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

[TheWeeb]

When adding the spice tea, do you pour it into secondary and rack on top of it? Will the racking be enough to mix it well?

Absolutely!

 

[UnchartedBrews]

Absolutely!

Perfect, thanks!

 

[UnchartedBrews]

When making the spice tea, do you just add the spice directly to the hot water or do you need to make a tea bag of sorts?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

If you're using ground spices, just add them directly to the water. If you're using whole spices, tie them up in some cheesecloth or bundle them with some cotton string.

 

[Sterlingbrewery]

Single infusion mash at 158° F for 45-60 mins
Mash out at 168°F
Sparge with 178°F water to collect 17.5g of wort
Boil 60 mins


When you say mash out what exactly do you mean? Is this for a all grain set up with three containers for boiling the wort? I guess I should ask what sparge means as well. I'm only familiar with kits using LME and specialty grains that require only to boil the wort and cool. Thanks for any info.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

You are reading the all grain recipe. Look at the very first post in this thread for the extract recipe.

I don't want to turn this thread into an all grain brewing primer - that information is available via this forum, its wiki, www.howtobrew.com, and many other sources.

 

[BigB]

Also, you are likely a new AG brewer and I would dissuade anyone from using this recipe as your first AG. Not a difficult recipe, but certainly not a beginner recipe either. The Extract version of this recipe makes a Fantastic beer.

 

[Xcorpia]

Hi Yuri Rage! I compared the extract version with the all-grain version and they are quite different. You edited the extract version and added a note saying the recipe has been improved. It seems like you didn't edit the all-grain version to reflect such improvements, right?

I seems the modified grain bill should be:

10 lb 4 oz American Two-row Pale
1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
8 oz Biscuit Malt
4 oz Flaked Wheat

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

My last iteration of the grain bill for a 6 gallon AG batch was:

9.6 lbs 2 row
2.3 lbs C60
1.1 lbs Biscuit
0.5 lbs Flaked Wheat
72 oz Canned Pumpkin

70% efficiency

 

[Xcorpia]

Thanks a lot. This is going to be my next brew.

 

[lextasy23]

I just brewed this one last night, but made a few substitutions...

I make 7 gallon batches because my fermenter (Got with the Cooper's starter kit) holds in excess of 8 gallons. Swapped the airlock for a blow off hose into a bucket of sanitizer. Then the 6.5gal carboys I have really hold almost 8, so a filtered 7 fits perfect with minimal headspace to reduce oxidation.

Anyways, so my recipe was 7 gallons, and here's how I did it:

10.9 lbs Light LME
1.4 lb Caramel Malt
11.2 oz Biscuit Malt
5.6 oz Flaked Wheat
6 15 oz cans of 'Farmer's Market' Organic Pumpkin Puree
1 oz Goldings for the full boil
1 tsp Irish Moss with :15 left
1 pkg Fermentis Safale S-04

1. Pumpkin went in a 9x13 pyrex dish in the oven at 350 for 40 mins (longer, because there was more, and it was thicker than a cookie sheet would have been). I put it in before it was preheated, then timed :40, then shut it off and let it sit in the warm oven during the steeping.

2. Grains steeped 40 mins at 150 degrees. (I've had success with higher OG and better malt flavor with the extra 10 minutes).

3. Crank to high, added pumpkin.

4. Boil started, added Goldings.

5. Made 2 spice teas, each around 1 cup. 1.5tsp in each cup. (secret family pumpkin pie ratios.. makes incredible pie). The first cup was spread out evenly across the boil, the second was at flameout.

6. Added the LME at flameout. (I used to add it into the boil, but I was told all this does is darken the beer and does little else to the final product).

7. Chill, transfer, cold water filled to 7 gallons, rested, pitched.

1.070 OG

It smelled incredible in my kitchen, between the pumpkin in the oven, the spice tea, and the awesome grain selection. However my girlfriend still can't appreciate the "beer stink".

Pictures:

 

[Hovercar]

I'm loving the look of this recipe, but I have been thinking:

I've had several pumpkin ales and in each case my major complaint is that they don't have the body I envision. I always figured a pumpkin ale would be really heavy and chewy, like a porter or stout, or... you know... a pie

Looking at some of the pictures, the FG and ingredients, I'm thinking I might want to make this, but somewhat heavier. Would I be crazy to add some oatmeal or just malto-dextrine? I might like to darken it up somewhat too. I'd love to brew a pumpkin ale that is really reminiscent of a pie.

