When to brew a pumpkin ale

[palmtrees]

I'm starting to plan my late summer/early fall brews, and I'm thinking of doing a pumpkin ale. I've only brewed one and it was about seven years ago, so I don't remember much about it.

I've been reading old threads about brewing them, and I've seen conflicting advice about whether pumpkin ales benefit from a bit of aging and if so how much.

Anybody have a sense of whether it's better to brew a pumpkin ale in August and let it sit in a carboy for an extra month, or brew it in late September with my typical turnaround time of two weeks in a fermenter then a week in a keg?

For reference, I have a fermenter that can prevent oxygen ingress and then do a closed transfer to a keg, so I'm not super concerned about oxygenation during aging. I would probably have to age it outside my temp controlled ferm chamber, though, because I can only have one beer in there at a time. I could do temp control during active fermentation, but then would have to swap it out for the next beer in the pipeline.

Alternately, I could brew it early, keg it when fermentation is gone, carbonate in the keg and then bottle it for longer te storage. I'd love to be able to leave it in a keg for a month or two, but I don't have enough space to have an untapped keg.

 

[Zemillard90]

I brew a pumpkin saison for our yearly Oktoberfest party in late September. The past two years I have brewed lste August/first week of September and they turned out great. However, I do think the beer benefited from a little longer time in the keg when I brewed it once in early July. What kind of ale?

 

[palmtrees]

I brew a pumpkin saison for our yearly Oktoberfest party in late September. The past two years I have brewed lste August/first week of September and they turned out great. However, I do think the beer benefited from a little longer time in the keg when I brewed it once in early July. What kind of ale?

I was going to do an amber base with pumpkin in the mash, spices in the boil, and then fermented with a clean American yeast or an ESB yeast.

 

[BrewZer]

I'm starting to plan my late summer/early fall brews, and I'm thinking of doing a pumpkin ale. I've only brewed one and it was about seven years ago, so I don't remember much about it.

That's called "selective memory" and it's a coping mechanism that helps you get over a very bad experience.

 

[Sammy86]

My initial response it to never brew a pumpkin beer…however since you are keen on doing so I’m with @Zemillard90 beer does better with time in the keg at near freezing temps. Brew it early and let it condition/lager in the keg! Good luck!

 

[bkboiler]

Not meant to be negative, but some of the best pumpkin beers I've had are just amber ales with pumpkin pie spice. No pumpkin itself added.
I'd brew around early September as long as you can do temp control.
I've done pumpkin beer a few times in the past and it got a little estery since the temps got too high.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

When to brew a pumpkin beer?

Six weeks after the apocalypses.

 

[grampamark]

When the frost is on the pumpkin?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Different folks, different tastes. The only pumpkin ale I've ever enjoyed in a sessionable way was Wolaver's Organic. You could really taste the gourd, very subtle if any pie spice. I can't stand pie in a bottle, I very much enjoyed that beer.

 

[bwible]

“When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves”

 

[hopkincr]

Hazer Tag at Odell Brewing in Ft. Collins.

 

[Gorm]

When pie pumpkins are ripe. Last few years I have used butternut or buttercup squash instead of pumpkin. I find it’s a tastier brew.

 

[hopkincr]

Mercenary Double IPA and Mac and cheese from the food truck. Lovely time at Odell.

 

[The Mad Brewer]

iam going to try one with some actual pumpkin. my question is do i use raw pumpkin or cooked in the mash?

 

[doug293cz]

iam going to try one with some actual pumpkin. my question is do i use raw pumpkin or cooked in the mash?

Pumpkin in the mash makes for one sticky mess of a mash. You might want to get yourself some Glucabuster enzyme (a web search shows it's available from many vendors other than More Beer, but MB has a good description), which will break down the sticky components.

Brew on

 

[odie]

Pumpkin in the mash makes for one sticky mess of a mash. You might want to get yourself some Glucabuster enzyme (a web search shows it's available from many vendors other than More Beer, but MB has a good description), which will break down the sticky components.

Brew on

Pumpkin will plug your Wilser BIAB. Ask me how I know...

 

[The Mad Brewer]

Pumpkin will plug your Wilser BIAB. Ask me how I know...

