UpaDowna/Dragonfly Farm Pumpkin Ale Batch #1

Here is a quick cut and paste version of my pumpkin ale. I decided with all of the pumpkins I have left over from this year’s harvest on the farm, that they should go to good use. I made this batch and I have two buddies that will be making batches as well…can’t wait for the tasting!!

Given the copious amounts of pumpkins we had this year I decided that I should brew up a batch of pumpkin ale. This makes me pleased to no end to be producing beer from the farm. I guess having only the pumpkins coming from the farm is not all that great of a leap but next year we hope the hop vines produce and this will gives us more and more ingredients straight from these fertile fields.

I had been toying with the idea of brewing a butternut squash beer as well but I think the pumpkin will work better. After scouring the internet and picking a few fellow brewers brains I setted on the following recipe:

3 lbs Amber malt extract

3 lbs Light dry malt extract

1 lb crystal malt (med dark)

1/2 lb chocolate malt

1 tsp gypsum

1 whirlfloc tablet

2 oz kent goldings hops

1 oz fuggles hops

8 lbs pumpkin

pumpkin spice

4 cinnamon sticks

3 tsp nutmeg

6 whole allspice

1 pk London III ale yeast

3/4 cup corn sugar

Directions:

Quarter pumpkin, remove seeds place flesh side up in 1″ h20 sprinkle with pumpkin spice bake @ 350F 2 hours. Cut into 1″ squares slightly mash and set aside. (I left the skin on!) Steep crystal and chocolate malt and gypsum @ 155F for 30 minutes. Remove grains and add malt extract, kent hops, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and a few shakes of pumpkin spice, boil 1 hr and add fuggles hops and whirlfloc last 5 mins of boil. Remove spices and pumpkin and cool wort. Pitch yeast and wait eagerly!

OG 1.054

Now I cheated by not doing an all grain batch but I think I will brew a second batch with all grain but drop the chocolate malt and add pilsner malt and use a Bavarian yeast like wyeast 3638 to see if I can make a pumpkin hefe. YUM!