Pumpkin Ale Steeping Question

[pc_trott]

I've gone through the forums reading all the pumpkin ale recipes in preparation for making the NB Smashing Pumpkin Ale that I have on order, and have a question I haven't found an answer to.

I'm using 3 15-oz cans of pumpkin, so I ordered 3 lbs of Rahr 6-row as NB suggested. The NB site has a link to a special set of instructions for those who want to add real pumpkin to the extract kit, and those instructions say to steep the 6-row with the pumpkin at 152 degrees for one hour, remove the steeping bag, heat the liquid to boil, and continue with the extract recipe instructions. The extract recipe instructions say to steep the kit's included specialty grains for 20 minutes, or until the temp reaches 170 degrees. Some of the posts I have read in the Forums seem to imply that you add the specialty grains to the one-hour pumpkin/6-row steep.

My question is: Should I add the specialty grains to the one-hour steep? Is a one hour steep at 152 equivalent to a 20 minutes steep that tops out at 170? Am I overthinking this? (Thinking isn't my strongest area of accomplishment. :>)

Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Knightshade]

Ending of the 2nd paragraph in the instructions, typo and all.

Mash the peeled, cooked pumpkin flesh with upto 3 gallons of hot water, the 6-row and the included grains at 152°F for 1 hour.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Am I overthinking this?

No.

My question is: Should I add the specialty grains to the one-hour steep?

Yes.

Is a one hour steep at 152 equivalent to a 20 minutes steep that tops out at 170?

No (see next paragraphs).

The NB site has a link to a special set of instructions for those who want to add real pumpkin to the extract kit, and those instructions say to steep the 6-row with the pumpkin at 152 degrees for one hour, remove the steeping bag, heat the liquid to boil, and continue with the extract recipe instructions.

With the 6-row base malt, this process is more commonly referred to as a partial mash or a mini-mash.

In a mash (or partial mash or mini-mash), the base malt contributes enzymes that will convert the starches (in the pumpkin meat) into fermentable sugars.

In a steep, there are no enzymes involved. Soaking the grains in water (couple of different ways to do it) is all that is necessary to extract sugars, flavors, and color.

 

[pc_trott]

Mash the peeled, cooked pumpkin flesh with upto 3 gallons of hot water, the 6-row and the included grains at 152°F for 1 hour.

Thanks, Knightshade, I did see that, but it seemed to be contradicted by the "How to Add Pumpkin to Your 5 Gallon Extract Beer Recipe Kit" instructions linked to from the Smashing Pumpkin Ale product page, which doesn't mention adding the specialty grains. That and the temperature differences, different steeping (mashing) times had me confused. (Not that it takes much.)

In a steep, there are no enzymes involved. Soaking the grains in water (couple of different ways to do it) is all that is necessary to extract sugars, flavors, and color.

This is great to know. Thanks, BrwnWKopperKat.

 

[Knightshade]

On a related note, I’d be interested in hearing how this turns out with the pumpkin added. I did their AG kit of this last year w/o pumpkin with a kinda “meh” result.

 

[pc_trott]

On a related note, I’d be interested in hearing how this turns out with the pumpkin added. I did their AG kit of this last year w/o pumpkin with a kinda “meh” result.

I'll try to remember to post an update in a month or so, after I get it made.

 

[IslandLizard]

Are you going to mash the puree and the milled grain in a (large) bag? That would be a BIAB method.

After draining (lautering), you should really sparge (rinse) once or twice to extract as much sugars from the mash. Pumpkin is sticky and holds on to a lot of good wort.
You can also strain in a sieve or colander. After collecting, pour the drained wort back over the grain heep, to filter it better.
Then sparge 2x.

 

[IslandLizard]

Go easy on the spice, you can always add more later before bottling, make a potion. But none can be removed if you overdo it.

 

[Leezer]

You may want to include some rice hulls in the mash. I’ve made a pumpkin ale biab method a few times using canned purée pumpkin in the mash. One time I skipped including rice hulls and had a really hard time getting the bag to drain. Was a hot sticky mess.

