Hello,
I am making the jump to all grain for the first time with this brew. I am making a pumpkin beer and have all my ingredients down except the spices and how much i need to add for a 5 gal. batch
i figured nutmeg, all spice, cinnamon, and ginger but i am unsure how much is needed. Also i have read a lot on when to add them. Some say right as you finished your 60 min boil and some say when you go to bottle. I was just wondering what is the best way.
Cheers
90ml of the spiced vodka per 5 gallon keg works great:
Spice Extract: add the following fresh spices to a
750 ml. bottle of vodka:
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1.5 tsp. Allspice
1.5 tsp. Nutmeg
1.5 tsp. Clove
1.5 tsp. Ginger
After a couple of weeks, the vodka has picked up
the spice flavors nicely. I decant off the “pumpkin
vodka” from the spices, and carefully add it to a 12
ounce serving of the pumpkin beer that has been in
the secondary. It usually takes 1-2 ml. to make the
beer taste the way I want (this year, 1.8 ml.). From
there, it is all math. Assume approx. fifty 12-ounce
beers in a 5 gallon batch (I make 5.5 gallons, but
lose approx. 1/2 gallon in racking/sampling, etc.).
1.8 x 50 = 90 ml. of the “pumpkin vodka” to add to
the finished beer, either while priming the beer, or
transferring to the keg. This results in a much more
consistent end product.
This is exactly what I’m planning on doing with the Smashing Pumpkin AG kit I’m waiting to be delivered.
Are you just adding the spices to get the pumpkin flavor or actual pumpkin in the mash???
Just asking because I heard that is a PITA and can lead to a stuck sparge which isn’t something I think you should deal with for a first brew. But that’s just like, my opinion man.
[quote=“inhousebrew”]Are you just adding the spices to get the pumpkin flavor or actual pumpkin in the mash???
Just asking because I heard that is a PITA and can lead to a stuck sparge which isn’t something I think you should deal with for a first brew. But that’s just like, my opinion man.[/quote]i stopped putting pumpkin in the mash because it is a major PITA. Now I cube up a pumpkin and cook it for an hour and add late in the boil.
I just did one and put the pumpkin in a mesh bag in the mash. I opened a few times in the process and stirred.
I just did my first pumpkin ale and added two cans of pumpkin during the boil, 60/30. I tasted between the cans thats why I put two, but the end result is heavy with pumpkin flavor. I hope it settles out a bit during primary. 5 gal. batch, a/g, and 15oz cans.
I decided at the last minute that all that pumpkin would probably lead to a stuck sparge, so I put my well-roasted pumpkin meat into a muslin bag and into the kettle. At 30 minutes I decided it wasn’t doing the job and took it out and pureed it and poured it directly into the kettle. Added the spices at flameout as directed. Tasted really good when I transferred to the carboy. But time will tell.
:cheers:
[quote=“MullerBrau”]90ml of the spiced vodka per 5 gallon keg works great:
Spice Extract: add the following fresh spices to a
750 ml. bottle of vodka:
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1.5 tsp. Allspice
1.5 tsp. Nutmeg
1.5 tsp. Clove
1.5 tsp. Ginger
After a couple of weeks, the vodka has picked up
the spice flavors nicely. I decant off the “pumpkin
vodka” from the spices, and carefully add it to a 12
ounce serving of the pumpkin beer that has been in
the secondary. It usually takes 1-2 ml. to make the
beer taste the way I want (this year, 1.8 ml.). From
there, it is all math. Assume approx. fifty 12-ounce
beers in a 5 gallon batch (I make 5.5 gallons, but
lose approx. 1/2 gallon in racking/sampling, etc.).
1.8 x 50 = 90 ml. of the “pumpkin vodka” to add to
the finished beer, either while priming the beer, or
transferring to the keg. This results in a much more
consistent end product.[/quote]
Hey Muller,
I’m going to be brewing a pumpkin ale this weekend, and I’ve decided to try your spiced vodka recipe. Since it makes way more than I’ll use for the beer, I’m curious if you have any idea how long it keeps. I assume the spice flavor is way too strong to want to actually drink it?
I’m brewing one also this weekend. I got hold of some Graham Cracker Extract, I’ll be adding that too. One of my work buddies is bringing a pumkin to me tomorrow.
[quote=“Nate42”]Hey Greg,
I’m going to be brewing a pumpkin ale this weekend, and I’ve decided to try your spiced vodka recipe. Since it makes way more than I’ll use for the beer, I’m curious if you have any idea how long it keeps. I assume the spice flavor is way too strong to want to actually drink it?[/quote]Yes, I tried it once and I could not get that clove taste off my tongue for hours. Dump it or save it for next year.
How much of the “pumpkin Vodka” do you decant out of the vodka bottle ? Does it hurt to mix a little vodka with the beer ? Will this work with an extract batch ?
-sorry for stepping on your thread
[quote=“CobiaTower”]How much of the “pumpkin Vodka” do you decant out of the vodka bottle ? Does it hurt to mix a little vodka with the beer ? Will this work with an extract batch ?
-sorry for stepping on your thread[/quote]90 ml per keg. Leave the spices behind. It is the vodka that you want to mix with the beer. You cannot notice the vodka taste.
Greg,
Those measures in your recipe are teaspoons and not tablespoons, right? Just second guessing myself. I mixed up a batch a couple weeks ago, and will probably add it to my beer and keg this weekend. THanks again for the tip.
Nate
[quote=“Nate42”]Greg,
Those measures in your recipe are teaspoons and not tablespoons, right? Just second guessing myself. I mixed up a batch a couple weeks ago, and will probably add it to my beer and keg this weekend. THanks again for the tip.
Nate[/quote]Nate, yes. Tsp is a teaspoon; Tbs is tablespoon. FWIW, mine is done and I put 50ml in each of five 3-gallon kegs so 80-90ml is perfect for a 5 gallon keg. The clove is very subtle which is where I like it.
Just made a pumpkin beer with the NB Oktoberfest grain kit as a base, and a handful of crystal 120 added in. Mashed with 60oz canned pumpkin (4 cans) and used a pound of rice hulls to sparge. Wish I had 2 pounds to use as it was very slow, but didn’t really stick as I was careful. Added a teaspoon of pumpkin spice at the end of the boil. Tasted it last week and it was virtually perfect. Hope to rack it to conditioning this weekend.
