How much Pumpkin for a Pumpkin Ale?

[cheffriz]

Ok I am looking to do a pumpkin ale soon for the fall, and was thinking of how much pumpkin to use in the recipe. I reviewed an Episode of Discovery Channels Brewmasters from Dogfish Head. Sam Calagione narrating his recipe stated that he uses 36 cans of pumpkin for 600 barrels of ale. I noticed that the brewer was using no. 10 Cans of solid pack pumpkin which are 106 ounce per can. 1 Barrel of beer is 31 Gallons

106 ounce * 36 cans = 3816 ounces pumpkin
600 barrels * 31 gallons per barrel = 18600 gallons

I scaled the amount of pumpkin to a 5 gallon batch, with a result of just over 1 ounce of canned pumpkin for the entire batch.

3816*5/18600=1.03

Does this seem correct?

[dabeer]

I brewed a pumpkin ale last fall and used 2 16 oz cans of pumkin puree.  I could have added more.  Some people on this site used up to 3 cans.  1oz. would give you no flavor.

[shane]

  I've never brewed pumpkin ale out of a can. My first batch I used a 4lbs pumpkin. Cut in half and bake for an hour with brown sugar. Scoop out one half , mashed like potatoes, and put in the liquor and steep with specialty grains. Scoop out second half and put in the primary.
  The 2nd and 3rd I used an 8lbs pumpkin with a cup of dark brown sugar in each half, roast for an hour at 350. Scoop out and put 3/4 in the liquor, steep grains, then use the rest in  the SECONDARY. You will lose some wort to sediment so adjust the volume to 5.75 gallons for a 5 gallon batch. The roasted brown sugar lends a superb taste, one you will not get out of a can. I did three batches last fall and have 12 bottles left. But that the joy of a seasonal brew,  you always look forward to it next year!

    P.S. this was an extract recipe.


  good brewin'

[cheffriz]

Interesting Fresh pumpkin in the secondary. with the high water activity of fresh pumpkin i would be afraid of contamination. Did you temp the pumpkin after coming out of the oven? generally 165f internal temperature for 7 seconds kills everything

[Maine Homebrewer]

Are you doing all grain or extract?

If you're doing all grain I would suggest researching the enzyme capability of your base grain and adding pumpkin accordingly. 

If you're doing extract I would add a can in the last few minutes of the boil and call it beer.

[shane]

   I actually froze the left over pumpkin in a gallon ziplock bag, thawed and heated in a sauce pan on the stove, and funneled into glass carboy. The Brew-Masters Bible has a couple of recipes as does The Homebrewers Recipe  Guide. None of which use in the secondary ,frankly I can't remember where I read it. But for a pumpkin flavor it does great. Of course there are a multitude of spices you can use.This is what I used;


      2 tsp pumpkin pie spices
      1 tsp allspice (ground)
      1 tsp nutmeg (ground)
      1 tsp cloves (ground)
      2 cinnamon sticks
     in the boil

      1 cinnamon stick
      1 1/4 cup cascade
      about 3 cups pumkin
     in the secondary

[mstrblstrpstr]

i agree with dabeer.  in my experience, you can't skimp on adding fruits and spices to a flavored beer.  what i would recommend is adding pumpkin puree in increments to a secondary fermenter.  it's a trick i learned from some friends who brewed beer with chiles in it.  you don't want to risk just adding too much at the beginning, so add a bit every few days and take a sample a couple days after every increment.  that will give it time to meld, and you can adjust accordingly. 

[BobBrews]

It's all in the spices. You can forget the pumpkin and use just the spices. When I made a pumpkin ale last winter I used two 16oz cans in the mash (I BIAB). The beer turned out great but all I could really tasted was the spice packet I put in at flameout. The pumpkin was converted to fermentable sugars. The flavor was of the nutmeg and whatever it is that they put in the container of "Pumpkin Pie Spice" my wife gave me.

I will still put in the two cans of pumpkin fie filling but really it's the spices.

[MaltLicker]

I grew my own "neck" pumpkin and it worked great.  About five pounds.  There's an old post here somewhere.