 

[pc_trott]

Are you going to mash the puree and the milled grain in a (large) bag? That would be a BIAB method.

That's my plan. I bought a nylon paint strainer bag at the hardware store for the purpose.

After draining (lautering), you should really sparge (rinse) once or twice to extract as much sugars from the mash. Pumpkin is sticky and holds on to a lot of good wort.

So, to sparge I pour boiling water over (through?) the contents of the paint strainer bag?

You can also strain in a sieve or colander. After collecting, pour the drained wort back over the grain heep, to filter it better.
Then sparge 2x.

Thanks, IslandLizard, for your patience, but I'm not sure I follow that comment. Are you saying to pour the wort through the pumpkin/grain leavings in the bag, then sparge the contents of the bag a couple of time with clean water? Woudn't the sparging rinse all of the filtered material out of the grain heap back into the wort?

You may want to include some rice hulls in the mash. I’ve made a pumpkin ale biab method a few times using canned purée pumpkin in the mash. One time I skipped including rice hulls and had a really hard time getting the bag to drain. Was a hot sticky mess.

Thanks, Leezer, I'd like to do this. I may have trouble finding rice hulls in Coos Bay, Oregon, though. We don't have a brew shop handy, and the closest one is pretty low key. I'll have to look online for some.

 

[IslandLizard]

So, to sparge I pour boiling water over (through?) the contents of the paint strainer bag?

Pouring over doesn't do much, IMO.
I'd return the bag to the pot (vessel) you mashed in, add water, stir well. Then strain that as you do your first runnings, see below. Then sparge one more time to get the remainder out.

Note:
Use half of your total brewing water volume in the mash. Then sparge twice with the remaining brewing water split evenly over the 2 sparges. Each sparge will thus contain 1/4 of your total brewing water.
1/2 (mash) + 1/4 (1st sparge) + 1/4 (2nd sparge) = 1. That's your total brewing water again, minus whatever remains trapped in the grains and pulp.

Thanks, IslandLizard, for your patience, but I'm not sure I follow that comment. Are you saying to pour the wort through the pumpkin/grain leavings in the bag, then sparge the contents of the bag a couple of time with clean water? Woudn't the sparging rinse all of the filtered material out of the grain heap back into the wort?

Pouring the collected wort through the heap of grain (and pumpkin pulp), all kept inside the bag placed in a strainer or colander, helps to clarify it. Small particles get trapped in between the grain pieces. This process is called the "Vorlauf."

You can use spare pots and buckets or other vessels to collect the wort in and juggle the fluids around. You want to end up with fairly clear wort for boiling in your kettle. Hazy is fine, but try to prevent having major loads of grain pieces and pulp in it when boiling.
Whatever is left will all drop out, anyway, sooner or later.

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks, Leezer, I'd like to do this. I may have trouble finding rice hulls in Coos Bay, Oregon, though. We don't have a brew shop handy, and the closest one is pretty low key. I'll have to look online for some.

Yeah, I was going to mention that, then forgot.
You can squeeze the bag, but using rice hulls (or oat hulls, if they're easier to get) helps to keep the grist lofty and more permeable, easier to drain (and squeeze) the liquid out. When using pumpkin puree in the mash, some patience will be needed.

 

[pc_trott]

Thanks, IslandLizard and Leezer, the info you've given me is invaluable, and may make a brewer out of me yet! I'm looking forward to making this brew using the new (to me) techniques you've described. I will do my best to come back to this thread in a few weeks to let you know how it went.

 

[pc_trott]

The Smashing Pumpkin Ale kit arrived two days ago, and the rice hulls arrived from Amazon today. Before I start the kit, just to be sure I'm on track, I've written up the following preliminary instructions. I've noted the sections where I'm unsure as to whether I'm on track. Any comments will be greatly appreciated!

