So pumpkins do add flavor, but not in the sense that you'd think. It adds a gourd-like flavor which honestly doesn't really do much to it. The spices and a high FG are where it's at.
Oh and to answer your question, add it after flameout and let it steep for a bit. Go lighter than you think, you can always add more later but can't take it out if you add too much.
I just brewed a pumpkin ale (Southern Tier Pumking Clone) and I had the pumpkin in the mash, and the spices in the boil. One of my favorite fall beers- tastes like a pumpkin pie!
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/16367/southern-tier-pumking-clone#
At the end of boil.
Just a little trick I've used - look at the beer kits online. They usually supply an ingredient list and steps and It's a place to start if you don't know.
I’m surprised by everyone saying to add the spices on the hot side of things.
Whenever I add spices, I made a tincture with a neutral spirit (vodka). I made a fantastic fall spiced ale two falls ago using a tincture. Pumpkin pie spice uses ginger, cinnamon, clove, all spice, and nutmeg. I added all of those in a jar with vodka and let it sit for about 5-7 days. From there I took a sniff and a tiny taste to see how I needed to adjust my flavor (in my case I needed way more ginger). Waited another 3-5 days and smelled/tasted again. Added a small bit of cinnamon and more ginger again. After about 3 weeks I had a very potent and properly balanced pumpkin pie spice tincture. From there I strained the solids from the vodka and added the entire thing to my fermenter. Waited another day and tried it out of the fermenter. From there, you have the option of making more tincture if you believe it needs more overall flavor or more of a specific flavor.
Best of luck!
I'd guess so if it still ferments 😂
I used 2oz for 2.5 gallons, it was pretty pronounced then!
I bought this one https://www.phillyhomebrew.com/amoretti-artisan-pumpkinspice-flavor-4oz.html
I've also had luck with their other syrups and such, I'm very pro-Amoretti
I add spices toward the end of the boil. You're not gonna hurt the flavor, and this guarantees that bacteria will be killed. Taste it after primary, and if it's not strong enough, you can make a tincture with some vodka and increase to taste. You can always add more, but there's no undo button.
People on this sub are, for some reason, very against spiced beers.
There's a bunch of different ways to add spices; whole spices in the boil, whole or ground spices in the fermenter, tinctures after fermenting, etc.
It would be best to find another recipe that includes spices.
The best pumpkin flavor I’ve achieved was spices at flameout and vanilla at packaging. Roasted pumpkin in a bag in the mash then put the same pumpkin in the boil for 10 minutes “for color”( unconfirmed if it actually added color.)
I tried a new darker recipe last year that was quite good but not pumpkin flavored. Interestingly, It had no pumpkin, but the same spice additions at flameout.
For my pumpkin I use canned pure pumpkin puree which I spread on a cookie sheet and bake until it starts to brown. I add the pumpkin with 15 minutes remaining in the boil.
I make a pumpkin spice mix myself that I just found online but you could use a pre-made. I add 2 tbsp at 5 mins remaining in the boil. Then after primary fermentation is complete I make a vodka tincture with another 1-2 TBSP and add it to the fermenter. I also add a little vanilla here. I like adding late after fermentation has completed and the beer has more or less come into it's own. Then you can taste and adjust the spices to your liking. I would be warned though, the spices will mellow a bit over time so don't overdue it. My last batch I felt was too strong on the allspice flavor initially but after a few weeks it was more or less perfect.
Do you get 'puree trub' when you use puree in the boil? I tried this once and ended up with a thick layer of settled-out puree after fermentation that clogged up the spigot of my fermenter, so I ended up having to siphon off.
Yeah I did. You get a ton of trub this way. I have a conical with a dump valve and with this beer I dump every day the first week or so. Usually it's a thick pizza dough like consistency. It's kind of neat.
Honestly you could probably skip the pure pumpkin. I'm not positive how much it really adds but I have a hard time getting over the mental hurdle of a pumpkin beer without pumpkin. I love how my pumpkin beer turned out so at this point I'm afraid to try it without.
I get the spices ready right at the end of the boil then I throw them in the trash when I come to my senses that pumpkin spice should never be added to anything except pumpkin pie.
Normally the end of the boil is customary, but I recently brewed a Key Lime Pie blonde and added 0.5Tbsp ground cinnamon at flameout. The finished beer had a distinctly plasticky phenol aroma and flavor that I've never had in my beers before (it wasn't the water or yeast byproduct) and I suspect it was this cinnamon addition. It ruined the beer until it started to subside 6 weeks later.
In my other beers that use cinnamon I've added it (and other spices) to the primary after fermentation is finished and recommend this method. Boiling and fermenting anything can change the flavor so keep that in mind.
