Using REAL pumpkin in mash

[mrphillips]

I haven't yet decided whether I want to make an Ale or something darker, but I was curious what prep I would need to do to get a nice pumpkin flavor.

For starters, I'm NOT looking to make a pumpkin-pie beer with nutmeg, cinnamon, spice, ect. I just want the subtle sweetness from the pumpkin.

I've heard that baking the pumpkin is a nice way to get the sweetness going, but I'm looking for some testimonials from people who have tried it.

 

[Poobah58]

You won't get any subtle sweetness from the pumpkin. Sweetness in a beer comes from unfermentables. You will get a bit of vegetal flavor. Bake it in the oven to get some caramelization for added flavor and convert some starches. Without some spices I'm afraid you might be disappointed but YMMV...

 

[Maxkling]

The "pumpkin" flavor comes from the spices not pumpkin. Some of the best pumpkin pies and pumpkin beer don't even use pumpkin....

 

[mrphillips]

Noooooooooo! Say it ain't so!

 

[blakelyc]

The "pumpkin" flavor comes from the spices not pumpkin. Some of the best pumpkin pies and pumpkin beer don't even use pumpkin....

Spices do not taste like pumpkin. If you were to say, "the flavor you normally associate with pumpkin is not really pumpkin, but rather the seasonings it is prepared with", then I suppose that could be the case for most folks. But in no way do spices produce "pumpkin" flavor.

IMHO, a mix of roasted pumpkin and roasted butternut squash results in a lovely winter squash/pumpkin flavor. It is subtle, but present, and doesn't taste like most commercial pumpkin beers. Light spicing can enhance that and help in sensory identification.

 

[acidrain]

Take a small sugar pumpkin and cut it in half.
Take out any seeds & membrane. Place face down on a aluminum foil covered cookie sheet and bake for 1 hr. at 350F.
Scoop out the cooked flesh, mush it up and add it to your recipe.
Be sure to use 1lb of rice hulls during mash.
You will need to use spices at secondary or it won't taste like a pumpkin beer.

 

[mrphillips]

I'm a little intrigued by the butternut squash idea. Is its flavor a lot sweeter than pumpkin?

 

[Maxkling]

Spices do not taste like pumpkin. If you were to say, "the flavor you normally associate with pumpkin is not really pumpkin, but rather the seasonings it is prepared with", then I suppose that could be the case for most folks. But in no way do spices produce "pumpkin" flavor.

IMHO, a mix of roasted pumpkin and roasted butternut squash results in a lovely winter squash/pumpkin flavor. It is subtle, but present, and doesn't taste like most commercial pumpkin beers. Light spicing can enhance that and help in sensory identification.

That's what the ""'s meant. The flavor most people look for with pumpkin is from spicing not the vegetal flavor of pumpkin. If you order a pumpkin latte and they make it with pumpkin only, it would probably taste like vomit. A high amount of pumpkin pies made are made with 100% butternut squash or a mixture of squash and pumpkin. Butternut squash has more calories and carbs so it tends to be sweeter.

 

[Auger]

When I was extract brewing, I used to do a partial mash with roasted pumpkin then throw it all into the primary. I don't use pumpkin pie spices in my pumpkin beer, just pumpkin and vanilla bean. The pumpkin leaves a nice pumpkiny/squashy flavor, very subtle but its definitely detectable when its not completely overwhelmed by cinnamon and allspice flavors. I just did my first all-grain adaptation of my recipe, which obviously left the pumpkin in the mash tun. It provided some fermentables, but I think not having it in the primary really lost a lot of the flavor. I used 5lbs (pre-roasting) of pumpkins (two 7-8" sugar pumpkins, roughly). For the next batch I might just up the 2-row a bit, roast the pumpkin and add it to the boil/primary instead of mashing it and just use it as a flavor adjunct to try and pick up more flavor from it.