Pumpkin Ale Preliminary Brewing Steps

1. Bake 3 15-oz cans pumpkin at 350F for 45 minutes.
2. Place brew bag in pot.
3. Add 2 gallons water to pot and heat to approximately 160F.
   Note: 2 quarts/lb. of grain, as per John Palmer’s “How to Brew,” 3rd Edition, Page 151. Should I add more for the 45 oz. pumpkin puree?
4. Add pumpkin, 3 lbs Rahr 6-row, .5 lbs Briess Caramel 40 (from “Smashing Pumpkin Ale” kit) and ½ cup rice hulls to brew bag.
   Note: is ½ cup rice hulls enough?
5. Hold at approximately 152F for one hour.
6. Remove bag from pot, place in strainer, and drain into pot.
7. Sparge bag in 1 gallon clean ? degrees water for ? minutes.
8. Sparge bag again in 1 gallon of ? degrees water for ? minutes.
9. Combine wort from initial boil and both sparges.
10. Pour wort through grain heap into brew pot, to filter the wort, and continue with brew instructions, adding LME, hops, and spices as directed.

 

[Leezer]

In regards to the question about rice hulls, I make a 2.25G batch allgrain biab method. My total grain bill is 5lbs, with 6oz of that rice hulls, and I use 24oz pumpkin puree. You have less grains but almost 2x the pumpkin puree which makes me think you need more than 1/2 cup rice hulls. I'm not an expert, but thinking 1cup would be better.

 

[pc_trott]

You have less grains but almost 2x the pumpkin puree which makes me think you need more than 1/2 cup rice hulls. I'm not an expert, but thinking 1cup would be better.

Thanks, Leezer. The cost of 10 lbs of rice hulls was approx. 2.5 times the cost of 1 lb on Amazon, so at one cup a batch, I've now got rice hulls to last me for my entire brewing career I think. :>)

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks, Leezer. The cost of 10 lbs of rice hulls was approx. 2.5 times the cost of 1 lb on Amazon, so at one cup a batch, I've now got rice hulls to last me for my entire brewing career I think. :>)

Yeah, good call to get the larger amount, you'll use them up over time, it certainly doesn't hurt to have them on hand. I remember the size of the 5 pound bag I got from one of my LHBS, they gave small (10%) price breaks at 1 and 5 pounds of (teh same) grain. Store in a thick plastic bag, tied off well, and placed in a storage tote or so, and keep dry. Should be good for many years of brewing.

Brews heavy on wheat and rye or flaked goods will need rice hulls too. If the mash doesn't lauter (wort remains lying on top, nothing goes through) you can always stir them in as needed. A cup at a time per 3-5 pounds of (dry) grist is a good start.

 

[IslandLizard]

Pumpkin Ale Preliminary Brewing Steps

1. Bake 3 15-oz cans pumpkin at 350F for 45 minutes.
2. Place brew bag in pot.
3. Add 2 gallons water to pot and heat to approximately 160F.
   Note: 2 quarts/lb. of grain, as per John Palmer’s “How to Brew,” 3rd Edition, Page 151. Should I add more for the 45 oz. pumpkin puree?
4. Add pumpkin, 3 lbs Rahr 6-row, .5 lbs Briess Caramel 40 (from “Smashing Pumpkin Ale” kit) and ½ cup rice hulls to brew bag.
   Note: is ½ cup rice hulls enough?
5. Hold at approximately 152F for one hour.
6. Remove bag from pot, place in strainer, and drain into pot.
7. Sparge bag in 1 gallon clean ? degrees water for ? minutes.
8. Sparge bag again in 1 gallon of ? degrees water for ? minutes.
9. Combine wort from initial boil and both sparges.
10. Pour wort through grain heap into brew pot, to filter the wort, and continue with brew instructions, adding LME, hops, and spices as directed.

A few comments (marked with ==>) and rearranging the order somewhat:

1. Bake 3 15-oz cans pumpkin at 350F for 45 minutes.
==> Spread out onto one or more baking sheets. The larger the total surface (the thinner the layers) the quicker it evaporates. There's a lot of evaporation in the beginning, if you have a convection oven it may speed things up. It may help to leave the door slightly ajar to help with evaporation until most of it has evaporated. It won't brown much until most of the water is gone.
==> It may take more than 45 minutes, time is not that relevant, it's the browning you're after.
Once the tops start to brown, scoop them over (using a flip or so), and keep doing that until the pulp is nice and toasty looking medium to darkish brown.
Careful not to burn it!

