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Pumpkin Ale
Harvest Pumpkin Ale
by Joe & Bryan Timmons, Boston Brewer Supply Co.
Taken from "The Brewmaster's Bible" by Stephen Snyder
Ingredients:
- 1 pound British crystal malt
- 6 pounds light malt extract syrup
- 1 pound light DME
- 2 oz Williamette hops (4 - 6% AA)
- 4 pounds fresh pumpkin, see below
- 2 whole nutmeg, crushed
- 3 cinnamon sticks, broken-up
- 4 whole cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp Irish moss flakes
- 1 package Wyeast 1272; American Ale II
The total boil time for this recipe will be 50 minutes.
To prepare the Pumpkin for this recipe, you will have to slice it into 6 or 8 equal wedges, remove the seeds, and rinse it well. Place the wedges skin-side down in a roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil, and cook in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, until the flesh is soft. When it has cooled, divide it into 2 equal portions. Scoop the pumpkin meat out of one of the portions for use in the boil, and set the other half aside for use in the fermenter.
Steep the specialty grains in 2 gallons of water at 160 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the grains and discard, and bring the wort to a boil. Remove from heat, and add the malt syrup and DME. Bring back up to a boil.
Once your wort hits boil, start a timer for 50 minutes, and add the 2 ounces of Williamette hops and the cleaned pumpkin meat, and stir well. After 30 minutes, add the Irish moss. After 15 more minutes, add 2 cinnamon sticks, one of the nutmeg, and the cloves. Boil for the final 5 minutes, then shut off the heat. Cover the pot, and let the spices steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
Cool the wort, and add the remaining pumpkin wedges to your fermenter. Pitch the yeast as normal, and keep in a dark area with a constant temperature, ideally around 68 degrees F. Primary fermentation should take about 4 - 5 days. When you transfer to the secondary, leave behind all the sediment, and add the remaining spices (1 cinnamon stick, and one nutmeg). Secondary should take an additional 7 - 10 days.
Prime with 6 oz of corn sugar and bottle as normal. Store the bottles upright for 3 to 4 weeks.
Original Gravity: 1.046 - 48
Final Gravity: 1.010 - 12
Potential Alcohol: 5% ABV
The choice of yeast in this recipe is actually my own addition. The origianl recipe does not specify what kind of yeast to use, so feel free to substitute something else if you desire. The yeast profile from Wyeast reads as follows:
"Fruitier and more flocculant than 1056 (American Ale), slightly nutty, soft, clean and slightly tart in the finish. Apparent attenuation 72-76%, high flocculation. Optimal temperature 60-72 degrees F."
I have often heard that pumpkin brews will have a decent amount of sediment - even if you use a secondary fermentation...just be prepared for a little sediment in your glass. 
I call that "flavor" 
Well, my plan would be to use a two-stage fermentation, and then follow up with a trip through the sure-screen to catch any of the larger sediment. With any luck, the sediment will be taken care of to the point where it will be ignorable.
i am totally buying that book this weekend.
It is probably my favorite beer book, aside from Papazian's work. I have owned it since the day I started brewing, and it has never let me down 
I brew a Pumpkin Ale, still working on fine tuning my recipe thought. I'm basing it on a historical brew, something the colonials would have brewed and ingrediants that would have been available to them. My point is that instead of boiling my pumpkin or adding it to the fermenter, I mash it with my grains. I use a protein rest, I use a pound of Rice hulls in the mash as it is a goopy mess and very prone to a Stuck mash. I mash it for 90 minutes at 152*F to ensure a good conversion. And I do a slow run off to help prevent a stuck mash. Works pretty good. Then I add all my sugers, molasis, vanilla beans, hops, and spices right into the kettle for a 90 minute boil.
This was the second book I bought. Stephen is a pretty good author. The only complaint I have about the book it is seems geared towards extract.
I found a few all grain recipes, but by far, extract is used more than anything else. I was expecting both extract and alll grain. Not here.
This looks delicious! I just posted pumpkin ale as one of my favorite winter beers, and then checked over here only to find a recipe for just that!
Thanks!
If you have brewed a pumpkin ale before, please keep the tips coming. I would like to know any experiences with sediment, flavors, alcohol percentages, etc.
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