Even using big chunks of fresh pumkin? Not mashed?

 

[doug293cz]

Even using big chunks of fresh pumkin? Not mashed?

The bigger the chunks, the less pumpkin starch will actually convert, and the less flavor will be extracted from the pumpkin. What's the point of using big chunks?

Brew on

 

[The Mad Brewer]

The bigger the chunks, the less pumpkin starch will actually convert, and the less flavor will be extracted from the pumpkin. What's the point of using big chunks?

Brew on

To avoid the sticky mess, but that makes sense. I wonder if I use the pumpkin in a separate muslin bag?

 

[The Mad Brewer]

Or a separate mash pot…hmmm….well its going to be a Halloween brew so it might get a little scary.

 

[odie]

canned pumpkin can plug your bag so bad that it will take hours to drain on it's own. perhaps more than a day. I used I think 6 cans once and squeezed forever to get my wort out.

Now I use only 1 can of pumpkin...just to say it's a "pumpkin" beer with a straight face.

I've had professional brewers tell me they just use pumpkin pie spices...no pumpkin.

 

[Rish]

I did a cantaloupe wheat ale with juice that I made by running the cantaloupe through a juicer. It turned out pretty good. I don't know how juicing pumpkin would work but it might be worth a try. I don't like pumpkin or the spices so someone else will have to do it!

 

[tracer bullet]

Pumpkin beers are among the beers I buy but don't brew.

If I wanted to brew I'd start w/ a trip to a large store with make-your-own 6 packs, and try as many as possible. Then home in on one that I'd actually try duplicating. I'd try to decide what made it the best and what I didn't like about the others. Visit the winners website and see what they have to say. Sit down and come up with a recipe and go for it.

Knowing how many pumpkin beers sort of suck I don't think I could just take someone else's recipe and go for it. Well, there's probably a few people here I'd trust but generally speaking - no.

 

[bracconiere]

I wonder if I use the pumpkin in a separate muslin bag?

maybe? shred the pumpkin, do you're usual sparge, but only for 30 minutes, then when you're bringing the wort up to boil, toss it in? just a random thought....

kinda like steeping grains....

 

[GoodTruble]

When to brew depends on the type of beer you are adding pumpkin to. I don't think the pumpkin itself will matter much in terms if timing. Type of yeast, malt, OG and temperature will determine fermenting time.

I love my pumpkin ale, but it's a wee heavy that takes a month to ferment. (And I use can pumpkin, mixed with spices, roasted in oven, then soaked in booze for a day - then I just dump in the fermenter after primary fermentation).

 

[Cgeern]

Just brewed my fall pumpkin last weekend. I figure the longer I can let it clear before November, the better. Only problem was that I couldn't find real sugar pumpkins in the store yet, so had to use puree. Tried putting it in a hop bag in the mash. I think it was an improvement over just throwing it in loose.

 

[Beermeister32]

My initial response it to never brew a pumpkin beer…

Agree completely. Also never pumpkin spice. I can think of no worse torture than drinking 5 gallons of pumpkin ale. Woof.

 

[catalanotte]

Agree with most of this thread, not a Pumpkin beer fan but tried a batch last year when I got a free extract kit from LHBS for spending a bunch of cash on other things. Here's what worked to make a beer I actually enjoyed. 5 gal batch.

Immediately threw away the spice packet and made my own (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg - no cloves or allspice)
Started with a mash of of Munich, Belgian Pale, and a little crystal 40 and some Carafa for color to make it an imperial
Targeted 1.093 OG after addition of malt extract from kit in kettle.
Roasted 2 pie pumpkins (4 pounds total after roasting) and added directly to mash (added very little to OG, but nice body and a bit of aroma)
Used 1 1/2 lbs of rice hulls to help with sparge (no problems)
Added .75 pounds lactose at end of boil.

For someone that despises pumpkin beers, this came out really nice but needed to bulk age for about 2 months to cool off. Was even better after another 3 months in a keg.

For my tastes the key here was to avoid the overly powerful clove and all spice in most pumpkin pie spice blends and push up the body and OG with a good malt base. The lactose really smoothed it out and made it very drinkable.

