Autumn Seasonal Beer Punkin' Ale

[gatsby174]

I just pulled my first pint. It's been aging at room temp for a month, then another month aging in the kegerater. It tastes bang on with an Ithaca country pumpkin! I followed the recipe to a "t". Well done Reno, this is an
annual fall recipe for me!

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[madcore]

Ok so I brewed mine in August...and I messed up and boiled my spices full boil holy poop it is super strong spice! Like it punches you in the face strong.... Oops and no I didn't put too much in just put it in at the beginning of the boil


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[zachattack]

Brewed this yesterday, thanks for the recipe!

 

[gwapogorilla]

Getting ready for brewing this weekend. I already have my yeast starter of 1056 ready to pitch. Here I am getting the pumpkin ready for baking. I will actually bake it a few times (at least twice) in order to get a "Maillard reaction" going on the pumpkin fibers.

As far as the grain bill, I omitted the brown sugar so it wouldn't ferment out so dry. I replaced the brown sugar with molasses and added more malt to make up for the gravity difference. I also added some rye, as I really like the body rye provides, it helps make a nice fluffy head and I think it will blend with the spices nicely.

I also pumped up the pumpkin to 7 lbs, as I read a few comments in this thread that the pumpkin was hard to detect. No one has tried more that 4 lbs. of pumpkin from what I have read...so I'll take one for the team.:rockin:

Here is my grain bill. I am assuming low efficiency numbers (70%) due to the slow run off because of the pumpkin.

1 lbs Rice Hulls (Briess) (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 6.5 %
10 lbs 4.8 oz 2-row (Rahr) (1.8 SRM) Grain 2 66.9 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Biscuit (Dingemans) (23.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.7 %
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L 6-Row (Briess) (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.5 %
1 lbs Rye Malt (Weyermann) (3.6 SRM) Grain 5 6.5 %
7.00 lb Canned pumpkin (Mash 60.0 mins) Other 6 -
9.6 oz Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 7 3.9 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 12.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 2.6 IBUs
1.50 tbsp Pumpkin pie spice (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 10 -
1.0 pkg American Ale(1056) (Wyeast Labs #1056) [4.2 oz] Yeast


Has anyone tried adding "Pecan extract" to this beer when bottling/kegging? I think it would compliment the recipe nicely.

 

[boicutt]

Not enough rice hulls for that amount of pumpkin imo. Stuck run-off galore!

I'm pretty sure the molasses with the additional pumpkin you are adding will maybe make it taste more pumkiny, but you're adding more sugar with the pumpkin so the dryness will come out to the same as if you used less pumpkin and brown sugar.

Don't count my words as fact, just what I assume from what I know.

 

[j1n]

What kind of pumpkin is that? I hope you are using sugar pumpkins....

Id also up the rice hulls. I used a pound and i still almost got a stuck sparge.

 

[gwapogorilla]

Not enough rice hulls for that amount of pumpkin imo. Stuck run-off galore!

I'm pretty sure the molasses with the additional pumpkin you are adding will maybe make it taste more pumkiny, but you're adding more sugar with the pumpkin so the dryness will come out to the same as if you used less pumpkin and brown sugar.

Don't count my words as fact, just what I assume from what I know.

You may be right about the rice hulls, but I'm inclined to disagree with you on the body of the beer.
The brown sugar would ferment out lower than the grains and molasses. Plus, what ever sugar comes out of the vegetables are going to be complex...they won't ferment easily either.

What kind of pumpkin is that? I hope you are using sugar pumpkins....

Id also up the rice hulls. I used a pound and i still almost got a stuck sparge.

Carving pumpkins. You can use just about any type of pumpkin for pies....my mom did it every year at Halloween time. Best pies I ever had! :rockin:

 

[thelouisvillekyle]

It's so fine, it's all mine.

 

[Salukibrew]

So....I have been a passionate home brewer for about 5 years now and am also brewing for a commercial craft brewing company now, however in my few years delving deep into the fermentation sciences field I have never until a month and a half ago attempted a Pumpkin beer. However by popular demand from my wife and friends I thought I would give it a shot on my 10 gallon system at home with a few small modifications from the OP's recipe to reach a final product that is more my taste and style.

