Need an Extract PUMPKIN ALE Recipe

WHAT TYPE OF BASE BEER ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

 

WHY ARE WE ALL YELLING?

 

If you don't find a specific recipe to your liking, then maybe this thread link will give you enough info to take an all-grain recipe and convert it to extract. http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/convert-to-partial-mash-question.311460/

 

I've only ever included pumpkin in the mash and never the boil. I am unsure how that would be adapted that to an extract recipe.

 

I also need a pumpkin ale recipe as well for the fall. I did come across this one on this post that I want to convert to extract. But I want to wait until he tries it so I can hear how it is. Pumkinator is a whale that is released by a local-ish brewery in Houston. It's really good. Very strong.

 

This is only a wild ass guess, but I think less than half of the commercial pumpkin beers in the marketplace use actual pumpkin. It's the pumpkin pie spices that give that type of beer it's flavor because the pumpkin is almost flavorless. You might be able to get away with a recipe for an amber ale and find the right combo of pie spices and throw them into the wort, probably at flame out.

 

Northern brewer suggests steeping in a bag for an hour.

 

I'm pretty sure I had Pumpkinator at the Flying Saucer Beer Feast last year. It's from Saint Arnold, right? It was definitely an in-yer-face kind of pumpkin ale.

 

I made a pumpkin ale recipe last fall but substituted pumpkin for fresh, cubed butternut squash. I sprinkled it with brown sugar and roasted it in the oven for about an hour. I then mixed it with the grain in the mash. I went very light on the pie spices. You could definitely taste the squash in the finished beer and a lot of folks liked it.

 

That makes sense. Steeping it for an hour is about like me including it in the mash. You start your brew essentially with pumpkin tea.

 

@corbmoster This beer actually turned out amazing...Although my low original OG, i added 3 lbs. of DME to the secondary and finished out at 1.014. So, i brought it back up to 10.7%. I added 2 lbs of canned pumpkin to the boil after i had cooked it on a cookie pan at 400 F for 1 hour to caramelize. I sprinkled brown sugar over the top of the pumpkin to help it with the caramelization. At flame out, i added 2 tsp of pumpkin spice. Prior to bottling, the pumpkin flavor was lacking so i added 2 more tsp of pumpkin spice. After that, i had it *perfect* for what i remembered pumpkinator to be. They are currently carbonating as i speak. I will be cracking the first bottle around August 3rd.
cheers!

 

I was going to wait a couple more weeks and ask you how it turned out.

 

Yes. And you would be correct, it is very in your face.

Yes. Much like a brew in a bag. From an extract brewers perspective: this seems lame because we do not have mash tuns.

 

Since you are using extract only, I would second Goose's suggestion and make a nice Amber stepping some crystal and spicing with pumpkin pie spice.

 

Why? I mean why an amber over other beers.

Also, I have to ask why not steep the canned pumpkin? NB seems to think it is a good idea. They say some sugars get extracted. I'm just curious why they seem to think it is a good idea and you think maybe not so much. Is it not worth the effort? I agree it isn't the pumpkin that gives the flavor, as it is pretty much flavorless.

 

That northern brewer smashing pumpkin ale looks very tasty! I may crank one of those out for the upcoming fall. Maybe age it in a rum barrel?! Something along the lines of an Avery Rumpkin.

 

Corbmoster: In Quebec working from my tablet so excuse any mistakes. For a pumpkin ale, I would want my beer to be well, pumpkin colored and Amber fits nicely. Also, I like mellower noble hops for bittering/flavoring and no or very little finishing hops. This is of course, to let the spices shine through.
Concerning the steeping, it just seems easier for the returns you get. Maybe I am wrong, and I probably am, but I would wonder too about the starches from steeping the pumpkin. I make a decent pumpkin ale all grain but need to use quite a bit of sugar pumpkin to get some good flavor.
Not saying don't do it, its just up to what moves you!

 

I am getting ready to brew a Midwest Brewing supplies Pumpkin Ale extract. It has very good ratings. I will post my results when finished.

 

What @mrjimcat says above, but saying it in another way, hops and roastiness can get in the way of the spice flavor if you use a pale ale or a stout, but it's all up to your personal taste. I think the purists who want pumpkin in their beer are the ones who feel that a 'pumpkin' ale should have pumpkin in it. And that's okay, but just not worth the little bit of extra work.

I'll also add that adding pureed pumpkin from the can may not be the best way to do it because I've read comments from a couple of commercial brewers who say that the raw pumpkin should be roasted first to help concentrate or deepen the flavor.