Autumn Seasonal Beer Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale (AG and Extract versions)

[Chad_C]

Just finished brewing 11 gallons of this and 5.5 of my amber...Dual days are rough!

I know what you mean, I usually do dual brews. Partial mash in the kitchen = about 8 hour brew days! Today I am brewing the Pumpkin Ale (5g) , and EdWorts Haus Pale Ale (5g) ... Only 6 more hours to go. (I really need to work on putting together an outdoor brew rig!)

 

[GillandCo]

I have one, propane is no fun but I switched to NG...ohnestly the mess is the same because you'll switch to bigger equpitment and have to clean more! It makes it much easier if you have good draining...my backyard floods when I brew(im currently investing in a better, Eco friendly way to chill my wort) a CFC is coming soon. Good luck

 

[Chad_C]

I don't mind the time, or the mess, but if I could pump out 10 gallons at a time, it just seems more worthwile.

 

[SourHopHead]

Followed AG recipe. Added 72oz Pumpkin and used a smaller amount of ground ginger. 1.5L starter and 15P to start. ~4hr lag time.


Pumpkin Spice by SourHopHead, on Flickr

 

[craigbrew]

I had heard that there was a pumpkin shortage this year. Not sure if it is true but I just picked up 3 29oz cans of pumpkin at Sams club for $6.88. Now i can make this great beer again.

 

[SourHopHead]

I had heard that there was a pumpkin shortage this year. Not sure if it is true but I just picked up 3 29oz cans of pumpkin at Sams club for $6.88. Now i can make this great beer again.

Took me 4 stores, but got enough to make this 2 more times.

 

[shuie]

Just starting prepping for a 5gal AG batch. I have 90oz of the canned Libby pumpkin in the oven @350 now. Not sure if I really need that much, but I have it. I can always just keep it out of the mash if it's too much. Do I calculate my strike water out as if the pumpkin puree was grain? Or, do I just need to calculate my strike volume based on the grain bill?

TIA

 

[mojotele]

Just starting prepping for a 5gal AG batch. I have 90oz of the canned Libby pumpkin in the oven @350 now. Not sure if I really need that much, but I have it. I can always just keep it out of the mash if it's too much. Do I calculate my strike water out as if the pumpkin puree was grain? Or, do I just need to calculate my strike volume based on the grain bill?

TIA

Just calculate the strike volume based on the grain bill. Ignore the pumpkin.

 

[GillandCo]

Agreed on grain since the pumpkin isn't absorbing any water just taking up space in the MT

 

[AwesomeSquad]

So this is my first time brewing a pumpkin beer. The gentleman at the brewing supply store directed me to an irish stout as I wanted a heavier mouthfeel. He also suggested that I omit the hops so that one could taste the pumpkin. Is this a good idea? Will it be too sweet? I'm a bit lost.

 

[elproducto]

I'm going to brew this today and have one last question. This is my first time using specialty grains. Do I crush the flaked wheat?

 

[mojotele]

I'm going to brew this today and have one last question. This is my first time using specialty grains. Do I crush the flaked wheat?

No, you don't crush flaked wheat.

 

[mojotele]

So this is my first time brewing a pumpkin beer. The gentleman at the brewing supply store directed me to an irish stout as I wanted a heavier mouthfeel. He also suggested that I omit the hops so that one could taste the pumpkin. Is this a good idea? Will it be too sweet? I'm a bit lost.

I don't know about that. The 158*F mash temperature will provide a very full body and heavy mouthfeel if you're doing all grain. If it still isn't enough or if you're doing extract, just add some maltodextrin.

I don't think you need to make everything a stout to give it a full body.

 

[AwesomeSquad]

I don't know about that. The 158*F mash temperature will provide a very full body and heavy mouthfeel if you're doing all grain. If it still isn't enough or if you're doing extract, just add some maltodextrin.

I don't think you need to make everything a stout to give it a full body.

I'm doing an extract brew. I was thinking about maybe boiling the hops for a shorter time than is suggested in order to taste the pumpkin more. Would it be too sweet?

 

[elproducto]

Alright first attempt at Extract with Specialty Grains. Sure looks pretty! Crazy amount of Trub. I did a yeast starter with S-04 which I now understand I really didn't need to do. Needless to say it took off, this picture is after less than 8 hours. Glad I put a blowoff tube on.

My OG was 1.060 which seems high.

 

[mojotele]

I'm doing an extract brew. I was thinking about maybe boiling the hops for a shorter time than is suggested in order to taste the pumpkin more. Would it be too sweet?

I think the malt and spices get in the way of the pumpkin way more than the hops in this recipe. In fact, you can't really taste any hops at all. They really just offset the sweetness a bit.

So, I'd just leave the hops the way they are.

 

[Anubis]

Brewed this about a week and a half ago. Going to move it over to secondary in a little while. Just moved it to the kitchen and it's gonna need some time to settle. RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TRUB! All the way up to my 1 gallon mark!