It has turned out EXCELLENT! However I think I undershot my efficiency slightly (new mill and 3 hr sparge due to almost stuck mash) and thus produced a product that comes in around 7.5%. Which is great as a winter warmer but I wanted it to be a little more sessionable. None the less a great product and the spices and pumpkin balance very well in the finished product.

Pours a deep amber orangish hough and I have found it to have its best flavor and aeromatics become present around 42F - 46F. Pictures and official tasting notes soon to come. Also I would be willing to share my finalized version which is very close to the original and my ferm schedule and accompanying stats if folks want.

My Suggestion....use as many rice hulls as you can fit in the darn Mash Tun

 

[popquizkid]

So....I have been a passionate home brewer for about 5 years now and am also brewing for a commercial craft brewing company now, however in my few years delving deep into the fermentation sciences field I have never until a month and a half ago attempted a Pumpkin beer. However by popular demand from my wife and friends I thought I would give it a shot on my 10 gallon system at home with a few small modifications from the OP's recipe to reach a final product that is more my taste and style.

It has turned out EXCELLENT! However I think I undershot my efficiency slightly (new mill and 3 hr sparge due to almost stuck mash) and thus produced a product that comes in around 7.5%. Which is great as a winter warmer but I wanted it to be a little more sessionable. None the less a great product and the spices and pumpkin balance very well in the finished product.

Pours a deep amber orangish hough and I have found it to have its best flavor and aeromatics become present around 42F - 46F. Pictures and official tasting notes soon to come. Also I would be willing to share my finalized version which is very close to the original and my ferm schedule and accompanying stats if folks want.

My Suggestion....use as many rice hulls as you can fit in the darn Mash Tun

I for one would love to see your tweaked recipe and fermentation schedule. I brewed this myself with WLP-007 a month ago and about to transfer to keg for additional conditioning. Thanksgiving is at my house this year and I brewed it for family to enjoy on the holiday. It was a lot more work than most normal brews but I really enjoyed making this beer.

 

[thefolkmetal]

It's hard to get a picture that really does this beer justice. This was the best I could do tonight. It's really a beautiful, deep red beer, and it's cleared out nicely! And it tastes even better than it looks! Thanks again, Reno!

 

[j1n]

i kegged this yesterday. My hydro sample tasted good but couldnt really pick up any pumpkin, just the pumpkin spices.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

It's hard to get a picture that really does this beer justice. This was the best I could do tonight. It's really a beautiful, deep red beer, and it's cleared out nicely! And it tastes even better than it looks! Thanks again, Reno!

why is yours red? should it not be closer to orange?

 

[thefolkmetal]

why is yours red? should it not be closer to orange?

Not sure, really. I didn't change the malt bill. Either way, it's very pretty!

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

We did a taste test between this and Sam Adam's Harvest Pumpkin. This won hands down (SA is way too spicy for me), even when wife tasted both of them.
Next test will be DFH Punkin Ale

 

[gwapogorilla]

I brewed a batch of this this weekend. WHAT A PIA!!!!!! Stuck sparge from hell!!!! I don't know it there are enough rice hulls on the face of God's green earth to let this one flow. I used 1.25 lbs....and was no where near enough.
Not sure how it's going to turn out, I had a bunch of rice hulls and other matter get past my false bottom, as I was constantly trying to unplug my sparge. They went through my boil and everything. Hoping they don't ruin the taste.
Sparge itself took over 1 1/2 hours to do.

Time will tell.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

It's bottling day. I was thinking about using brown sugar. I've read 2/3 cup for 5 gallons. Or should I go by weight? How many oz's?

 

[atimmerman88]

It's bottling day. I was thinking about using brown sugar. I've read 2/3 cup for 5 gallons. Or should I go by weight? How many oz's?

It's best to use a calculator like

http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

Or

http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

With your desired carb level as well as the exact amount your bottling.

