The kit does come with the specialty grains you need to make the beer along with the spices, which turns out awesome on its own. You only have to order the extra grains if you are choosing to include real pumpkin (that extra grain helps make the pumpkin's starches more easily fermentable).
Yes. Steep the specialty grains that come with the kit PLUS the extra grain if you are going to do the real pumpkin option. Sorry for the confusion. We hoped the darker malts poured into the kettle in the video made that clear. Obviously not. Cheers!
I do a version I found on the homebrew forums, but I actually add my pumpkin to the boil. I first cut it into small pieces, leaving the skin on. Then I put the pumpkin on a baking pan or use my waterless cookware and bake until soft. Before baking I put pumpkin pie spices on the pumpkin pieces. Then I put the pumpkin chunks into very large grain bags and plop the bags into the whole boil. This pulls out the actual pumpkin pie flavor into the beer, and you get color from the skins. And holy crap is it good.
+Brandon B Do you know if you can add pumpkin pie spice to the pumpkin and use it during the mash? Will that have a different effect on the outcome of the beer?
+Erin James I have seen recipes where the pumpkin was added during the mash. Typically, those recipes call for canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. I would then add the spices later, either late in the boil or in secondary steeping in a tea bag to taste. I just kegged mine this morning from doing the cooked pumpkin pieces with spices added to the boil. It usually tastes different without carbonation or any aging, but wow, was it good.
Ok, so after cooling and carbonating this was BY FAR the BEST beer I've ever made. I did the extra grains along with the pumpkin. A full body beer that was absolutely amazing. Sadly, my 5 gallon keg is already empty.
So I did the extra grains along with 3 pounds of canned pumpkin. Fermented 3 weeks, then kegged it. It has a lingering taste on the back of the tongue that I can't tell if it's acetaldehyde or the pumpkin. There was nothing but grains in my bag when I pulled it from the pot, so there was a ton of pumpkin still in the carboy during fermentation, and not much settled out. It's a very high ABV and had a very high OG. I kept fermentation below 70 the entire time. I'm hoping this balances with time.
I definitely recommend a few handfulls of rice hulls. I also roast my canned pumpkin uncovered @350F for about 1.5 hrs for a more caramelized tasted. Pumpkin brew day can be a big PITA, but is always worth it. Who doesn't love a pumpkin beer on a chilly fall day? I find this beer is one of my most anticipated brews with coworkers, second only to Caribou Slobber, so this year I think I will be making a Pumpkin Slobber, as well.
Mine ended up with an OG of 1.103! I used the extract recipe with 3 lbs of rahr 6-row and 2/3 of a 13 lb pumpkin...i just hope the American ale yeast is up to the task (i did do a yeast starter thankfully, though now i wish i had doubled down).
Thanks, @phantomcreamer. I did some reading, and Uncle Charlie agrees with you. "In summary, 6-row varieties of malted barley will yield less extract per weight of kernel but are desirable for mashing with adjuncts due to their generally higher enzyme content."
For this video we used about 8-10 pounds of smaller pumpkins... that weighed out to about 4 pounds after roasting, scooping and discarding the innards, skins, etc.
Hm. I've thought about learning how to brew my own for some time now. I absolutely love pumpkin beer/ale. I've heard nothing but good about this kit...I think I may make this my first brew ^_^ Thanks, NorthernBrewer
Ihave a question the pumkin ale comes with -nightshade grains 0.5 lb briess caramel 40- do i need to mix with 2 or 3 lb Rahr-6 or just use only the Rahr-6 grains?
It's that time of year! I have a question about using real pumpkin with the partial mash (aka in the large grain bag). Can I add the pumpkin innards at the same stage as you did with the canned pumpkin in this video?
An 8 to 10 pound pumpkin BEFORE or AFTER it's gutted? Meaning, do I need 8 to 10 pounds of roasted pumpkin, or just a pumpkin that weighs 8 to 10 pounds when I purchase it?
Why do you need to cook the pumpkin until it becomes like smashed potatoes? should not the mashing do the job of breaking the starches to fermentable sugars?