Happy fall brewing!!

 

[The Mad Brewer]

 

[pvtpublic]

View attachment 773731

That looks like cat food, but good. I think I would eat that on purpose.

 

[trevelynzx]

let me lay out the facts of this thread:

1. pumpkin beer IS delicious. those of us that like it appreciate it more for the characteristics of the season in which it’s enjoyed, vs the actual execution of pumpkin in beer.
2. you don’t need actual pumpkin in the beer. just the idea, or illusion, of pumpkin is better.
3. following #2, don’t use pumpkin. use butternut squash, cubed, roasted with brown sugar. even that use sparingly just so you can say there’s a fall gourd involved. feel good about your once-a-year accomplishment as you brew an otherwise delicious boozy amber ale.
4. aim as close as you can for Southern Tier’s Pumking. anyone who disagrees with this point hates pumpkin beer.

 

[trevelynzx]

let me lay out the facts of this thread:

1. pumpkin beer IS delicious. those of us that like it appreciate it more for the characteristics of the season in which it’s enjoyed, vs the actual execution of pumpkin in beer.
2. you don’t need actual pumpkin in the beer. just the idea, or illusion, of pumpkin is better.
3. following #2, don’t use pumpkin. use butternut squash, cubed, roasted with brown sugar. even that use sparingly just so you can say there’s a fall gourd involved. feel good about your once-a-year accomplishment as you brew an otherwise delicious boozy amber ale.
4. aim as close as you can for Southern Tier’s Pumking. anyone who disagrees with this point hates pumpkin beer.

oh BTW, IMO. a good amber ale at ~8% requires at least 6 weeks in the ferm. soooo start early september, mid sept at the latest, to enjoy finished product (hopefully a dead ringer for Pumking) per #4 above) in season.

 

[Bramling Cross]

I think it depends on your gravity.

A big spiced beer, let's use a vanilla porter as an example, has a lot going on. It's going to need some time to meld it's flavors together, right? By contrast, a lighter gravity spiced beer tends to lean into its spicing a bit more and is best consumed young because spices tend to fade.

 

[pvtpublic]

Considering that you can't make masterpieces out of trash, unless you go into a modern art gallery, wait until the sugar pumpkins, acorns, butternuts, etc. are at their peak. Find them local, and the quality of them will help you make something you'd be proud to repeat.

 

[Beermeister32]

let me lay out the facts of this thread:

1. pumpkin beer IS delicious.

A “fact” ???

 

[GoodTruble]

Some pumpkin beers are good. Many are not.

But you can say the same about almost any beer style or category.

 

[bobeer]

I'd treat it like any other ale. The spices fade faster than other adjuncts but it sounds like it won't sit for that long so you should be good there.

I like to roast the mashed pumpkin in the oven until it caramelizes then add it to the mash. I've never gotten a stuck mash with pumpkin and I use a false bottom in an igloo cooler. I've added the pumpkin to the boil too. Didn't really notice any difference. Usually add spices in the whirlpool and at kegging time.

Good luck

 

[The Mad Brewer]

So here is what im going to do, I will cook the pie pumkin i got a bit top soften it, then i will cube it small, roast it with brown sugar, i have a enzyme (read that it will help break it down and not make it sticky) sorry off the top of my head i cant remeber what its called. And add some pumkin to the mash and some to the boil. the pumkin i add to the boil will be in a bag. I plan to add some molasses to the boil and some Vanilla vodka at the end.

 

[GoodTruble]

With any luck, I'll be brewing my pumpkin wee heavy this weekend. =c)

 

[doug293cz]

So here is what im going to do, I will cook the pie pumkin i got a bit top soften it, then i will cube it small, roast it with brown sugar, i have a enzyme (read that it will help break it down and not make it sticky) sorry off the top of my head i cant remeber what its called. And add some pumkin to the mash and some to the boil. the pumkin i add to the boil will be in a bag. I plan to add some molasses to the boil and some Vanilla vodka at the end.

What do you expect to get from the pumpkin in the boil?

Is the enzyme by any chance "Glucabuster" (actually a mixture of at least three enzymes)?

Brew on