Might actually have 4.5 gallons in the bottle bucket and that'll throw off your carbonation volumes


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[thelouisvillekyle]

2/3 cup table sugar was perfect IMHO.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

I brewed a batch of this this weekend. WHAT A PIA!!!!!! Stuck sparge from hell!!!! I don't know it there are enough rice hulls on the face of God's green earth to let this one flow. I used 1.25 lbs....and was no where near enough.
Not sure how it's going to turn out, I had a bunch of rice hulls and other matter get past my false bottom, as I was constantly trying to unplug my sparge. They went through my boil and everything. Hoping they don't ruin the taste.
Sparge itself took over 1 1/2 hours to do.

Time will tell.

Wow, I've never heard of that happening with this brew. I hope it all works out well.

It's bottling day. I was thinking about using brown sugar. I've read 2/3 cup for 5 gallons. Or should I go by weight? How many oz's?

You 100%, most definitely should go by weight. Volume is not conserved but mass is. I'd be willing to bet if you pack it hard enough you can make 2/3 cup of brown sugar weight three times heavier than 2/3 cup table sugar.

 

[ptran86]

I got all the ingredients and everything is set to go this weekend. But I'm not sure if I need to bake my pumpkin per the instruction since I'm doing the extract version. Do I need to bake the pumpkin, or can I just steep it for 20-30 then steep my grains with the pumpkin still in the kettle for another 20-30 minutes?

 

[DrunkleJon]

I got all the ingredients and everything is set to go this weekend. But I'm not sure if I need to bake my pumpkin per the instruction since I'm doing the extract version. Do I need to bake the pumpkin, or can I just steep it for 20-30 then steep my grains with the pumpkin still in the kettle for another 20-30 minutes?

Baking the pumpkin adds a little something. Caramelizes it a touch. You do not really get much along the lines of fermentables from pumpkin, but color, and a bit of flavor. I would bake it anyway if I were you and you are able to.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Baking the pumpkin adds a little something. Caramelizes it a touch. You do not really get much along the lines of fermentables from pumpkin, but color, and a bit of flavor. I would bake it anyway if I were you and you are able to.

This.

 

[gwapogorilla]

Wow, I've never heard of that happening with this brew. I hope it all works out well.

Me too Reno.....me too. But remember, I tweaked your recipe a bit and used 7 lbs of pumpkin.
I only did a 45 minute mash anticipating a slow run off, but I just could NOT keep the flow going. The false bottom plugged every 10 seconds, forcing me to stir the mash through the entire run off process.

If I ever try to do this again, I am thinking BIAB. LOL:rockin:

 

[DrunkleJon]

Or maybe putting down a good 1/2-1 lb of rice hulls directly on top of the false bottom, then adding grains. Maybe a good inch or so of solid filter area would do it.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Wow, I've never heard of that happening with this brew. I hope it all works out well.


You 100%, most definitely should go by weight. Volume is not conserved but mass is. I'd be willing to bet if you pack it hard enough you can make 2/3 cup of brown sugar weight three times heavier than 2/3 cup table sugar.

I went with 3.75 oz's

 

[leftcontact]

Using US-05... does anybody do temperature variations during primary fermentation (diacetyl rest, etc) or is simply leaving it on the yeast for a couple months enough to clean up any nasty flavors? It's tasting awesome already!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

I went with 3.75 oz's

Good move

Using US-05... does anybody do temperature variations during primary fermentation (diacetyl rest, etc) or is simply leaving it on the yeast for a couple months enough to clean up any nasty flavors? It's tasting awesome already!

No d-rest necessary. Just let the yeast work for you!

 

[thefolkmetal]

Me too Reno.....me too. But remember, I tweaked your recipe a bit and used 7 lbs of pumpkin.
I only did a 45 minute mash anticipating a slow run off, but I just could NOT keep the flow going. The false bottom plugged every 10 seconds, forcing me to stir the mash through the entire run off process.

If I ever try to do this again, I am thinking BIAB. LOL:rockin:

What I did last time was to put the pumpkin in a mesh grain bag and then adding it to the mash. Still got plenty of pumpkin flavor and no stuck mash. I had a similar experience to yours the first time I brewed this recipe.

 

[kenoglass]

So I cracked one open last night, tasted green still but was good, just the right amount of spices, wife even loved it!!

PIcs with the next one.