2. (was 3) Add 2 gallons water to pot and heat to approximately 160F.
Note: 2 quarts/lb. of grain, as per John Palmer’s “How to Brew,” 3rd Edition, Page 151. Should I add more for the 45 oz. pumpkin puree?
==> That volume should be fine, a good start. 1.5 - 2 qts/pound of grist is very nominal. If the puree soaks up more than expected, you could always add more (hot) water if it's too thick to stir. "Steal" the water from your sparge water reserve so your total water used doesn't change.
==> Use a mash water calculator to estimate the needed temperature of your strike water. Most ideal is when you hit your mash temp spot on after adding your (milled) grain and adjuncts.
==> If you undershoot the mash temp, you can slowly heat the mash pot, on lowish/medium heat under constant stirring and scraping the bottom, so nothing sticks to the bottom and scorches. Do that, while monitoring the rise in temp.

3. Place brew bag in pot.

4. Add pumpkin, 3 lbs Rahr 6-row, .5 lbs Briess Caramel 40 (from “Smashing Pumpkin Ale” kit) and ½ cup rice hulls to brew bag.
Note: is ½ cup rice hulls enough?
==> All the grain is milled, right? But don't mill the rice hulls!
==> As was already pointed out, start with 1 cup. That should be OK, add more later, if needed. But the bag itself is also a filter, much more forgiving.

5. Hold at approximately 152F for one hour.
==> What kind of pot are you mashing in? How large?
==> Put a lid on it.
==> If possible, put the lidded pot in a prewarmed but turned off oven at 155-160F (check it!). Much easier to keep that 152F mash temp in there. Starting the oven a little higher than your intended mash temp is usually recommended, it will cool down from there, such as opening the door. You could/should double-check your mash temp (in the pot) 10-15 minutes in. If a bit too high (>156F), you could add a little cold water, stir and put back in there. But usually it's just OK to let it be. Don't try to raise the temp.
==> If not in the oven, wrap a thick blanket, or a few thick towels, etc. around it to keep the heat in. Insulate the bottom and lid too.

6. Remove bag from pot, place in strainer, and drain into pot.
==> Then pour the collected wort through grain heap to filter it (those are your first runnings).
==> Remember, each of the runnings need to be filtered like that, by themselves. IOW the filtering needs to be done at each step, after draining the first runnings, and after each sparge.
==> Put your now filtered, first runnings in the boil kettle, or some other holding vessel (bucket?) if you need your kettle to collect the wort from sparging (in 7. and 8.).

7. Sparge bag in 1 gallon clean ? degrees water for ? minutes.
==> Just dunking and lifting (up and down) a few times is fine. But if the bag is compacted, stir it a bit too. One minute (or 2) is good.
==> any temp under 170F is fine. Either cool, cold, lukewarm, or up to 170F water is fine. Warmer water may help to keep it a bit thinner, more fluid, but it's not essential. This is batch sparging, easy peasy.
==> strain into a vessel, but not into the one you're storing your first runnings in. The wort from the sparge needs to be collected separately, then filtered, first.
==> Filter as in step 6.
==> add collected (now filtered) 2nd runnings to your holding vessel that already contains your first runnings.

8. Sparge bag again in 1 gallon of ? degrees water for ? minutes.
==> Repeat as in 7.
==> You're now collecting, then filtering, your 3rd runnings, again by themselves, before adding to your holding vessel.

9. Combine wort from initial boil and both sparges.
==> Obsolete. All your wort (all 3 runnings, each collected and filtered individually) should already be in your boil kettle or holding vessel (bucket?).

