Pumpkin Ale Additions - Timing

[Ballardinho]

So, I'm planning to do a pumpkin ale this week. I'm an extract brewer and will be using 60 oz of canned pumpkin, with a homemade blend of spices.

My question has to do with WHEN to add pumpkin and spices. I have read a ton of really useful info on this site and others but, as is the case with most topics, there is a wide degree of variance in preference. I would love to hear what y'all have to say.

Should I put pumpkin in at 60 min or wait until later in boil? Should I add spices toward end of boil or to secondary? Or both?

I'm really looking forward to brewing this and having it ready for late fall, as nothing says Autumn quite like a pumpkin ale.

Thanks.

 

[Ballardinho]

Additionally, I'm planning on using some brown sugar as well...for flavor and hoping to boost alcohol content somewhat. When is best time to add? During boil? As my priming ingredient?

Thanks for any insight.

 

[abeasst]

I added my brown sugar during the boil, added my pumpkin to the mash (not sure when to do it for extract), and added the pumpkin spices at flameout and let it sit for 15 minutes. Wort tasted FANTASTIC!!!

 

[Poobah58]

I add my spices with 1 min to go in the boil and again in secondary. Sugar can go in anytime. The 10 minute mark seems to be popular.

 

[Ballardinho]

If you don't mind me asking....how much spice do you use for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[Wolfbrau]

Re: Pumpkin addition. Squeeze the **** out of two cans of puree and just add the juice to the boil. Problem solved.

Re: Spices. For 5 gal of 5% beer, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp nutmeg at flameout. Add allspice to taste just before bottling using the "small samples with a tiny scale" method. Allspice is the secret to balancing your spices. Start low with many spices, increase later with allspice only. I've come to use 1/4 tsp on racking to keg.

 

[Poobah58]

If you don't mind me asking....how much spice do you use for a 5 gallon batch?

I have a couple pumpkin recipes in my recipe drop-down if you want an idea on spices...

 

[GilesTH]

Don't expect any extract from the pumpkin if you mash with it. It might give you one or two points if you roast it to get caramelization and let it mash for 90 minutes, but in my experience, it does almost nothing. To get real pumpkin flavor, I'd also use at least .25 lb in the last fifteen minutes of the boil (to sanitize).

Spices I used: 1/8 tsp. Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground clove, 1/4 tsp. Ginger. Tasted great!

 

[Ballardinho]

Giles....so would adding all pumpkin at 15 min be best way to go in your opinion?

 

[Grantman1]

I mash with pumpkin as well, and although it doesn't contribute to the gravity, I find that it provides some mouth feel to the final product. I don't care about getting flavor from the pumpkin itself when most of the pumpkin flavor we identify with comes from the spices added. Of course you don't need to use pumpkin at all if you don't want to, but I've got too much pride to brew what I call a pumpkin beer without the real thing.

 

[southfieldbrewer]

I brewed a pumpkin ale extract kit from Northern Brewer last year. I did a partial mash with 60 oz of canned pumpkin and 2 pounds of 6 row malt for 1 hour at 152'. Then proceeded with the extract and hops additions. I learned a few things from my first attempt. I would roast the pumpkin slightly to get a sweeter flavor from the pumpkin. I forgot to add my spices at flame out so I added them to the primary then again in the secondary. That was to much spice, a little pumpkin pie spice goes a long way. And I would have fermented at the low end of the yeast temperature range. My final product had a overly spicy warmth to it.


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[kennyk2104]

I am using the northern brewer pumpkin this weekend. It's only my second batch. I am going to do the 90 min mash at 152 with 2lbs of 6-row. I want to add figs to this recipe, would you suggest adding that with the pumpkin during the 90min mash?


Primary - empty
Kegged - First Batch Pale Ale
On deck - Cornucopia Ale