Question on Pumpkins and NB's Smashing Pumpkins Ale

[thalguy]

I'm planning on brewing Northern Brewer's Smashing Pumpkin Ale. Originally I planned on doing this sometime in the future, but when I went to the store today they had sugar pie pumpkins, so I bought a couple.

First, how long are these going to last? I looked online and found this:

Steve Reiners, a horticulturist at Cornell University, says it depends on the state of the pumpkin and the weather.

"If the pumpkin was healthy when picked and diseases were controlled in the field, the pumpkin can last 8 to 12 weeks,"

Source

However, that seems crazy long to me. For brewing purposes can I wait 3 weeks? How do I tell if they are going bad? I know what jack o laterns look like when they die, but I've never had uncarved pumpkins around for very long.

Second question, the recipe says:

If you want to incorporate actual vegetables in this recipe, you’ll need to purchase an additional 2 or 3 pounds of Rahr 6-row (#G002) and provide your own 8 to 10 pound pumpkin (winter squash like butternut or acorn will work if pumpkin is out of season). Cut up the
gourd, discard the innards, and roast or microwave the pieces until soft and cooked through, then peel. Mash the peeled, cooked pumpkin flesh with upto 3 gallons of hot water, the 6-row and the included grains at 152°F for 1 hour. Then strain the liquid off and add it to the water in the boil kettle, topping up to achieve 3 gallons.

I have two pumpkins, totaling roughly 7.5 pounds. How much of the Rahr 6-row should I include? Most of the people on Northern Brewer's site did this with a few 16 oz cans of pumpkin, but I don't know if that is more concentrated or not.

Thanks in advance.

 

[chuckcomm]

I made this with the canned pumpkins. Sampled a bottle today and its great.

Did you watch the video at NB? It should answer all your questions.

The whole pumpkins should last a few weeks at the least.

I used 2lbs of the 6 row as the recipe called for that. I believe it is to convert the sugars in the pumpkin so the yeast will ferment it.

 

[thalguy]

I made this with the canned pumpkins. Sampled a bottle today and its great.

Did you watch the video at NB? It should answer all your questions.

The whole pumpkins should last a few weeks at the least.

I used 2lbs of the 6 row as the recipe called for that. I believe it is to convert the sugars in the pumpkin so the yeast will ferment it.

I didn't see a video at Northern Brewer. I will go look. Thanks for the information!

 

[chuckcomm]

Here it is in case you cant find it

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTdBV3yvYm8[/ame]

 

[thalguy]

I went back and saw that it was linked directly on the recipe page. I have no idea how I overlooked it the first time. Thanks for letting me know it was out there.