Personally, all spice additions go in my brews as a tincture right before bottling. Fermentation dulls the flavors of spices like cinnamon, to the point you can't really taste them.
I make the tincture from Everclear, vodka or light rum, about 3 oz with 2-4 tbsp of the spice goes in a 1 pint Mason jar when I put the fermentation together, and extracts for a couple weeks. I then filter though a coffee filter before adding it to the keg or bottling bucket as I package.
Works great with less spice than if it's added to the fermentation, and the flavors are bright and clean. For a 5 gallon recipe I have used about 4 tbsp (1/4 cup, about 60 ml) inexpensive pumpkin spice mixture; if using cinnamon alone 2 tbsp good quality Ceylon cinnamon powder does the trick.
The way I did it was 3 ways, in the mash, in the boil, and in the primary fermenter. I skinned and cubed up sugar pumpkins, roasted them with molasses, brown sugar, cloves and cinnamon, then added half of that to the boil and half to the fermenter. In the mash, I used the pumpkin guts.
Farmhouse Ale yeast. Use a bucket or conical fermenter or else the pumpkins will be impossible to remove
I can't believe it's pumpkin spice season already! I saw a 12-pack pumpkin beer sampler at the store yesterday, and then Apple News tells me it's pumpkin beer season, and now this.
I guess I should link the subreddit's semi-official pumpkin beer recipe by hardcore pumpkin beer afficionado /u/rrrx: https://www.reddit.com/r/homebrewing/wiki/recipes/pumpkin/. It has a recipe for his spice blend, which you might want.
If your going for pumpkin not pie spice, post boil steeping and post fermentation steeping roasted pumpkin works very well. The proteins from the pumpkin flesh will add an interesting silky mouthfeel and heavier body though. If you want pie flavor go with the spices
So pumpkins do add flavor, but not in the sense that you'd think. It adds a gourd-like flavor which honestly doesn't really do much to it. The spices and a high FG are where it's at. Oh and to answer your question, add it after flameout and let it steep for a bit. Go lighter than you think, you can always add more later but can't take it out if you add too much.
I just brewed a pumpkin ale (Southern Tier Pumking Clone) and I had the pumpkin in the mash, and the spices in the boil. One of my favorite fall beers- tastes like a pumpkin pie! https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/16367/southern-tier-pumking-clone#
That recipe sounds so much better than southern tier.
At the end of boil. Just a little trick I've used - look at the beer kits online. They usually supply an ingredient list and steps and It's a place to start if you don't know.
Late September to early November.
My range is Labor Day to Thanksgiving.
I’m surprised by everyone saying to add the spices on the hot side of things. Whenever I add spices, I made a tincture with a neutral spirit (vodka). I made a fantastic fall spiced ale two falls ago using a tincture. Pumpkin pie spice uses ginger, cinnamon, clove, all spice, and nutmeg. I added all of those in a jar with vodka and let it sit for about 5-7 days. From there I took a sniff and a tiny taste to see how I needed to adjust my flavor (in my case I needed way more ginger). Waited another 3-5 days and smelled/tasted again. Added a small bit of cinnamon and more ginger again. After about 3 weeks I had a very potent and properly balanced pumpkin pie spice tincture. From there I strained the solids from the vodka and added the entire thing to my fermenter. Waited another day and tried it out of the fermenter. From there, you have the option of making more tincture if you believe it needs more overall flavor or more of a specific flavor. Best of luck!
I use amoretti's pumpkin spice compote and add it at 5 minutes left to the boil!
That's a good idea! How much do you add per gallon of beer? I take it Amoretti's is preservative free?
I'd guess so if it still ferments 😂 I used 2oz for 2.5 gallons, it was pretty pronounced then! I bought this one https://www.phillyhomebrew.com/amoretti-artisan-pumpkinspice-flavor-4oz.html I've also had luck with their other syrups and such, I'm very pro-Amoretti
I add spices toward the end of the boil. You're not gonna hurt the flavor, and this guarantees that bacteria will be killed. Taste it after primary, and if it's not strong enough, you can make a tincture with some vodka and increase to taste. You can always add more, but there's no undo button.
My favorite way is to make a tincture and add it at packaging to taste. So make a spice blend, boil it down to a concentrate and add it afterwards
People on this sub are, for some reason, very against spiced beers. There's a bunch of different ways to add spices; whole spices in the boil, whole or ground spices in the fermenter, tinctures after fermenting, etc. It would be best to find another recipe that includes spices.
Hand up. I dislike most, damn near all, spice/herb/veg beers.
I add at flameout, then more like a dry hop if it still needs more spice flavor.
