Headless Horseman Pumpkin Ale
Based upon Ray Spangler's recipe, as printed in Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing.
BJCP Style 22: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Ingredients (as brewed, December 4, 2005):
Grain/Extract/Sugar:
13.035 lbs. Pale 6-row malt
2 lbs. Crystal Malt, 10L
1 lb. Dextrine Malt
1 lb, 10.5 oz. Unmalted Spelt
4 lb., 9.9 oz. Pumpkin
2 lbs, 0.9 oz. Clover Honey (GFS Store Brand)
Hops:
0.2 oz. Cascade, 11.3% AA, 60 min.
0.4 oz. East Kent Goldings, 5.9% AA, 60 min.
0.5 oz. Mount Hood pellets, 4.5% AA, 10 min.
0.5 oz. Fuggle, 5.0% AA, 10 min.
Spices:
0.4 oz. Coriander, ground, end of boil
0.5 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice, ground, end of boil
0.5 tsp. Cinnamon, ground, end of boil
0.75 tsp. Nutmeg, ground, end of boil
0.2 oz. Allspice, unground berries, inserted in primary
Yeast: Danstar Windsor
Mash:
Protein rest for 45 min. at 122 F
Intermediate rest for 90 min. at 149 F
Saccharification rest for 45 min. at 155 F
Mash-out at 170F
Sparge at 170 F
Anticipated OG: 1.090
Observed OG: 1.071
Notes:
Cut pumpkin in half, put in oven on sheet of foil on top of cookie sheet. Baked at 350 F for 2 hours; at the end, the pumpkin was slumping, tender, and well-caramelized on the bottom. Cooled, then scraped out the pulp, which went into the mash before the water.
This was too large a recipe for my current mash arrangement. I had expected to start with 5.5 gallons of water, but ran out of room at 4.75 gallons. This, I believe, was the largest factor in this batch's dismal efficiency of 58%.
I poured a pound of rice hulls in the lauter tun before adding the mash, and paid more attention than I have in the past to making sure my sparge water was at least 170 F. I was rewarded with my first sparge that didn't stick.
I rigged a blow-off hose, but it appears to be unnecessary, as nothing but CO2 bubbles have risen to the neck of the carboy. This is probably because the basement has been 60 F all week, making this my coolest fermentation to date. Still too warm for a lager yeast, but I tend to prefer the greater flavor of an ale to the smoother flavor of a lager.
When I rack to secondary, I intend to add another 0.5 oz. of coriander (sterilized by boiling in a pint of water for 5 or 10 minutes). Depending on flavor, immediately pre-racking, I may add more pumpkin pie spice as well.
BJCP Style 22: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Ingredients (as brewed, December 4, 2005):
Grain/Extract/Sugar:
13.035 lbs. Pale 6-row malt
2 lbs. Crystal Malt, 10L
1 lb. Dextrine Malt
1 lb, 10.5 oz. Unmalted Spelt
4 lb., 9.9 oz. Pumpkin
2 lbs, 0.9 oz. Clover Honey (GFS Store Brand)
Hops:
0.2 oz. Cascade, 11.3% AA, 60 min.
0.4 oz. East Kent Goldings, 5.9% AA, 60 min.
0.5 oz. Mount Hood pellets, 4.5% AA, 10 min.
0.5 oz. Fuggle, 5.0% AA, 10 min.
Spices:
0.4 oz. Coriander, ground, end of boil
0.5 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice, ground, end of boil
0.5 tsp. Cinnamon, ground, end of boil
0.75 tsp. Nutmeg, ground, end of boil
0.2 oz. Allspice, unground berries, inserted in primary
Yeast: Danstar Windsor
Mash:
Protein rest for 45 min. at 122 F
Intermediate rest for 90 min. at 149 F
Saccharification rest for 45 min. at 155 F
Mash-out at 170F
Sparge at 170 F
Anticipated OG: 1.090
Observed OG: 1.071
Notes:
Cut pumpkin in half, put in oven on sheet of foil on top of cookie sheet. Baked at 350 F for 2 hours; at the end, the pumpkin was slumping, tender, and well-caramelized on the bottom. Cooled, then scraped out the pulp, which went into the mash before the water.
This was too large a recipe for my current mash arrangement. I had expected to start with 5.5 gallons of water, but ran out of room at 4.75 gallons. This, I believe, was the largest factor in this batch's dismal efficiency of 58%.
I poured a pound of rice hulls in the lauter tun before adding the mash, and paid more attention than I have in the past to making sure my sparge water was at least 170 F. I was rewarded with my first sparge that didn't stick.
I rigged a blow-off hose, but it appears to be unnecessary, as nothing but CO2 bubbles have risen to the neck of the carboy. This is probably because the basement has been 60 F all week, making this my coolest fermentation to date. Still too warm for a lager yeast, but I tend to prefer the greater flavor of an ale to the smoother flavor of a lager.
When I rack to secondary, I intend to add another 0.5 oz. of coriander (sterilized by boiling in a pint of water for 5 or 10 minutes). Depending on flavor, immediately pre-racking, I may add more pumpkin pie spice as well.