 

[m00ps]

I also pumped up the pumpkin to 7 lbs, as I read a few comments in this thread that the pumpkin was hard to detect. No one has tried more that 4 lbs. of pumpkin from what I have read...so I'll take one for the team.

I picked up a nice tip on getting more pumpkin flavor. Try using both pumpkin and either sweet potato or butternut squash. They have similar flavor profiles and it really helps the pumpkin stand out more. I do 50-50 with some pumpkin pie spice and it definitely gives it a good pop.

Also, canned pumpkin is much easier to work with than gutting and roasting your own pumpkin

 

[waltzbrewingco]

I used canned pumpkin and it was so simple to add to the mash. Also the pumpkin flavor is overpowering my spice and it's got way more hop profile than I wanted but still good. Definitely thought about using butternut for next year.

 

[dsaavedra]

I cracked open a bottle after 2.5 weeks in the bottle and there was absolutely zero carbonation! I know that bigger beers take longer to carb (mine ended up at 8%) but I figured there would be something after 2.5 weeks. I'm going to try another bottle tomorrow (Halloween, yay!), that will be 5 weeks in the bottle, hopefully there will be some carbonation by now. The beer still tasted good.

I bottled it in Sierra Nevada stubby bottles, has anyone every had carbonation problems with these bottles? I was worried maybe the caps didn't seal properly but when I grab them I am not able to twist them around on the bottles.

 

[atimmerman88]

I cracked open a bottle after 2.5 weeks in the bottle and there was absolutely zero carbonation! I know that bigger beers take longer to carb (mine ended up at 8%) but I figured there would be something after 2.5 weeks. I'm going to try another bottle tomorrow (Halloween, yay!), that will be 5 weeks in the bottle, hopefully there will be some carbonation by now. The beer still tasted good.

I bottled it in Sierra Nevada stubby bottles, has anyone every had carbonation problems with these bottles? I was worried maybe the caps didn't seal properly but when I grab them I am not able to twist them around on the bottles.

I only use SN, Lagunitas, Firestone Walker, etc short bottles.

I've never had an issue w/ sealing with regular caps / wing capper in 30 sum batches.

 

[m00ps]

I've had pumpkin beers that take months to carb. I think there's something about the sugars in the pumpkin that can mess things up. As long as you didnt forget priming sugar, itll just take time

 

[mdbrewer1]

I cracked open a bottle after 2.5 weeks in the bottle and there was absolutely zero carbonation! I know that bigger beers take longer to carb (mine ended up at 8%) but I figured there would be something after 2.5 weeks. I'm going to try another bottle tomorrow (Halloween, yay!), that will be 5 weeks in the bottle, hopefully there will be some carbonation by now. The beer still tasted good.

I bottled it in Sierra Nevada stubby bottles, has anyone every had carbonation problems with these bottles? I was worried maybe the caps didn't seal properly but when I grab them I am not able to twist them around on the bottles.

What temperature were your bottles stored? Cooler temps make for longer conditioning times.

 

[dsaavedra]

I most definitely put priming sugar in. It wasn't much priming sugar because it was only a 2.5 gallon batch, and I remember adding the sugar and thinking it wasn't much. I was shooting for about 2.2 vol of carbonation. Bottles have been in a closet right around 70 degrees since bottling day. I will update after I crack one open tomorrow and see how it is.

 

[Beersnob16]

Reno, thanks for this great recipe. I just kegged mine today, sg 1.062 fg 1.015, the hydro sample was crystal clear and tasted amazing. I brewed on 9/28, fermented at 65 degrees for 2 weeks, the raised the temp to 70 for 1 week and cold crashed at 45 degrees for 5 days. I'm going to naturally carb to 2.5 vols and put it on gas in the kegs raton when I get back from Malaysia just before thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to having a couple of pints of this with turkey dinner. Thanks again.

 

[Beersnob16]

Here are a couple of pics.

 

[dsaavedra]

Well I just cracked my second one open after 5 weeks in the bottle, 3 or 4 days in the fridge, MUCH better now. Got a nice hiss when I opened the bottle and it poured with a decent little head but it faded fast like others reported. Carbonation is nice and mild, taste is awesome.