

Hey so I bought all of the ingredients for this recipe intending to brew it in November but never got around to it. Does anyone have any ideas for another recipe I can brew using this same grain bill? I don't want to do pumpkin this late in the year

It's a pretty standard grain bill for a pale ale. Just get rid of the brown sugar, pumpkin, and spices. Move the 60 min hallertauer addition to 20 min, keep the 5 min hallertauer, and add a bittering hop of your choice at 60 min to bring it up to 35-40 IBU.

 

[brewbama]

Hey so I bought all of the ingredients for this recipe intending to brew it in November but never got around to it. Does anyone have any ideas for another recipe I can brew using this same grain bill? I don't want to do pumpkin this late in the year

In Brewing Classic Styles the American Brown Ale uses those grains plus 40* and Chocolate.

 

[AFhover08]

Considering trying to make this an APA with the addition of some extra hops I have lying around. Possibly Simcoe and Centennial. Any ideas? I wouldn't use the pumpkin of course. Trying to figure out what to brew with this based on what I have at home before I leave town for the month. Original ingredient list was purchased to make my wife a pumpkin beer but a turn of events has changed her drinking beer for a while

 

[charles]

Simcoe is a versatile hop and you can use it sparingly and get good results with it. I have been using it in a few batches(including a pumpkin beer). IMO you can utilize the flavor in the last 15 minutes of the boil.

 

[rmclark12]

Considering trying to make this an APA with the addition of some extra hops I have lying around. Possibly Simcoe and Centennial. Any ideas? I wouldn't use the pumpkin of course. Trying to figure out what to brew with this based on what I have at home before I leave town for the month. Original ingredient list was purchased to make my wife a pumpkin beer but a turn of events has changed her drinking beer for a while

Hey no problem, the base of this beer is very good and very versatile. Plug it into a recipe calculator (I like brewersfriend), plug in your hops and adjust it to your tastes.You can't go wrong with this one.

 

[Nokie]

Well it's about that time. I know that this is an old thread, but I spent 5 days when I first signed up reading all 232 pages of this recipe.
I figured I better brew it now so 4 weeks fermenting and at least 4 months in the bottle I should have it ready just in time for Thanksgiving
I scaled this down to a 2.5 gallon AG recipe from the first page.
I roasted the pumpkin this morning mashed in at 158* and added the pumpkin.
I've got 30 mins left of the 60 min mash.
I shall keep updating as things go.

 

[rbach2]

Brewed about 5 weeks ago. Forgot to keg last week so it hung out in primary a little longer. OG of 1.069 and FG of 1.020. I really focused on managing fermentation temp this year (still no dedicated ferm chamber yet). Last years batch finished significantly lower and ended up being a little thin. Still a great beer. Mashed a little higher this year and ended up with something a little sweeter. The sample tasted excellent. I'll dial it in next year. Plan to let this one sit on gas for a month before tapping.

 

[looksupatclouds25]

is the 29 oz of libby pumkpin the total amount of the libby added or is it what each can weighs ?

 

[robmartin113]

is the 29 oz of libby pumkpin the total amount of the libby added or is it what each can weighs ?

That's what each can weighs

I brewed this last year and it is delicious.

Brewing it tomorrow and drinking some for thanksgiving and keeping the rest of the bottles for a late winter day.

 

[escalante88]

anybody ever consider racking from the primary to a fresh bourbon barrel for a few days to a week? i know reno was hesitant about previous suggestions for bourbon and vanilla additions as he didn't want to overpower the more subtle pumpkin notes. i think it has potential to be super tasty. curious what others think!

 

[rwcdrums]

I just brewed this beer and my OG came out a little low, 1.058 to be exact. I noticed a lot of sediment when I pulled a gravity sample while transferring to the primary. My sample flask/tube probably had about two inches of clear wort and the rest was pretty thick sediment. My question: would this give me an inaccurate gravity reading or does that not affect the hydrometer since it's reading the sugar content? First time I'm missed my OG by that much and was just trying to nail down the reason. Thanks.

 

[AFhover08]

So I brewed this a few weeks ago and followed the recipe exactly. After tasting and a FG check I feel like there is not enough pumpkin/spice flavor to it. Has anyone else noticed this? Will it become more pronounced after carbonation? Should I maybe just make a tincture with some vodka and pie spice to add? I was considering soaking cinnamon sticks in vodka and adding the liquid

 

[DJTroz]

So I brewed this a few weeks ago and followed the recipe exactly. After tasting and a FG check I feel like there is not enough pumpkin/spice flavor to it. Has anyone else noticed this? Will it become more pronounced after carbonation? Should I maybe just make a tincture with some vodka and pie spice to add? I was considering soaking cinnamon sticks in vodka and adding the liquid

I've made this recipe 3x so far, each time changing a little for my taste. The last batch I made, I did 10# of pumpkin for 8 gallons. I also upped the nutmeg by 1tsp and vanilla bean by 1 bean for the last 2 batches. In the final batch, I made it as a creme brulee version, but that is a different topic.

