The Great Pumpkin

Classification: mead, pumpkin mead

Source: Lee Bussy (BrewerLee@aol.com), Mead Digest #358, 10/23/94

This is one that has turned out quite well for me in the past.
Some people add traditional pumpkin pie spices to this but I feel it is a wonderfull mead without any such additions. Darker honeys such as Mesquite do very well in this recipe.

This does much better as a still mead.

Ingredients: (for 2 gallons)

4 lbs Pumpkin meat
7 pints Water
2-1/4 lb Honey
2-1/2 tsp Acid Blend
1/4 tsp Tannin
1 tsp Yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet (crushed)
1 pkg Wine yeast

Procedure:

Wash pumpkin thoroughly before cutting open. Remove seeds and stringy material. Peel skin. Grind or mash pumpkin into nylon straining bag. (Note: Extraction may be aided by freezing the pumpkin overnight to break down the structure of the fruit.) Keeping all pulp in straining bag, squeeze juice into primary fermenter, tie top and leave bag in primary fermenter.

Stir in all other ingredients except yeast. Cover and allow to sit overnight. After 24 hours add yeast. Cover primary.

Stir daily and press pulp lightly to aid extraction.

After 3-5 days (SG should be below 1.040) lightly press juice from bag and remove bag. Rack off of sediment into glass secondary and fix airlock.