79 replies to this topic

[EWW]

Beano uses a galactosidase, not amylase like barley or wheat. Are you sure the temperature is the same? I would think that Beano would be most effective at body temperature.This article seems to say you should keep Beano cooler than 130 dF:

I have no clue about the proper temps for beano. I was just floating a process idea to help make this recipe work well with extract.

[BrewerGeorge]

Lots and lots of people make pumpkin beers with extract by just adding it to the boil. It makes perfectly drinkable beer as long as you don't mind the haze and drink it quickly. Starch in the finished beer won't hurt anything except lower the longevity drastically. You will want to strain it well before fermenting, though, or you will be at MAJOR risk for a stopped airlock and fermentor bomb. (Although if you haven't yet mopped beer from the ceiling, this might be your chance to join the club. )You'll get a lot of flak from this from purists (see above) but the whole purity concept can be thrown out the window in a pumpkin beer, IMO. Every homebrewer needs to make a pumpkin beer at least once - it's a rule - and adding it to the boil gets that box checked without the huge, huge hassle of trying to mash it. If you like the style, it's true that you will probably move to the spice-only option in later years, but you just have to go the full route at least once.Finally, use a light hand with the spices, especially the cinnamon. Once it's in there, you can't get it out and lots of recipes are really heavily spiced.

[EWW]

Would you mind posting the recipe? If this is a true lager (fermented around 50F with a lager stain) then I would find a way to convert the starches like beano. If it's an ale/mocktoberfest and you plan to drink it soon I'd trust George's post.

[chuck_d]

- it's a rule -

Grrr. Argh. I just now find out about this rule. Does it count if I just make beer and pour it out of a pumpkin? I'm totally doing that this year, but if I'm breaking the rules I suppose I must mash a pumpkin at some point. Rice hulls? Exogenous enzymes?

[hoppygirl]

Would you mind posting the recipe? If this is a true lager (fermented around 50F with a lager stain) then I would find a way to convert the starches like beano. If it's an ale/mocktoberfest and you plan to drink it soon I'd trust George's post.

I'll post it but it may take me a couple days. I printed off the recipe, I'll have to get the website from the recipe because i can't remember which one it was I finally decided to make haha. I'm going to brew this weekend...yaaaay. we'll see how it turns out. At least it wasn't a pricy recipe, and the pumpkin was free, so if it tastes like crap I'm not out much haha

[Deerslyr]

I'll post it but it may take me a couple days. I printed off the recipe, I'll have to get the website from the recipe because i can't remember which one it was I finally decided to make haha. I'm going to brew this weekend...yaaaay. we'll see how it turns out. At least it wasn't a pricy recipe, and the pumpkin was free, so if it tastes like crap I'm not out much haha

Doesn't matter how much it costs... its a labor of love, so when it fails, I can't haelp but feel

[hoppygirl]

Doesn't matter how much it costs... its a labor of love, so when it fails, I can't haelp but feel

haha-yeah but how else do you learn...or maybe make the tastiest beer ever? im all about expirementing with recipes.

[Deerslyr]

haha-yeah but how else do you learn...or maybe make the tastiest beer ever? im all about expirementing with recipes.

Only the nastiest of beers need to be pitched... and those are ones with infections. Others may not be that great, but you can always find an "alternate" use for them, such as Beer Bread and boiling bratwurst.We've all made not so great beer, but have drunk them. A few of us have screwed the pooch enough to dump a batch, but it really has to be bad to do that IMHO.At any rate, you are going to have some fun brewing! Oh, and we expect updates!

[Big Nake]

On George's comment about spice, what are most of you pumpkin-heads doing in your 5-gallon batches?I typically add about 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice at flameout and then put the lid on the brewpot (flame off) and let it steep in there for 15 minutes or so, chill, etc. Then when the beer goes to secondary, I add another 1 to 1½ tsp of PP spice to something like Captain Morgan or Bacardi Spice and let that sit for a day or so (I prepare this before the rack to secondary), then add that rum/spice mixture to the secondary and rack the beer on top. This creates some layers of spice because the first addition is heated and then a little bit of that gets scrubbed out by the primary... then the second addition is a little more up-front. This amount of spice is very noticeable (IMO) without knocking you over. I have tasted a few pumpkin beers where you REALLY have to search for the spice, which is too subtle for me. Cheers.

[Deerslyr]

I forego the pumpkin pie spice and make my own blend. At 5 minutes, I toss in Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Cloves, About a teaspoon and a half of ground nutmeg, some allspice berries and chopped candied ginger, or perhaps fresh grated ginger. But... these are all in the pumpkin pie spice anyways.

[Big Nake]

I forego the pumpkin pie spice and make my own blend. At 5 minutes, I toss in Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Cloves, About a teaspoon and a half of ground nutmeg, some allspice berries and chopped candied ginger, or perhaps fresh grated ginger. But... these are all in the pumpkin pie spice anyways.