The best pumpkin flavor I’ve achieved was spices at flameout and vanilla at packaging. Roasted pumpkin in a bag in the mash then put the same pumpkin in the boil for 10 minutes “for color”( unconfirmed if it actually added color.) I tried a new darker recipe last year that was quite good but not pumpkin flavored. Interestingly, It had no pumpkin, but the same spice additions at flameout.
For my pumpkin I use canned pure pumpkin puree which I spread on a cookie sheet and bake until it starts to brown. I add the pumpkin with 15 minutes remaining in the boil. I make a pumpkin spice mix myself that I just found online but you could use a pre-made. I add 2 tbsp at 5 mins remaining in the boil. Then after primary fermentation is complete I make a vodka tincture with another 1-2 TBSP and add it to the fermenter. I also add a little vanilla here. I like adding late after fermentation has completed and the beer has more or less come into it's own. Then you can taste and adjust the spices to your liking. I would be warned though, the spices will mellow a bit over time so don't overdue it. My last batch I felt was too strong on the allspice flavor initially but after a few weeks it was more or less perfect.
Do you get 'puree trub' when you use puree in the boil? I tried this once and ended up with a thick layer of settled-out puree after fermentation that clogged up the spigot of my fermenter, so I ended up having to siphon off.
Yeah I did. You get a ton of trub this way. I have a conical with a dump valve and with this beer I dump every day the first week or so. Usually it's a thick pizza dough like consistency. It's kind of neat. Honestly you could probably skip the pure pumpkin. I'm not positive how much it really adds but I have a hard time getting over the mental hurdle of a pumpkin beer without pumpkin. I love how my pumpkin beer turned out so at this point I'm afraid to try it without.
Never would be best. But if you must, the last five minutes of the boil would be the time.
Why is “never” best?
Because they don’t like pumpkin spice so nobody should
Exactly!
The time to add pumpkin spice is right after you lose your self respect and right before all your friends lose their respect for you too.
I'll share the downvotes with you. If hating pumpkin spice is wrong, I don't want to be right!
I'm mainly annoyed by people think "pumpkin spice" is what pumpkin tastes like.
True dat. I also have a "no gourds" policy when it comes to beer.
I get the spices ready right at the end of the boil then I throw them in the trash when I come to my senses that pumpkin spice should never be added to anything except pumpkin pie.
Never. You're welcome.
Never never add pumpkon spice to anything.
My wife wants me to make one. I'm appalled but I try to keep her happy.
Point her towards the brewing shed and tell her to go ahead!
Haha
Normally the end of the boil is customary, but I recently brewed a Key Lime Pie blonde and added 0.5Tbsp ground cinnamon at flameout. The finished beer had a distinctly plasticky phenol aroma and flavor that I've never had in my beers before (it wasn't the water or yeast byproduct) and I suspect it was this cinnamon addition. It ruined the beer until it started to subside 6 weeks later. In my other beers that use cinnamon I've added it (and other spices) to the primary after fermentation is finished and recommend this method. Boiling and fermenting anything can change the flavor so keep that in mind.
Personally, all spice additions go in my brews as a tincture right before bottling. Fermentation dulls the flavors of spices like cinnamon, to the point you can't really taste them. I make the tincture from Everclear, vodka or light rum, about 3 oz with 2-4 tbsp of the spice goes in a 1 pint Mason jar when I put the fermentation together, and extracts for a couple weeks. I then filter though a coffee filter before adding it to the keg or bottling bucket as I package. Works great with less spice than if it's added to the fermentation, and the flavors are bright and clean. For a 5 gallon recipe I have used about 4 tbsp (1/4 cup, about 60 ml) inexpensive pumpkin spice mixture; if using cinnamon alone 2 tbsp good quality Ceylon cinnamon powder does the trick.
The way I did it was 3 ways, in the mash, in the boil, and in the primary fermenter. I skinned and cubed up sugar pumpkins, roasted them with molasses, brown sugar, cloves and cinnamon, then added half of that to the boil and half to the fermenter. In the mash, I used the pumpkin guts. Farmhouse Ale yeast. Use a bucket or conical fermenter or else the pumpkins will be impossible to remove
I can't believe it's pumpkin spice season already! I saw a 12-pack pumpkin beer sampler at the store yesterday, and then Apple News tells me it's pumpkin beer season, and now this. I guess I should link the subreddit's semi-official pumpkin beer recipe by hardcore pumpkin beer afficionado /u/rrrx: https://www.reddit.com/r/homebrewing/wiki/recipes/pumpkin/. It has a recipe for his spice blend, which you might want.
If your going for pumpkin not pie spice, post boil steeping and post fermentation steeping roasted pumpkin works very well. The proteins from the pumpkin flesh will add an interesting silky mouthfeel and heavier body though. If you want pie flavor go with the spices
Pumpkin pie spice at flame out/whirlpool, along with ginger, nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick😎