Autumn Seasonal Beer Scary Balz Pumpkin Ale

[CrookedTail]

So with the spices, you say you "steeped" them at flame out. Did you add them directly into the wort or put them in some type of tea bag or something? I don't want to get too nitpicky here, but I've never done a beer like this and I want it to turn out well!

You can add them in the final few minutes and be fine. The vanilla is the item that I add later on (in the secondary).

Don't stress out too much with this beer. I'm sure it's going to be great!

 

[brewingbro12]

when did you add the brown sugar? I'm assuming with the grains

nevermind around flameout, thats what I usually do when adding something like that

 

[joepsu0985]

Dumb question but the vanilla doesn't need to be boiled when putting it in the secondary, right? It's high enough in alcohol content I think.

 

[CrookedTail]

Dumb question but the vanilla doesn't need to be boiled when putting it in the secondary, right? It's high enough in alcohol content I think.

No just put it in the fermenter and rack your beer over it.

 

[thedevanzoshift]

may be a newb question here, but as my first attempt at a partial mash i was wondering a few things:
what volume of water are we looking at here to use for the partial mash process and how much sparge water? and do these amounts really matter (as in being precise) in the final outcome of the brew?

thanks

edit: also, i do have all the spices in my pantry but they are definitely old, but kept in a good environment, sealed and still smell like they should. are these still good? i hear spices do not go bad as long as they are kept in ideal conditions.

also, i have some pumpkin pie spice made by spice islands. it smells amazing. can i substitute this for all the different additions of spices? if so, how much? im assuming just use the same amount as all the other spices combined. am i correct in this logic?

 

[joepsu0985]

I threw a tablespoon of it in there. Smells pretty good and not over powering when I was finished.

 

[thedevanzoshift]

You used in instead of adding nutmeg cinnamons allspice etc??

 

[CrookedTail]

You used in instead of adding nutmeg cinnamons allspice etc??

The spices that I use are the ones you'd normally use in a pumpkin pie. So if you're going to use pumpkin pie spice, don't use the other spices.

 

[mgurf1]

Hey this looks amazing! I've got two quick questions OP about the recipe:

You say add the spices at flameout. Are you putting them directly into the wort, or using a boiling bag and removing them after the 15 mins?

And with the vanilla, you using beans or extract?

I can't wait to make it...

Thanks

This is one of the most popular brews amongst friends and family of mine. All I hear from them is "When are you brewing your pumpkin ale again?" The brew day for this (even with just a mini-mash) is fairly long, mainly because of the extra work prepping the pumpkins. I haven't tried using canned pumpkin as of yet, only fresh ones. The extra time is worth the reactions this beer receives.

The beer comes out a beautiful dark amber color. The flavor is malty, with the spices at just the right amounts. One thing I noticed is that the spices are a bit more evident when I bottle this than when I keg it.

If any of you have tried Saranac's Pumpkin ale, it is similar to this.

Anyway, here it is:

Scary Balz Pumpkin Ale

Fermentables
6lbs Amber LME
1lb Caramel 60L
1lb Dark Munich Malt
8oz Flaked Barley
1 cup Brown Sugar

Hops
1.5oz Mt Hood (6AAU) @ 60 min
.5oz Mt Hood @ 5 min

Adjuncts/Spices
6-8 lbs of pumpkins
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Nutmeg
2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Allspice
.5 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Vanilla

Yeast
US-05

Gut the pumpkins and cut them in half. Place them in a baking dish rind side up and add a little water to the dish. Roast in 350 degree oven 1.5-2 hours. Pumpkins should carmelize a bit.

Scoop the pumpkin from the rinds and mush them up. Add to grains and mash at 155 degrees for an hour. Strain and sparge mash/pumpkin mixture, then proceed with boil.

Add the spices at flameout and let them steep for 15 minutes. Cool and transfer to fermenter. Pitch yeast and ferment for 3 weeks.

Add vanilla to secondary fermenter and rack beer over the vanilla. After a week or two, keg or bottle.

The beer tastes great on its own, but my wife and her friends love to coat the rim of their pint glasses with a cinnamon/sugar mixture the same way margaritas are served with salt. It does make the flavor jump out a bit more.

 

[CrookedTail]

Hey this looks amazing! I've got two quick questions OP about the recipe:

You say add the spices at flameout. Are you putting them directly into the wort, or using a boiling bag and removing them after the 15 mins?

And with the vanilla, you using beans or extract?

I can't wait to make it...

Thanks

I throw the spices right into the wort. They will drop out as you cool the wort, or after fermentation.

I use vanilla extract, but you certainly can use vanilla beans if you'd like.

 

[mgurf1]

Thanks for the quick reply! Can't wait to brew it!

 

[jro238]

Just a quick update for anyone who is crazy/careless enough to not drink the whole 5 gal of this stuff right away...Popped open a couple bottles from about a year ago that were in the closet and they were still really nice (not too much change from 4-5 months). Nice to see that they didn't mind the age though.

 

[NewlandsBrew]

Hi,

Thanks for the recipe. I'm new to this and don't want to do a secondary fermentation. Can I add the vanilla when I add the spices at flame out? Should I also be using Irish moss 15 min before flame out?

Thanks

 

[CrookedTail]

Hi,

Thanks for the recipe. I'm new to this and don't want to do a secondary fermentation. Can I add the vanilla when I add the spices at flame out? Should I also be using Irish moss 15 min before flame out?