10. Pour wort through grain heap into brew pot, to filter the wort, and continue with brew instructions, adding LME, hops, and spices as directed.
==> (Strike-through text above) Do not pour your wort through your grain filter again, it negates the sparging.
Sorry if that was confusing and not clear from the beginning.
Once you do the process it should all make more sense. You're trying to remove as much as possible of the sugars trapped in that grist (bag). In that process you also clarify it better, fine suspended grain dust and pumpkin pulp mostly, that is being filtered out.
==> Your wort will be hazy, but most will clarify at the end of the boil.
==> If you have some, you could add 1/2 teaspoon of Irish Moss (or a whirlfloc tablet) with 10' left in the boil, to assist in coagulation of the break matter. But only add it if you already have it, no need to special buy or order it. The beer will all clarify once fermentation is done, leaving trub and yeast behind on the bottom of the fermenter.

Do not use a secondary! Leave the beer in the same fermenter until ready to package.

Good luck with your Pumpkin beer brew, it's quite an experience!

 

[pc_trott]

Wow! Great information, IslandLizard! Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed. I feel confidence with this info to make this brew, and will start tomorrow morning (the advantage of being an antique retired gent is that the weekend is seven days long).

I'll be using my five gallon brewing kettle, along with a 2 gal. stock pot, and a couple of 1.5 gal pots. I also have two brew buckets if I need them. I've done 2.5-gallon boils with the other 10 extract brews I've made since I started in January, but it looks like, with the two sparges, this boil will be at least 4 gals. I'm going to have to watch it like a hawk! (And look into getting a larger kettle.)

 

[IslandLizard]

I feel confidence with this info to make this brew, and will start tomorrow morning (the advantage of being an antique retired gent is that the weekend is seven days long).

I didn't intend to write all that much, but when reviewing all the steps (and the smaller in-between steps) involved, painting a more complete brew day scenario was in place, I thought. I hope I didn't forget anything elementary...

Boiling 4 gallons in a 5 gallon kettle is a bit tight, you may get splash or boil overs. Try to avoid that, losing good wort while making a mess.

To prevent overfilling your boil kettle, only add 1 gallon of your saved out 3rd runnings (of the 2 gallons you collected) and hold back that last gallon in your holding vessel.

Then, as you're boiling down your main kettle volume during the hour, add a quart every 15-20 minutes or so of those 3rd runnings (kept on the side). You'd probably boil off a gallon an hour, that's very typical. Make sure the last addition remains at or above 150-160F for 10-15 minutes to pasteurize.
Alternatively you can boil that last gallon of 3rd running by itself on the stove, down to 1-2 quarts or so. Then add to your fermenter, once it cooled down.

There's no problem boiling multiple pots/kettles, concurrently or sequentially, then combining the chilled wort in your fermenter. If the split volumes are larger, you could/should spread your hop and other additions over the various pots somewhat proportionally.

 

[IslandLizard]

And look into getting a larger kettle.

Before buying new equipment, best to review your options for future proofing. With a larger kettle you'll also need a capable heating source to boil the larger volume.

I went from kitchen stovetop to propane fired burners (outside) on a Top Tier. Then, chased away by vicious mosquitos, immediately back indoors, to the kitchen again, when I bought a 3500W countertop induction plate. My main, tri-ply bottomed kettle happened to be induction capable (magnetic), so the switch was easy and fairly cheap. Never looked back.

A 10 gallon kettle would be the next logical step for many 5 gallon, full volume brewers. My 8 gallon is a tad small in headspace when boiling 7 gallons. Where else do you think I got the "top up with 3rd runnings, as you boil" from?

Using induction as the heating source is an excellent alternative to propane and the kitchen stove. Even if you're brewing outdoors.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'll be using my five gallon brewing kettle,

You'll be using the 5 gallon kettle as your mash vessel?

Even a clean Homer bucket can be used for temporary pre-boil wort storage.
When using your fermentation buckets for that, make sure to clean and sanitize (Starsan!) them well after putting raw (unboiled) wort in them. Unboiled wort contains (souring) bacteria so you want to eradicate them before using them as fermenters again.

