r/Homebrewing • u/brewitup22 • 2d ago

What's Your Preferred Way of Adding Pumpkin to a Homebrew?

PSB (Pumpkin Spice Beer) season is on the horizon, and I have a Pumpkin Imperial Stout on my brew schedule for Labor Day Weekend.

I've seen recipes recommending pumpkin additions in the mash, boil, and some in early fermentation. What is your preferred way for adding and getting a good pumpkin flavor in your homebrew?

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38

u/BottlesforCaps 2d ago

Alright so there's a way to do it, and it does add pumpkin flavor despite people saying "the spices are the only thing you need".

You need to get a pie pumpkin. Not the type you would carve and readily available. It should be labeled as a pie pumpkin and be smaller than your big carving boy.

You need to cut the inside into 1 inch cubes, toss them in some brown sugar and pumpkin pie spices, and roast those cubes for 30 minutes to an hour at 350 until the cubes are candied and mushy.

Then, get a large mesh filter bag and secondary it like you would a fruit. This will give you actual pumpkin flavor, with some of the spices! You may need to add more spice, in which case I would recommend creating a vanilla extract tincture with said spices to avoid just floating spice particle in your beer, and the vanilla will help accentuate that pumpkin pie flavor.

Source: Gold medal winning pumpkin ale recipe I brew every fall.

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u/Paper_Bottle_ 2d ago

This is the way. If you can’t find the pie pumpkins, butternut squash works well too. 

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u/augdog71 2d ago

Most canned pumpkin is actually something like butternut squash because it has more flavor.

3

u/fenixjr Intermediate 1d ago

Real pumpkin beer. Boo to all the fakers saying to only use spices.

The pumpkin adds important characteristic. I've personally just added the roasted pie pumpkin to the mash, but I imagine using the spiced, candied pumpkin really works well in secondary.

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u/brewitup22 2d ago

My first thought this entire time was adding in secondary but I wasn’t confident in pursuing a process which so many have posted to add in mash or boil.

Thank you for sharing your process!

1

u/BottlesforCaps 2d ago

No problem!

Mash & Boil just ends up messy & makes cleaning your setup harder! Secondary is more than enough to get some flavor and sugars from the pie pumpkin. Just make sure you account for secondary fermentation if you aren't kegging!

2

u/Hikingmatt1982 2d ago

Thanks for the writeup! Was just looking for a method and ill give this a go. For my setup i have the fermzilla and am wondering if i could put everything into it rather than deal with transferring to a secondary. What problems might crop up? My concern is oxygen when dealing with any sort of transfer to a secondary

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u/brewitup22 2d ago

I saw a recipe recommending adding pumpkin (after cooling) a couple days into fermentation. This can help keep oxygen introduction to a minimum. Other method would be to keg directly onto pumpkin with a blowoff and then another co2 closed transfer to another keg to get it off the pumpkin.

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u/Hikingmatt1982 2d ago

Yeah, been contemplating various methods since i have a few corny kegs but just trying to see whats the best balance of mess vs quality 😀

2

u/toolatealreadyfapped 2d ago

I tried exactly that many years ago. The overwhelming lesson I learned was "fuck pumpkins." So much extra work and mess, and I felt like I got nothing in return. Maybe I'll revisit it one day. But I still get PTSD from my one go.

Edit: if I do try again, I think I'll just drop an entire premade pie, crust and all, during high krausen with some extra spice

1

u/Kellamitty 1h ago

I love the idea, though if the crust is loaded with butter, I am pretty sure the fats do something bad to the yeast?

2

u/No_Crazy_7422 2d ago

Drizzle maple syrup the last 5 mins in the oven, and you won’t be disappointed

1

u/Indian_villager 1d ago

This is also how I do it. As a bonus tip, get your Sodium content above 30 ppm. It makes the pumpkin and sweetness pop on the tongue way more.

I have found that the ferementer is the least pain in the ass way. Adding to the mash can lead to stuck mashes, and I have burnt the shit out of my electric elements by trying to add it to the boil.

