Tale of the ever fermenting pumpkin ale

[svengoat]

Seeking words of advice about one of my favorite brews...Pumpkin Ale.. What is the secret?? Alittle history.. I tried a patch of micro brewed PA a few years ago and decided to try my hand at one.. I goggled a recipe off the net and went all grain with the addition of canned pumpkin.. The pumpkin was added at the end of the boil and all seems fine when the yeast was pitched.. Specific gravity was off the charts around 1080 ish..4 days after the pitching I was greeted to a volcanic fermentation, I mean Mona loi type explosion out the top of the airlock.. Didn't see any other issues other than it never ever stopped bubbling..I mean 2 months folks.... After 4 weeks I racked it off to a secondary fermenter.. Another month goes by and the bubbles died down, I figured it would be a good time to rack again to a 5 gallon tank...Gravity was about 1010..Not an ale for the weak hearted..

So 2 weeks in the fridge I decided to taste... I swear the pop off in the tank should have blown but I could have put out a 3 story fire with the stream I got out of this tank..LMAO The beer tasted great and had wonderful smell but was cloudy and had little stuff floating around in it.. Wasn't pretty in a clear glass..

So I guess my question is.. do we ever use canned pumpkin? A brewing buddy mentioned complex sugars and said they have a tendency to never ever fully ferment? Is there a secret to a good clear pumpkin ale?

 

[Revvy]

My pumpkin ale turned plenty clear, just like all my beers, I leave them in primary for a month...Mine was canned pumpkin added to the boil. The pumpkin was pre-roasted in a 350 degree oven.

Here's my thread on it. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/lets-partyyyy-gyle-pumpkin-porter-ale-one-mash-74927/

There has been some talk on the australian homebrewing podcast Craftbeer radio about adding some of it to the mash. I'm going to try it this year.

but really, the biggest trick to any clear beer, is time.