In that light, when re-cleaning/sanitizing those bucket fermenters, pay special attention to the lid and rim area and the top section of the outside, a few inches down. Any leftover drips there are still raw wort, you don't want those to end up inside.

 

[pc_trott]

I went from kitchen stovetop to propane fired burners (outside) on a Top Tier. Then, chased away by vicious mosquitos, immediately back indoors, to the kitchen again, when I bought a 3500W countertop induction plate. My main, tri-ply bottomed kettle happened to be induction capable (magnetic), so the switch was easy and fairly cheap. Never looked back.

Maryland has vicious mosquitos? I was raised on a wheat/barley farm in north central Montana, and can well remember going outside on a summer day weighing 160 lbs, and coming back in a half hour later weighing 120 from all the blood loss to the mosquitos, deer flies and horse flies. But it kept life interesting. I just wish I'd kept a few bushels of the malt barley we used to raise.

I'm going to have to look up induction plates. I do most of my brewing in the basement, but have to use the stove in the upstairs kitchen to create the wort. At my age, it's a bit of a chore carrying even 2.5 gallons of wort down the stairs. If I had an induction plate in the basement, that might be just the ticket!

You'll be using the 5 gallon kettle as your mash vessel?

I hope I understand that question, but I'm not sure... I plan to use the five gallon brew kettle for the initial 2 gallon mash, then drain the bag into the wort, then pour the wort into the other kettles, then position the strainer/grain heap back over the brew kettle and pour the 1st runnings over the wort back onto the brew kettle. I'll then use the other pots for the 2 sparges and related straining, before pouring the 2nd and 3rd runnings into the brew kettle. Is that the correct procedure?

I didn't intend to write all that much

I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate you taking the time! I feel that this one thread has doubled my knowledge of brewing and brewing techniques!

If there is any advantage to adding actual pumpkin to pumpkin ale, and many of the posters in the various threads in here say there isn't, the advice you and Leezer and Knightshade and BrewNKopperCat have shared is for sure going to make sure I am able to reap the benefits of that advantage. Again, I will try to make sure I get back here to post the results of this foray into new territory (for me). It will probably be a month and a half before I have a bottle ready to sample, right? And it will still be green, undoubtedly. But I'll post my taste test then, and maybe another later on towards Hallowe'en, if I don't have a senior moment before then.

Thanks again!

 

[IslandLizard]

I hope I understand that question, but I'm not sure... I plan to use the five gallon brew kettle for the initial 2 gallon mash, then drain the bag into the wort, then pour the wort into the other kettles, then position the strainer/grain heap back over the brew kettle and pour the 1st runnings over the wort back onto the brew kettle. I'll then use the other pots for the 2 sparges and related straining, before pouring the 2nd and 3rd runnings into the brew kettle. Is that the correct procedure?

drain the bag into the wort - What do you mean with that?

I think we need to address some of the terminology so we are on the same page.
Did you read Palmer's chapter on mashing? Palmer's style of writing, even on complex subjects, is so compelling, and clear on the message he wants to convey. You know exactly what he means. He's a rare talent!

Yes, definitely use the 5 gallon kettle for mashing. It's roomy, you need ample space to hold the water (2 gallons) plus the grist and have enough headroom left to stir. The 2 gallon pot would be too small for this batch.

If that 5 gallon kettle fits in your oven (to help keep the mash temp better) that would be best. You can invert the lid (upside down) if the height inside isn't quite enough. Otherwise pack/wrap her in a thick (moving) blanket or sleeping bag, etc. Insulate the bottom and lid too with same.

You're using a nylon bag (paint strainer bag) to hold your milled grain and toasted pumpkin pulp. You can prefill that bag with your milled grain (while it's still dry) before submerging it into your 2 gallons of preheated ~160-165F water. You need to keep the top of the bag open, maybe stretch it over the rim. That way you can add your toasted pumpkin pulp, make it easier to stir the inside content of the bag. Thorough initial stirring is very important for the mash. You want all the milled grain pieces to get hydrated, stir/squash out any clumps (dough balls) that may form. Use a long sturdy spoon, a wooden kitchen paddle, or anything else suitable.
The water is becoming wort as soon as the enzymes from the 2-row (or any other diastatic malt) convert the grain starches into sugars. After spending an hour at around 152F (your chosen mash temp) most or all starches have converted to sugars, dissolved in the wort.