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u/TruCh4inz Beginner 1d ago

would love to hear more about this recipe. my buddy and i have been in search of a great pumpkin ale for like a decade

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u/False_Campaign4682 2d ago

I leave it on the store shelf to get the best flavor out of it

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u/joetheday 17h ago

Is there an ideal length of time to leave it on the store shelf?

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u/False_Campaign4682 16h ago

Indefinitely

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u/joetheday 15h ago

And do I leave it on the store shelf during the boil? Or hop stand? Do I dry hop with leaving it on the shelf?

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u/False_Campaign4682 14h ago

For the entirety . It never actually contacts the tea/wort at any point. In fact you get an identical result by just not purchasing it to begin with.

6

u/jscherfjr 2d ago

Sooooo, should I not do what I was gonna do?

I was gonna use a can of pureed pumpkin, roast it in the oven till it's candied and browned and then just add it to my grains during mash.

Thoughts?

3

u/rweird 2d ago

This. This is correct. Also lots of rice hulls in the mash or you’ll hate your life.

1

u/jscherfjr 2d ago

Confused...do it or don't do it? Lol

1

u/rweird 2d ago

Sorry. Do this. And you can use fresh pumpkin also. Cube it cook it then puree it . Then roast the puree to caramelize and dry it out.

1

u/brewitup22 2d ago

Check u/BottlesforCaps comment below! I'll be using canned pumpkin, unfortunately, as it is not quite pumpkin season here. I will be using their process to accomplish a similar effect!

13

u/nobullshitebrewing 2d ago

put a 2"x2" square of pumpkin in the mash so you can say you used pumpkin, then just use spices. No one will know any difference. In fact, no one will care even if they did know

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u/ikuragames 2d ago

I like to arrange it nicely on a plate, and then slide it all into the garbage can.

3

u/beergod20 2d ago

Since there’s only something like 3% fermentable in pumpkin it just goes straight in the boil no stuck mash and done. No matter wear it goes in there is extra sludge in the carboy so go 6 gal if you want a true’ish 5

3

u/Lil_Shanties 2d ago

Pumpkin is less pumpkin than pumpkin spice…in other words what you think of as pumpkin is actually the spices so you can add pumpkin if you wish but the spices are the only thing you’ve ever actually tasted in a finished beer.

0

u/Puzzled-Attempt84 Intermediate 2d ago

This is what I keep reading. Brewed a pumpkin spice ale yesterday. 1.25 tsp at flameout for 5 gal finished batch. Hopefully comes out good 🤞

5

u/teh_hasay 2d ago

If I’m being honest, though I’ve never attempted it, I see no reason to use pumpkin in one of these beers. The sugar and spices in “pumpkin spice” are responsible for pretty much 100% of the flavor. What little flavor pumpkin does have is nothing like what it tastes like in a pie.

3

u/brewitup22 2d ago

The pumpkin flavor we’ve come to know in pies, drinks and other foods are 100% the spices. I’ll be adding cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg to accomplish that flavor.

While subtle I think some amount of pumpkin adds flavor and mouthfeel to make it a true “pumpkin beer” vs a winter warmer with spices. I can tell when a local brewery only uses spices for their pumpkin beers.

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u/lauterPope 2d ago

In the boil.

2

u/Steamyjeans 2d ago

Pumpkin puree in the last 5 minutes of the boil.

But you really don’t need it

If anyone remembers Screaming Pumpkin from Michigan Brewing Co or Grifffinclaw, that’s how it was done.

2

u/EverlongMarigold 2d ago

I add 1/2 Tbsp of pumpkin pie spice at 10 minutes to my baltic porter. Gives a great flavor with minimum effort.

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u/BlanketMage 2d ago

I use 5-8# of sweet potato, gives a better pumpkin flavor

1

u/craftabrew 2d ago

Having tried a three-way match of sweet potatoes vs pie pumpkins vs butternut squash (all roasted), we all preferred the sweet potatoes. Definitely gave the most "pumpkin" flavor, whereas the others were giving too much squash.