 

[lextasy23]

I'm loving the look of this recipe, but I have been thinking:

I've had several pumpkin ales and in each case my major complaint is that they don't have the body I envision. I always figured a pumpkin ale would be really heavy and chewy, like a porter or stout, or... you know... a pie

Looking at some of the pictures, the FG and ingredients, I'm thinking I might want to make this, but somewhat heavier. Would I be crazy to add some oatmeal or just malto-dextrine? I might like to darken it up somewhat too. I'd love to brew a pumpkin ale that is really reminiscent of a pie.

Go buy a bottle of Imperial Pumking from Southern Tier. 9%. Tasted like a pie, heavy sicky sweet mouthfeel too.

 

[Hovercar]

Go buy a bottle of Imperial Pumking from Southern Tier. 9%. Tasted like a pie, heavy sicky sweet mouthfeel too.

Based on that description, that's exactly the beer I'd like to brew. I've had their Creme Brulee so I have an idea of what they're capable of.

High-gravity, heavy mouthfeel, thick and chewy. Any ideas what I might add to the recipe to achieve it? I'm still pretty new to this, so I'd be guessing at what grains to add/increase in quantity. Oatmeal for mouthfeel, some darker grains? I don't want to butcher Yuri's recipe, just heavy it up

 

[lextasy23]

I actually just had one as I was brewing my Pumpkin Ale. (Brew pot on the right there )

 

[Lodovico]

+1 to this. Thanks, Yuri and the rest of the contributors. Going to do my first pumpkin beer in a couple of weeks and it will owe almost everything to this thread (reserving a modicum of credit for the brewer).

Oh, and I'm thinking about going Saison with it.

Did you ever "go Saison" with this? I'm thinking about it, and wondering if you tried it?

 

[LiquidWheel]

Question on this beer...I'm trying to find a good time to brew. On many pumpkin beers, people say that the flavor (specifically the spices) tend to disappear after awhile in the bottle.

Curious if anyone has any experience on how long this one should last, and what may be the sweet spot in terms of when its best to drink after bottling?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

This beer is definitely best fresh. I usually serve it within a month of brewing. It always drops clear fairly early for me. After a few months, the flavor will definitely change. It's not bad, but the pumpkin fades REALLY fast, and the spices become muted shortly thereafter.

 

[LiquidWheel]

Good to know, appreciate it!

 

[Snotpoodle]

This will be the first brew on my new 50L three tier brewery which is getting its final touches today.

Yuri , your recipe is being brewed in Johannesburg, South Africa tomorrow!

 

[AugustDerleth]

Yuri is (as usual) completely right.
Drink this beer early and often!!
I made the mistake of putting these away in the cellar to condition, then totally forgot about them.
The pumpkin and spices fall out very quickly. =(

 

[AugustDerleth]

Where did you find these? There's a local kosher store that carries a wide variety of craft beers, but I've never seen that Pumking beer.
Typically pumpkin beers are seasonal and aren't around except for fall/thanksgiving, with the rare exception of a great store. Thanks

 

[lextasy23]

My local beer store has the most incredible selection of beers from around the world. hundreds if not in the thousands of selections...

Colonial Spirits, Acton MA

 

[refect]

I have been seeing a lot of people using grain bags to put the pumpkin in so it doesn't get as messy when when going into the carboy. Are you all adding the pumpkin to your mash and putting it in a grain bag? Or are you boiling it in your grain bag? I'm going to do the extract version soon so I didn't know if the grain bag technique was only good for those doing a mash with the pumpkin? Or if it would be a good idea to do my 60 min with the pumpkin in the grain bag or just freely dumped into the pot?

 

[Xcorpia]

I used a bag for mine and didn't run into any issues.

 

[AugustDerleth]

I threw my pumpkin straight in, and didn't have any problems (other than a lot of pumpkin in the bottom of my kettle, which just rinsed right out, so no problems). No bag.

 

[lextasy23]

I used canned organic pumpkin puree, baked in a casserole dish, then added straight to the kettle. No bag. I figure with the puree, a bag probably would have been messier anyways. All the trub settled out in the primary, then i autosiphoned off the top of it into secondary for more settling. It's pretty crystal clear right now. I'll be making another spice tea when i bottle, and will prime it with a spiced dextrose concoction.

 

[Diesel48]

When are people going to start brewing their pumpkin beers?

 

[lextasy23]

I just bottled mine last week.

 

[AnonyBrew]

When are people going to start brewing their pumpkin beers?

My pumpkin porter will be brewed in about 4 weeks or so.