We then want to separate the grains from the wort. Pull the bag out, place in the colander or sieve, placed over another vessel to capture the filtered wort. In this case, that vessel should be able to hold at least 2 gallons. The mesh bag helps to strain the wort out. Pouring the wort from the (mash) kettle through the bag with the grist inside, catches dust and small grain bits that made it through. There should be somewhat hazy but otherwise clear wort in your capturing vessel underneath the sieve. Put that into a holding vessel.

Then onto the first and then second sparge (sparge = rinse), in a similar way.

 

[IslandLizard]

Maryland has vicious mosquitos?

Yes sir! Probably not the half inch vicious kind you got in Montana, but mosquitos are abundant in much of coastal areas along the Chesapeake Bay with her thousands of creeks, inlets, wetlands, shallow, standing, and runoff water, you name it.
More inland, it's not as bad.

I'm going to have to look up induction plates.

I use an Avantco IC3500, ~$180 at Webstaurant.com. Since it's in the kitchen, it gets a lot more use than just for brewing. Induction's immediate heat is simply astonishing. Took me half a day to put in the 240V/20A circuit, most time spent first removing then putting the cabinet and dishwasher back in place and remounting the long Corian countertop. Now I wish I had put in 2 of those circuits while at it.

Oh, finding a source for a white wall socket was a bit of a chore too, ivory and brown being too common. A semi-local electrical supply place had them.

 

[Knightshade]

Great info in this thread, I've picked up some tips as well.

 

[odie]

I'm planning to skip the pumpkin in my pumpkin ale this year. I've heard more than once that using real pumpkin doesn't really do much, if anything. All it did last year was totally clog my BIAB.

I've heard just using the spices will give you essentially the same result.

 

[pc_trott]

I'm finally getting back to report on the Northern Brewer Smashing Pumpkin Ale I made following IslandLizard's suggested procedure. I've got to say, it came out wonderfully. My son served it at my daughter's Halloween Birthday bash, and those in attendance agreed that it was a great success. They might have been being polite, but my son says they all came back for more, so that seems good. :>)

My pot wouldn't fit in my oven, so I used the sleeping bag trick for steeping the grain. The Pot was exactly 152F when I put it in the bag, and it had only lost a couple of degrees when I took it out.

The beer has a definite orange tinge, and the flavor has a mellow, creamy flow over the tongue that I attribute to the pumpkin. I have read in here that the spices give you all of the flavor you need for pumpkin ale, and it certainly would be easier to go that way, but I really do think I could taste something beyond the spices that was very pleasant and delicious.

The kit included a spice packet that appeared to be about 1 Tbsp, although I didn't measure it. I added another 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice based on the comments in the other pumpkin ale threads in the forum. I don't regret making that addition.

If anyone has any questions about the IslandLizard edited process, or would like me to type up a cleaned-up copy of the procedure, please let me know.

And again, thanks to IslandLizard for taking the time to share his expertise. It's always fun to learn something new!

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm finally getting back to report on the Northern Brewer Smashing Pumpkin Ale [...] it came out wonderfully. My son served it at my daughter's Halloween Birthday bash, and those in attendance agreed that it was a great success. They might have been being polite, but my son says they all came back for more, so that seems good. :>)

Good to hear it was a success! Bit of work but glad it paid off. People coming back for seconds is among the best compliments you can get.

A few years ago, at a medium sized, Autumn outdoor craft beer fest, among the 150-some beers offered, there were a few pumpkin ales. One of the brewers' pumpkin ale stood out, far above the rest. Yup, they had used a near metric ton of pumpkin pulp, and kept the spicing subtle, to a mere hint. Mouthfeel and overall balance of alcohol, sweetness, bitterness, etc. was excellent. He received lots of compliments and happy return customers. People in the know...