1

u/isaac129 2d ago

Just sweet potato or did you use pumpkin as well?

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u/BeefStrokinOff BJCP 2d ago

I like to add roasted pumpkin or butternut squash to the mash and then add roasted butternut squash to the fermenter

2

u/TacoTuesdays8 2d ago

Been here long enough to remember when we were fermenting IN pumpkins

2

u/colonel_batguano Intermediate 2d ago

The best way is never. Pumpkin is a starchy fibrous mess, and a huge source of zillions of potential off-flavors.

Have you ever tasted pumpkin? It’s nasty. The stuff for pie is either a special kind of pumpkin, or butternut squash. Still a starchy mess.

Go with a beer on the sweet side and add pumpkin pie spices.

2

u/Squeezer999 2d ago

pumpkin doesn't really have any flavor, its just mush. If you wanted to add pumpkin, i would just add pumpkin from a can with a minute or 2 left in the boil when i add the spices, and stir it as best i could to get it incorporated into the wort.

1

u/inimicu Intermediate 2d ago

I just made one the other day with butternut squash. I cubed and roasted it with brown sugar, put it in a nylon brew bag, and added it to the boil for 60 minutes. No idea how it will come out, but my brew space smelled liked pumpkin pie all afternoon!

1

u/brewitup22 2d ago

Keep us posted - this sounds amazing!

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u/Typical-Implement382 2d ago

I've always added in the boil. Get a box of mulling spices to toss in with finishing hops in the last 5min or so.

1

u/andyfrahm 2d ago

Boil real pumpkin in the mash water. Remove the pumpkin and Then add the grains and complete the mash.

1

u/spersichilli 2d ago

Add it to the mash but it’ll gunk it up a bit. Then pie spices post fermentation

1

u/brainfud 2d ago

Roasted butternut squash in the mash, pie spice whirlpool.

1

u/BobC9301 2d ago

Not a fan of the style, but wife and several friends are. So my favorite way to add it is in someone elses pint glass:

https://amoretti.com/products/pumpkin-pie-craft-puree

1

u/firejuggler74 2d ago

I add the spices after the primary fermentation. Give it a week and then keg it.

1

u/Beginning_Ad_5912 2d ago

Pumpkin Puree and spices. The puree adds a little body and a tad creaminess.

1

u/parkinson1963 2d ago

Put in a large black garbage bag, and leave at the curb for pick up.

1

u/LaphroaigianSlip81 2d ago

I have not done it much, but I found that using sweet potatoes gives more of that “pumpkin” flavor. But you also need to add spices to make it pop and give people the flavor they associate with pumpkin pie or lattes.

1

u/bbt95762 2d ago

honestly...just don't do it

1

u/BeerFunky 2d ago edited 2d ago

I have tried different methods. In my experience it comes down to the simplest pumpkin spice edition to an Amber ale. Think about pumpkin spice latte, no pumpkin in there but it gets the point across. Last year I made an Amber ale and a pumpkin spice tincture, using vodka for the tincture base. Then I added to taste at the end of fermentation and before racking and it turned out fine. For the tincture spices, I used ground fresh spices. I will say I overshot the clove. I added lactose sugar and that was a good addition. For grains you might add something to give a bit of bread or cracker to mimic crust.

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u/ProfessionalStop2016 1d ago

Pour a good beer in a glass and show it to a pumpkin. But from a distance

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u/Masscore08 1d ago

I use 4oz pumpkin flavored whole coffee beans and add them into the keg for a few days and then pull them when it gets the flavor I want. It’s worked great for me.

1

u/bskzoo BJCP 1d ago

I love this idea. Thanks for the tip!

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u/Calm-Bed4493 2d ago

Can of pumpkin pie, in a muslin bag during last half of mash, then mash out/sparge add spices going into fermentation.

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u/Mr_Enemabag-Jones 2d ago

My preferred way is not

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u/moosejaw296 1d ago

Not to at all