Thanks

If you bottle it, add the vanilla extract to your bottling bucket and siphon the beer on top of it. Then transfer to bottles.

If you keg it, add the vanilla extract to the keg, then siphon the beer on top of it.

 

[AnCapJake]

Hello! Quick question. I am incredibly new to brewing (brewed two batches, both still in fermenters). Both of my previous brews have been extract. I stumbled across this recipe and would really love to give it a go within a couple of weeks so it will be ready late fall.

My question may show my ignorance but I need to ask. If I were to treat this as an extract recipe, what changes might I need to make? Could I just steep the grains before the boil as I would in any extract recipe? My understanding of partial extract recipes is that they typically have a base malt mash in a kettle, but this recipe does not seem to contain any base malt grains. Could I simply skip the mash/sparging and treat this as an extract? Thanks in advance.

 

[CrookedTail]

Munich malt technically is a base malt. It needs to be mashed, and has enough diastatic power to convert itself. That is what makes this a mini mash recipe.

You can do the mash the same way you normally steep your grains. The only difference is you need to keep your temp in the 147-160 degree range, and let it sit for 45-60 minutes. You're using such a small amount of grain for fermentables that your temps do not need to be as precise as most mashes for body and mouthfeel. You just need to keep it in range for conversion to take place.

You don't really need the flaked barley in this. The crystal malt used in amber extract, along with the additional pound used in the mini mash, provides plenty of body to the beer. Also at this point I use one pound of canned pumpkin instead of going through all of the trouble of roasting fresh ones. I've noticed no difference whatsoever in flavor, so I don't bother going through the extra trouble.

 

[AnCapJake]

Munich malt technically is a base malt. It needs to be mashed, and has enough diastatic power to convert itself. That is what makes this a mini mash recipe.

You can do the mash the same way you normally steep your grains. The only difference is you need to keep your temp in the 147-160 degree range, and let it sit for 45-60 minutes. You're using such a small amount of grain for fermentables that your temps do not need to be as precise as most mashes for body and mouthfeel. You just need to keep it in range for conversion to take place.

You don't really need the flaked barley in this. The crystal malt used in amber extract, along with the additional pound used in the mini mash, provides plenty of body to the beer. Also at this point I use one pound of canned pumpkin instead of going through all of the trouble of roasting fresh ones. I've noticed no difference whatsoever in flavor, so I don't bother going through the extra trouble.

Okay good deal, I appreciate the prompt reply. I think I am going to go ahead and use full pumpkins as my dad is growing pumpkins for the first time this year and is excited about the prospect of them being used in a beer. One more question, is the original recipe a partial or full boil? I can only do partial at this point and I need to know if adjusting for hop utilization is necessary.

 

[CrookedTail]

Okay good deal, I appreciate the prompt reply. I think I am going to go ahead and use full pumpkins as my dad is growing pumpkins for the first time this year and is excited about the prospect of them being used in a beer. One more question, is the original recipe a partial or full boil? I can only do partial at this point and I need to know if adjusting for hop utilization is necessary.

I do partial boils. Add half the extract at the beginning of the boil, and the other half at flameout.

 

[AnCapJake]

Brewed this up today. Had an OG of 1.052. Not sure how that happened. Hopefully a diluted sample but if not I think it will be a good beer nonetheless. I threw a bit more than a tbsp of Mccormicks pumpkin pie spice at flame out and it smells phenomenal.

 

[AnCapJake]

Tried this today after 2 weeks in the bottles. In all honesty it's just okay to me but my inexperience could very well be the issue. I'm not entirely sure, but I think what I may be tasting is extremely green beer. It's got a flavor I can't put my finger on and a scent that smells off. The spice smell is masked by something else. Is this recipe typically a quick turn around or does it require a bit of aging?

 

[CrookedTail]

Tried this today after 2 weeks in the bottles. In all honesty it's just okay to me but my inexperience could very well be the issue. I'm not entirely sure, but I think what I may be tasting is extremely green beer. It's got a flavor I can't put my finger on and a scent that smells off. The spice smell is masked by something else. Is this recipe typically a quick turn around or does it require a bit of aging?

How old is it? This beer needs at least 6 weeks.

 

[AnCapJake]

How old is it? This beer needs at least 6 weeks.

It will be 6 weeks old Friday 10/25. In an odd turn of events, I tried another today and it tasted quite a bit better already, just after another 24 hours. I am going to indulge in it tonight because...well...it's Thursday. I have a pretty good feeling this will improve within the next week or two. Another issue could have been the amount of spices I used. I used pumpkin pie spice so it's a bit different from the original recipe.

 

[AshleyHelton37]

How did you "rack over the vanilla?"

Also - would you mind adding at what times you added the ingredients to the boil? I have not brewed in a year and am a bit rusty on when to add ingredients to a boil.

Thanks!

 

[CrookedTail]

How did you "rack over the vanilla?"

Also - would you mind adding at what times you added the ingredients to the boil? I have not brewed in a year and am a bit rusty on when to add ingredients to a boil.

Thanks!

Spices are added at flameout. When the boil is complete, turn off the heat, and stir them in.

As far as the vanilla goes, when you transfer the beer to a secondary fermenter, add the vanilla to the fermenter before siphoning in the beer. If you don't do a secondary, but keg your beer, do this in the keg. If you don't secondary, and bottle, do this in your bottling bucket.