Pumpkin Ale

Classification: fruit beer, pumpkin, extract

Source: Andrew Patrick (ANDINATOR@delphi.com), Homebrew Digest #1239, 10/04/93

I won 3rd place in the Novelty Beer category at the 1992 Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition with this recipe. To give credit where it is due, I based this recipe largely on an extract recipe that was printed in Barley Malt & Vine's (West Roxbury, Mass) store newsletter a few year's back. I added 1 lb. light crystal malt and substituted Chico Ale Wyeast #1056(aka American Ale) for the dried yeast they recommended. I also modified (increased!) the spices used.

Ingredients:

6 pounds Northwestern Golden malt extract
1 pounds British crystal malt
2 pounds sliced up pumpkin (NOT the gross seedy junk, the stuff you carve!)
1-1/2 ounces Fuggles hops for 60 minutes
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 ounce fresh grated Ginger root
1 ounce fresh grated Ginger root
Wyeast #1056 (American Ale, allegedly the same yeast used by SNBC)

Procedure:

Add all the spices (including Ginger root) for the last 10 minutes of the boil. OK, now there is some controversey over exactly WHEN to add the pumpkin: the original newsletter said to add 2 inch cubes of pumpkin to the brew-kettle 10 MINUTES before the end of the boil, and to "ferment on" the pumpkin cubes. In the batch I made for the Dixie Cup, I put the pumpkin cubes into the brew-kettle 30 minutes before the end of the boil. I'm not sure this was a good idea - I think I boiled off some pumpkin crud ("crud" is a technical term) that got into the final product. With the batch I just brewed, I am going to add mashed-up pumpkin to the secondary carboy, and rack the contents of the primary on top of it. I used this method with excellent results on a raspberry wheat beer recently. I also used a very different hopping schedule in my most recent batch: 60 minutes - 3/4 oz Willamette (4.5% alpha) 30 minutes - 1/4 oz Willamette 1/2 oz Cascades (5.5% alpha) 5 minutes - 1 1/2 oz Cascades The original recipe said to add finings to clear. I added 1 teaspoon of Irish Moss at 60, 30 and 10 minutes before the end of the boil. I am also considering finings or some other clarification agent in the secondary (pumpkin has got some CLOUDY JUNK in it!).