 

[mikeysab]

has anyone ever sauteed the pumpkin, perhaps WITH the spices? or does the roasting process give something to the pumpkin that the beer needs?

 

[duffman2]

Just brewed today and things were.......interesting to say the least. Sparge went good actually; batch sparged with a SS braid and no rice hulls - went smooth and steady. Actually seemed to have less grist in it than my usual beers (Hmmmmm, maybe I'll start adding pumpkin as a grist filter )

My only big problem was that I mashed way too low. I shot about 4 degrees low for my strike because of my hot pumpkin coming out of the oven. And my initial mash ended up about 154. So, I heated up a 1/2 gallon boiling water to add and after mashing for 60 it ended up at 150! So, I don't know what to say about that. Somebody told me I could add Malto-Dextrin but I'm not sure how much or when or if it's even necessary at this point.

Other than that, brew day went good. Shot for 5.5 gallons, ended up with 5. But it was pretty tasty!

 

[duffman2]

Oh, and because I was brewing it No-Chill style, I added half the amount of spice at flameout, and will just add more as a spice tea I suppose.

Hopefully I'll be able to judge how much it needs before bottling

 

[jturie]

Just did my first tapping....utterly fantastic!!!! I did the half tsp of Pumpkin Pie spice tea at kegging. Just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. I missed the mash temp (I hit 156) but it's still great. More body than commercial pumpkin ales, which retains more sweetness and pumpkin flavor.

You guys need to brew this.

 

[erikrocks]

Just did my first tapping....utterly fantastic!!!! I did the half tsp of Pumpkin Pie spice tea at kegging. Just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. I missed the mash temp (I hit 156) but it's still great. More body than commercial pumpkin ales, which retains more sweetness and pumpkin flavor.

You guys need to brew this.

When did you brew it?

 

[Brew-boy]

I made this today with a slight change on the base malt, I used Golden Promise instead. I used 73oz of the canned pumpkin. I also used about 3/4 lb of rice hulls and Wham stuck sparge. I use a slotted manifold on the bottom of my MLT. After blowing through the valve with a hose I finally got some drainage, slow but it was steady. Took me 2hrs to fly sparge this and I got greater effeciency than I expected. All I can tell you is the grain was a sticky gooey mess when I cleaned out the MLT. Just go slow and be patient and it will flow eventually.

 

[Strangebird]

Made this today (DME version) with my girlfriend. Definitely looking forward to this one. The apartment smells fantastic!

 

[mojotele]

Well, I finally tapped and tasted this one. First impression - really get that mash temperature correct. As I said, I mashed too low and, even though I backsweetened it with lactose, it is still far too dry. I feel like a lot of the flavor is washed out because of it. I'm really regretting that mistake. I'll have to pay closer attention next time.

However, it is still quite good. The aroma is absolutely fantastic, and tastes just like a pumpkin beer should. The spices make their presence known but are not overpowering. The color looks just like fall. And that's what this beer is - fall in a glass. I absolutely love this season

 

[duffman2]

First impression - really get that mash temperature correct.

yes mojo, I mashed way too low too. So, since I've never done this before, what's the best way to save this beautiful pumpkin's body? Malto or Lactose? How much do you think and when to add it (She's fermeting in the primary now).

I really want to save this brew.

Thanks!

 

[HalfPint]

Well, I just ordered the ingredients from AHS to make this a few minutes ago. I decided to go with Nottingham, and I converted the recipe to my convenience. I think I'm going to try to use fresh pumpkin if I can find any that looks good, but if not, I'll use canned.

One question, the ginger root in the second post for AG is fresh ginger right? Also, do we omit the spices and do a spice tea, or add them like said?

 

[Brew-boy]

Well my mash came in to low as well but I did not live with it. I pulled a thin decoction and brought my temp back to 158. After a 75 minute mash I only lost 1 degree, so I hope it will not be on the thin side.

 

[mojotele]

yes mojo, I mashed way too low too. So, since I've never done this before, what's the best way to save this beautiful pumpkin's body? Malto or Lactose? How much do you think and when to add it (She's fermeting in the primary now).

I really want to save this brew.

Thanks!

My suggestion:

• Wait until fermentation is complete and taste it.
• If it is too thin or dry, calculate how much lactose will be needed to bring the entire volume up to the desired gravity.
• Pull one to two cups of the beer and prepare a proportional amount of lactose in a small amount of hot water. Let the water cool, and add a measured amount to the beer.
• Repeat last step until beer is at desired sweetness or until you're out of water/lactose mix.
• Calculate how much lactose is needed for the entire volume proportional to the amount of lactose you added to the small glass of beer.
• If you want more body without the sweetness, supplement with enough maltodextrin to reach desired final gravity after adding the lactose.

That's what I did. I ended up adding 7.5 oz of lactose and 3 oz of maltodextrin or something like that. The beer is still too dry, but it's good beer.

 

[HalfPint]

I'm just confused about the spice additions. Can anyone help me out with this?