Pumpkin Ale

About two weeks ago, I tapped my keg of pumpkin ale.  As brewing goes, I always hope for the best and expect the worse.  As I go from primary to secondary to keg, I taste every step of the way.  Through the warm, non-carbonated beer, I hinge my hope on each batch being better than the last.

So, as I followed this batch of pumpkin ale, I was pleasantly surprised each step of the way.  When tap day finally came, I realized it wasn't just my imagination, I actually had a really good pumpkin brew.  Now as a matter of disclaimer, no one in the society has tasted it yet.  I've shared it with a few non-beer friends, but no one of "critical tasting" status has yet to try it.  With this in mind, my happiness with this batch may simply be a figment of my imagination, just waiting for Drew to wad it up in a small ball and spike it in the backyard.

Since I have been so pleased, I find it worthwhile to go back to the Brew Day where this batch started. If you will, let's step back into my "way back machine" and return to late September...

With summer coming to a close, several of us where chomping at the bit to brew.  However, with all of our hectic schedules, it was quite a non-typical brew day, with only a few of us showing up.

With fall setting in, I was determined to brew a pumpkin ale.

My batch was based on a Northern Brewer recipe:

7.5 lbs 2-Row   2.5 lbs Munich Malt   .5 lbs Caramel 80L    .25 lbs Caramel 20L

1 oz Hallertauer hops

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 pkg American Ale

Oh, and one roasted pumpkin.  Which, brought me to my first challenge, finding a pumpkin.  Thankfully, I did…but, barely.

After scooping out the guts, I roasted the pumpkin on the grill for about an hour.  In hindsight, I probably should have gone two, as it wasn't quite as roasted and soft as I would preferred.

From there, I chopped up the pumpkin and added it directly to my mash.

While I tended to my mash, Eric worked diligently on his cocoa porter.  For him, this is a yearly brew.

Dave swung by with his trusty sidekick, Andrew.  Although not in brew mode, Dave did what I wish I did as well, organize.

Earlier in the month, Drew and Dave went together on a 50 pound bag of 2-row.  In order to ready his next batch, Dave prepped his grain bill and milled some grain.

Did I say mill?  I meant pulverize.  Dave used Drew's grain mill which, in our opinion, does just that: pulverize.  Although Drew will challenge our view of his device…and most likely cut us off from using it the more we gripe, it does do far more than crack the grain.  I believe it is also the reason for several stuck spurges….thankfully, though, not mine.

All brew days come with food and since this was more of a sporadic brew day, the food was sporadic as well.

The kettle served up a "rack" of "rib:.

And the Summit cranked out a batch of beer brats;

The highlight of the day was watching Andrew work his way through the ribs.  I respect that kind of appetite!

The food, as it usually does, went pretty fast.  However, hop addition time was on and brewing was close to an end.

For being such an impatient person, brewing is an odd hobby. I suppose that's why we take brew day to the extreme.  We have our experiences together to provide an immediate response to brewing, even though the true test, a successful batch, is weeks, if not months away.

I suppose this "delay in satisfaction" is why I felt it was a good time to revisit the pumpkin brew day.  Behind every good taste is a great experience.  The reward is never fast, but when it comes, it certainly is worth it.  Now, even though I'm happy with this batch, I think next time I will roast the pumpkins longer and more than likely, add a little more spice too.   These small changes will hopefully lay the groundwork for the next great pumpkin experience and if all goes well, another trip to the way back machine.