Yes, but the pumpkin pie spice also has sulfiting agents in it. Mmm, sulfiting agents.

[Deerslyr]

Yes, but the pumpkin pie spice also has sulfiting agents in it. Mmm, sulfiting agents.

It just ain't natural I tell ya... It ain't natural!LOLNah, I did it because I could. When it comes to pumpkin pie, there's something ultra cool about actually using the spices... it's kind of like the difference between using pre-hopped LME and well... weighing out your own hops. We had everything I needed in the spice cabinet... besides, candied ginger is awesome to eat! Mmmmmmm candied ginger... that might actually help settle me tonight.

[Big Nake]

Hey, how does anyone feel about adding a small amount of vanilla to the spiced pumpkin ale? I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have toyed with this idea a number of times but never did it because I thought there would be too much happening. Cheers.

[DaBearSox]

Hey, how does anyone feel about adding a small amount of vanilla to the spiced pumpkin ale? I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have toyed with this idea a number of times but never did it because I thought there would be too much happening. Cheers.

I think a tinge of vanilla would be awesome...you might not be able to pick it up much but as with most baking, vanilla is in there to accentuate the other flavors.

[hoppygirl]

I think a tinge of vanilla would be awesome...you might not be able to pick it up much but as with most baking, vanilla is in there to accentuate the other flavors.

ok-heres the recipe. i brewed it this weekend. i followed the recipe for the most part. i put the pumpkin in the oven and baked it before hand. then scraped out the felsh and when adding it to the boil i had it in a grain sock. we'll see how it turns out. i totally agree that even if its not too great i can use it for bratwurst haha. it smelled really good, and yeah it was pretty cloudy. but oh well. oh, and instead of vanguard we used saaz.pumpkin oktoberfestAdd 24 oz. pumpkin at 60 min. and add another 24 oz. at 5 min. Add 1/4tsp. nutmeg and 1/4tsp. ginger and 1/2 tsp. cloves and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon at 5 min. It all depends on your personal taste. enjoy. Brewer staggerleon Beer Style Oktoberfest/Märzen Recipe Type Extract malt & fermentables % LB OZ Malt or Fermentable ppg °L 89% 6 6 Light/Pale Malt Extract Syrup info 36 5 7% 0 8 Crystal 60L info 34 60 4% 0 4 Crystal 20L info 34 20 Batch size: 5.0 gallons Original Gravity 1.050 (1.044 to 1.052)Final Gravity 1.012 (1.011 to 1.013) Color 9° SRM / 17° EBC (Gold to Copper) Mash Efficiency 75% hops use time oz variety form aa boil 55 mins 1.0 Willamette info pellet 4.9 boil 45 mins 1.0 Hallertau info pellet 3.7 boil 5 mins 1.0 Hallertau info pellet 3.7 boil 5 mins 1.0 Vanguard info pellet 4.4 Boil: 3.0 avg gallons for 60 minutes Bitterness 27.6 IBU / 9 HBU ƒ: Average BU:GU 0.56 yeast Wyeast Octoberfest Lager Blend (2633) info lager yeast in liquid form with low to medium flocculation Alcohol 5.1% ABV / 4% ABW Calories 164 per 12 oz. misc use time amount ingredient boil 5 min 0.5 ounces Cinnamon Stick boil 5 min 0.5 ounces Cloves boil 5 min 0.5 ounces Ginger Powder boil 5 min 0.5 ounces Nutmeg boil 60 min 1.5 pounds Pumpkin boil 5 min 1.5 pounds Pumpkin

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

yeast Wyeast Octoberfest Lager Blend (2633) info lager yeast in liquid form with low to medium flocculation

maybe I missed this in the thread but how are you going to control your fermentation temperature? Unless you have a fermentation chamber it's going to be tough to keep things cool this time of year.

[hoppygirl]

maybe I missed this in the thread but how are you going to control your fermentation temperature? Unless you have a fermentation chamber it's going to be tough to keep things cool this time of year.

oh-i used a different type of yeast as well. sorry, forgot to mention. it was a dry yeast that is supposed to give lager characteristics at ale temps. however i have a cooler i can rent from my homebrewer supplier if i needed to.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

oh-i used a different type of yeast as well. sorry, forgot to mention. it was a dry yeast that is supposed to give lager characteristics at ale temps. however i have a cooler i can rent from my homebrewer supplier if i needed to.

nottingham?

[hoppygirl]

nottingham?

hmm-im not sure. ill have to check the packet.

[jayb151]

2112 (or equivalent). I'm guessing it's that san fran lager yeast. A decent choice for these ingredients, but I'm not sure how octoberfesty it will turn out. If this is the yeast you went with, make sure to give it a good d-rest. I sometimes get some butter aromas and flavors from it.