 

[escalante88]

So I brewed this a few weeks ago and followed the recipe exactly. After tasting and a FG check I feel like there is not enough pumpkin/spice flavor to it. Has anyone else noticed this? Will it become more pronounced after carbonation? Should I maybe just make a tincture with some vodka and pie spice to add? I was considering soaking cinnamon sticks in vodka and adding the liquid

give it a couple more weeks. i tasted mine a few weeks in and was a little disappointed when the pumpkin and spice didn't come through - it tasted harsh and hoppy and green. two weeks later, it's like it was a different beer. just kegged it yesterday and it's like previous batches.

 

[AFhover08]

give it a couple more weeks. i tasted mine a few weeks in and was a little disappointed when the pumpkin and spice didn't come through - it tasted harsh and hoppy and green. two weeks later, it's like it was a different beer. just kegged it yesterday and it's like previous batches.

It tastes completely balanced and drinkable, just not as strong as I was expecting in the pumpkin department. I’ll give t a few more weeks before making any additions

 

[ApolloMC]

give it a couple more weeks. i tasted mine a few weeks in and was a little disappointed when the pumpkin and spice didn't come through - it tasted harsh and hoppy and green. two weeks later, it's like it was a different beer. just kegged it yesterday and it's like previous batches.

I had the exact same experience. I gave it 6 weeks in the primary, then 2 weeks to bottle condition. When I tasted at bottling I barely noticed the pumpkin. Just having a glass now and it's amazing. Very happy with this brew.

One pretty major difference I found was it fermented out to about 1.010 for me (OG was right on target at 1.065). So I've got about a 7.2% on my hands. Which I do not mind at all!

I don't know what accounts for that difference, as the OP said it should have ended around 1.017. Are the yeasts we use in 2017 better than those available in 2009? I used SF-05. I suspect my non-existent temperature control may have had an effect as well. I had it sitting at about 70-72 ambient in my basement. It still came out great though! Many thanks to the OP!

 

[rbach2]

I had the same issue with over attenuation in almost all of my brews last year. My thermometer was out of whack and I was mashing lower than my target temp. I bought a new thermometer and started hitting my numbers.

 

[escalante88]

apollomc what was your mash temp? if it was lower, your wort contained more fermentable sugars and fermented on the drier side ("malt" = more alcohol = lower temp). if higher, the opposite applies. my most recent batch ended up with an fg similar to yours. it happens. try and mash higher next time.

if i could get anywhere close to the weyerbacher imperial pumpkin ale for my next batch i be *@%$# happy as can be.

 

[ApolloMC]

apollomc what was your mash temp? if it was lower, your wort contained more fermentable sugars and fermented on the drier side ("malt" = more alcohol = lower temp). if higher, the opposite applies. my most recent batch ended up with an fg similar to yours. it happens. try and mash higher next time.

if i could get anywhere close to the weyerbacher imperial pumpkin ale for my next batch i be *@%$# happy as can be.

Ah, interesting. I'm always learning something new with this hobby! In any case, I don't think I'd change it even if I could. I think it came out perfect, and if (when!) I make it again I'll probably shoot for the same outcome.

This was my first all grain attempt, and I used the BIAB method on my stove top in a kettle. So my temp wasn't perfectly constant as I had to apply low heat throughout the process. I thought I actually had it on the high side, upper 150s to low 160s, but during the cool down on this batch is where I discovered my thermometer was about 10 degrees high. So I think during my mash I really had it around upper 140s to low 150s. Which makes sense as to the FG.

I brewed again on Saturday and I have now upgraded to a cooler mash tun, so I can control my mash temp a lot better now.

 

[escalante88]

congrats on the mash tun man! great to hear..

 

[ehk089]

anyone ever try adding pumpkin to the boil, like a fwh, or 60 min addition. I ask because I usually brew 10 gal batches and my mash cooler is only 11.25 so I dont think I can fit the pumpkin in there with the grains.....

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

The last one I brewed I roasted the squash and put half in the mash and half in the boil in a muslin bag worked out fine. I would imagine the higher heat releases more pumpkin goodness anyway.

 

[RPh_Guy]

anyone ever try adding pumpkin to the boil, like a fwh, or 60 min addition. I ask because I usually brew 10 gal batches and my mash cooler is only 11.25 so I dont think I can fit the pumpkin in there with the grains.....

I use Libby's in the boil (30 minutes), not in the mash. There's no reason to bake it.

 

[ehk089]

I use Libby's in the boil (30 minutes), not in the mash. There's no reason to bake it.

So it only needs to be baked if it goes in the mash?

 

[RPh_Guy]

So it only needs to be baked if it goes in the mash?

Unnecessary extra step.
Libby's canned "pumpkin" comes already cooked. Just dump it in.
8oz per gallon. Transfer all of it to the fermenter.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Unnecessary extra step.
Libby's canned "pumpkin" comes already cooked. Just dump it in.
8oz per gallon. Transfer all of it to the fermenter.

The idea behind baking it is just to caramelize the sugars and make it stand out a little more.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The idea behind baking it is just to caramelize the sugars and make it stand out a little more.

Perhaps, but I get excellent flavor without baking it.

Plenty of caramel and molasses from other components in the recipe.

 

[ehk089]

is everyone really using 2 packs of s05 for this instead of 1 pack?....im afraid two might over attenuate past 1.017....