Recipe advice...

[stuknkrvl]

Hello again,

My wife wants me to make a pumpkin beer (I know it's April, just bear with me). I worked this up after some internet research.

5 gallons
Target OG 1.064
80 minute boil
Mash @154 for 75 minutes

9.92 pounds Maris Otter
1.92 pounds Crystal 40
1.06 pounds Special Roast
0.5 pounds dark brown sugar (added after the mash)
6 pounds pumpkin roasted @350 for an hour - half in mash, half added to boil
0.5 pounds rice hulls

1 ounce UK Kent Goldings at 60 minutes

2 T ginger
1 T clove
1 T allspice
0.5 T cinnamon
0.5 T nutmeg
(Spices all in at 3 minutes)

Wyeast 1450

Most of the recipes I've looked at use an american pale 2 row for the base, but I wanted a little more malty richness so I chose Maris Otter.

Thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!
Shane

 

[badlee]

I think,just from looking,that you have a huge percentage of crystal type malts and risk an overly sweet beer. You may not have enough IBUs to balance your brew.
I do like your adding half of the pumpkin to the boil. You will get some real good flavour from it.

 

[stuknkrvl]

The breakdown is 75% maris, 13% crystal, 7% dark roast, and 5% brown sugar, going for about 22 IBU (BU:GU ratio of 0.34).

Should I back down the percentage of crystal to achieve less malty sweeetness, or increase the amount of hops for a higher IBU?

 

[McGarnigle]

You could lower the crystal a little, but I think a Pumpkin Ale is better made sweet than hoppy. Then again, I don't know the IBUs there. EKGs can be low AA%.

Possibly you have too much going on. A little spices can go a long way. T usually means tablespoons. Seems like a lot.

I'm more curious about how you get 9.92 pounds of something. 4.5 kgs?

 

[badlee]

Well,13% is not too wild. But 10% would be better and just get "sweet" from lower attenation

 

[stuknkrvl]

McGarnigle - That's just how the math worked out. All my recipes end up with odd decimal values. I email my local home brew store a list of what I need and they quote me a price and put it together. Maybe they round it up without telling me, but I usually hit my gravities spot on.

 

[stuknkrvl]

Also, yes, that's tablespoons. I'm thinking about scaling the spices back a bit. A lot of folks I've talked to are saying the same thing as you that I might be heavy on the spices.

Also, the EKGs are 5.7% alpha.

 

[kh54s10]

I too would drop the crystal to 1 pound. I used 8 pound of baked pumpkin all in the mash. It had a slight pumpkin flavor. I don't know about putting some in the boil. I think you are going to get almost all of your flavor from the spices. I used none in mine.

 

[badlee]

Pumpkin in the boil,with(I know it sounds strange) some toasted oats,last 15, makes it taste like a pumpkin crumble,if there were such an item of scrumptiousness

 

[SteveHeff]

I have great results using the Pumpkin Pie spice from Trader Joe's (1.5 Tbs with 2-3 mins in boil), but I think you hit all the major spices right on the nose with your combo. I also used 1 lb of biscuit malt, replacing the special roast. I'm going to agree with all the other posters and say drop your crystal to 9-10%. I think the spices will add a sweetness that is not necessarily appreciated until the beer is carbed. Good luck.

 

[ericbw]

Back way off the spices. Also, adding the pumpkin to the boil should give you a stronger pumpkin flavor, but remember that it's a squash, and it tastes like it. That's good, but funny to do this in April!