About to take this (extract) kit on, and going with roasted pumpkin. One thing I suspect is important and not mentioned in the video is that we should be using "sugar pie pumpkins," not the usual jack o' lantern variety used for Halloween. Jack o' lantern pumpkins have bland, watery flesh, and while awesome and huge for cutting out faces, they are terribad for cooking applications. Sugar pie pumpkins are much smaller, rounder, and have a much sweeter, dense flesh. As the name suggests, this is the real "pie" pumpkin. They seem to be pretty common in produce departments during the fall months. Using the wrong variety here would probably have as disappointing results as anyone trying to make pie with jack o'lanterns! Spoiler alert: It's gross.
That is what im doing today. I just finished baking and mixing my 10 pounds of pumpkin in my kitchen aid. Then im going to start my brew with the grains along side the pumpkin at one time. (I suggest using the bag like in the video)
I'm totally doing this as soon as I can find some pumpkins at the store, and not the big ol' nasty tasting ones they always have in the bins out front. Those are for squash art; not eating.
The kit does come with the specialty grains you need to make the beer along with the spices, which turns out awesome on its own. You only have to order the extra grains if you are choosing to include real pumpkin (that extra grain helps make the pumpkin's starches more easily fermentable).
Thanks for the great video Northern Brewer! I'm making this tomorrow!
Yes. Steep the specialty grains that come with the kit PLUS the extra grain if you are going to do the real pumpkin option. Sorry for the confusion. We hoped the darker malts poured into the kettle in the video made that clear. Obviously not. Cheers!
Same here. good idea on the slobber. I have made a ton of pimpkin ale and never used rice hulls.
I do a version I found on the homebrew forums, but I actually add my pumpkin to the boil. I first cut it into small pieces, leaving the skin on. Then I put the pumpkin on a baking pan or use my waterless cookware and bake until soft. Before baking I put pumpkin pie spices on the pumpkin pieces. Then I put the pumpkin chunks into very large grain bags and plop the bags into the whole boil. This pulls out the actual pumpkin pie flavor into the beer, and you get color from the skins. And holy crap is it good.
+Brandon B Do you know if you can add pumpkin pie spice to the pumpkin and use it during the mash? Will that have a different effect on the outcome of the beer?
+Erin James I have seen recipes where the pumpkin was added during the mash. Typically, those recipes call for canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. I would then add the spices later, either late in the boil or in secondary steeping in a tea bag to taste. I just kegged mine this morning from doing the cooked pumpkin pieces with spices added to the boil. It usually tastes different without carbonation or any aging, but wow, was it good.
Ok, so after cooling and carbonating this was BY FAR the BEST beer I've ever made. I did the extra grains along with the pumpkin. A full body beer that was absolutely amazing. Sadly, my 5 gallon keg is already empty.
brewing a pumpkin ale this weekend. thanks for the additional info!!
So I did the extra grains along with 3 pounds of canned pumpkin. Fermented 3 weeks, then kegged it. It has a lingering taste on the back of the tongue that I can't tell if it's acetaldehyde or the pumpkin. There was nothing but grains in my bag when I pulled it from the pot, so there was a ton of pumpkin still in the carboy during fermentation, and not much settled out. It's a very high ABV and had a very high OG. I kept fermentation below 70 the entire time. I'm hoping this balances with time.
I definitely recommend a few handfulls of rice hulls. I also roast my canned pumpkin uncovered @350F for about 1.5 hrs for a more caramelized tasted. Pumpkin brew day can be a big PITA, but is always worth it. Who doesn't love a pumpkin beer on a chilly fall day? I find this beer is one of my most anticipated brews with coworkers, second only to Caribou Slobber, so this year I think I will be making a Pumpkin Slobber, as well.
Mine's sitting and waiting in the secondary... gotta bottle soon :) gonna be NICE for the fall days.
Mine ended up with an OG of 1.103! I used the extract recipe with 3 lbs of rahr 6-row and 2/3 of a 13 lb pumpkin...i just hope the American ale yeast is up to the task (i did do a yeast starter thankfully, though now i wish i had doubled down).
Thanks, @phantomcreamer. I did some reading, and Uncle Charlie agrees with you. "In summary, 6-row varieties of malted barley will yield less extract per weight of kernel but are desirable for mashing with adjuncts due to their generally higher enzyme content."
For this video we used about 8-10 pounds of smaller pumpkins... that weighed out to about 4 pounds after roasting, scooping and discarding the innards, skins, etc.
Glad I could help. Don't worry, two row always gets used up eventually.
My brew date is 9/22 .. should be ready for Halloween .. can't wait!
Hm. I've thought about learning how to brew my own for some time now. I absolutely love pumpkin beer/ale. I've heard nothing but good about this kit...I think I may make this my first brew ^_^ Thanks, NorthernBrewer
That's good to know. I don't know if rice hulls are necessary, but they are cheap insurance.
Ihave a question the pumkin ale comes with -nightshade grains 0.5 lb briess caramel 40- do i need to mix with 2 or 3 lb Rahr-6 or just use only the Rahr-6 grains?
Great pumpkin beer vid
you seem to skip straight to starch rest. What about doing a protein or beta-glucan rest for the pumpkin flesh?
It's that time of year! I have a question about using real pumpkin with the partial mash (aka in the large grain bag). Can I add the pumpkin innards at the same stage as you did with the canned pumpkin in this video?
Why 6 row? I have some 2 row lying around (that should be used); will that work? What's the practical difference?
An 8 to 10 pound pumpkin BEFORE or AFTER it's gutted? Meaning, do I need 8 to 10 pounds of roasted pumpkin, or just a pumpkin that weighs 8 to 10 pounds when I purchase it?
nice one big help am off to get some pumpkins cheers
Why do you need to cook the pumpkin until it becomes like smashed potatoes? should not the mashing do the job of breaking the starches to fermentable sugars?
Doing an All Grain with the 8-10lbs of pumpkin cooked in the oven.. Question... Do I use the spices that came with the kit or not?
Nice pumpkins! Did you grow them pumplinz Chip?
About to take this (extract) kit on, and going with roasted pumpkin. One thing I suspect is important and not mentioned in the video is that we should be using "sugar pie pumpkins," not the usual jack o' lantern variety used for Halloween.
Jack o' lantern pumpkins have bland, watery flesh, and while awesome and huge for cutting out faces, they are terribad for cooking applications. Sugar pie pumpkins are much smaller, rounder, and have a much sweeter, dense flesh. As the name suggests, this is the real "pie" pumpkin. They seem to be pretty common in produce departments during the fall months.
Using the wrong variety here would probably have as disappointing results as anyone trying to make pie with jack o'lanterns! Spoiler alert: It's gross.
Do you still steep the malts in the extract version that came with the package, in addition to the 6 row?
That is what im doing today. I just finished baking and mixing my 10 pounds of pumpkin in my kitchen aid. Then im going to start my brew with the grains along side the pumpkin at one time. (I suggest using the bag like in the video)
Is this for the 2 gallon or 5 gallon extract kit?
5 gallon, additional water is added to the primary fermenter along with the chilled wort to reach a total of 5 gallons.
I'm totally doing this as soon as I can find some pumpkins at the store, and not the big ol' nasty tasting ones they always have in the bins out front. Those are for squash art; not eating.
rock on Chip!
Protein and diastatic power. Obviously there's a lot of adjunct going in, so maybe the 6 row handles the mash better.
Those are Bryon Adams' pumpkins!
i understand the absense of pumpkin from the kit... but leaving out the crushed malt from the kit doesn't exactly constitute a "kit"
It's not even august and all I can think about it brewing another pumpkin beer 0_o
Make sure to use pumpkin pie pumpkins. Not pumpkins you would use for jack o lanterns
WTF!? Pumpkin NOT included? ;-)
.....smashing pumpkins
"punkin"