Pumpkin porter

[brew lady]

I'm planning on brewing a chocolate pumpkin porter, but to get more bang for my buck so to speak I want to mash it as a 10 gallon batch and split it to be two different beers. So I want one to be just a porter and one to be a chocolate pumpkin porter. I'm trying to decide what would be best. I will mash it as though it was going to be a straight porter. Should I split the batch after sparging and boil them separate adding the pumpkin and spices to the boil, or boil them together, and let the pumpkin and spices sit in the second batch during fermentation/secondary? I'd rather do it as one boil, but I'm not sure if adding the pumpkin later will do anything for it.

Pros, cons of each plan?

[Witch Doctor Dale]

Pumpkin is very starchy, I think it should be added to the mash. With that said, I wonder if you will be able to taste the pumpkin over the chocolate? Perhaps a porter with lots of chocolate malt instead of black malt?

[brew lady]

Thanks for mentioning that about it being starchy. I just googled some things about pumpkins and can see what you mean. I just brewed a pumpkin ale this past weekend and we did add it to the mash. Maybe I can do a mini mash with the pumpkin, and some grain and add that in separate.



As far as how it will come out, well I have an idea in my head.

I am inspired by Midnight Sun's TREAT (Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter). I haven't tried it myself, and don't have any access to it, but I'm inspired by it none-the-less.

[Witch Doctor Dale]

Best of luck! I've tried a few historical pumpkin brews. At the time of great strife with Great Britain in th late 18th century, pumpkin was turned to as a source of fermentables for beer (a barley shortage on these shores, difficulty getting it from overseas). All in all, I'll stick to grains in my beer.

[bmock]

Of topic - Does pumpkin and chocolate taste good together? I've never tried.

On topic - The best pumpkin batches I've tried have had roasted pumpkin in the mash, but you can just secondary it like a lot of fruit beer. (Pumpkin is a fruit, right?)

[siwelwerd]

On topic - The best pumpkin batches I've tried have had roasted pumpkin in the mash, but you can just secondary it like a lot of fruit beer. (Pumpkin is a fruit, right?)

Fruit or not, like Dale said it's very starchy. Better to go in the mash with it so those get converted.

That said, I really don't feel that pumpkin is all that crucial to a pumpkin ale. It's the spices that make you think pumpkin. If I were doing it, I'd just do your one 10 gallon batch, split it, and add the spices to the secondary. I like to spice in the secondary anyways, as then I can taste it every day and rack off when the spices are right where I want them. I think if you did this and handed it to someone, they'd be hard pressed to pick out that there was no actual pumpkin in it.

[brew lady]

Just for arguments sake, lets say I don't care if I get any fermentables from the pumpkin, that I merely want it for flavor. Is there any other reason why mashing is better? I was reading about it going into wine, and the author suggested mashing if for no other reason than to reduce haze, and for spoilage issues. I'm not concerned with haze, and I don't know if spoilage would be an issue for beer as it would be for wine. I wouldn't anticipate it sticking around for very long.

[brew lady]

[quote="bmock"]Of topic - Does pumpkin and chocolate taste good together? I've never tried.

According to a lot of people on http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/385/35702 it does. At least this brewery got it right.

[Witch Doctor Dale]

I would not worry as much of spoilage, tho a lot of bacteria enjoy eating starches, but yeast will also very slowly eat starch, and in time you will end up with overcarbination. Or so happened with a batch of pumpkin mead. To increase the pumpkin flavor, toast heavily, either canned or fresh. It greatly increases the pumpkin flavor.

[siwelwerd]

+1 to everything Dale said, as usual (well, except if he wants you to secondary ). I've also heard of toasting the seeds, and using those.

[JE]

+1 to everything Dale said, as usual (well, except if he wants you to secondary ). I've also heard of toasting the seeds, and using those.

+1 to everything Dale said too...and if you add spices you WILL want to secondary!!

Had to do it, Drew...

[brew lady]

I would not worry as much of spoilage, tho a lot of bacteria enjoy eating starches, but yeast will also very slowly eat starch, and in time you will end up with overcarbination. Or so happened with a batch of pumpkin mead. To increase the pumpkin flavor, toast heavily, either canned or fresh. It greatly increases the pumpkin flavor.

It would be kegged, so that wouldn't be a big deal.

[bmock]

On topic - The best pumpkin batches I've tried have had roasted pumpkin in the mash, but you can just secondary it like a lot of fruit beer. (Pumpkin is a fruit, right?)

Fruit or not, like Dale said it's very starchy. Better to go in the mash with it so those get converted.

I think the critical portion of what I said was using roasted pumpkin instead of straight fruit. I'm not a scientist, but I would suppose the roasting causes some of those same traits you get in crystal malts.

[Hopking]

With the chocolate added, the pumpkin will not be evident. I have always believed that pumpkin ale really requires no pumpkin to get the right flavor. It only requires ample crystal malt, overall maltiness and the right spices. So use your chocolate (cocoa works best) and use pumpkin pie spice. Should work.

[bacillus]

With the chocolate added, the pumpkin will not be evident. I have always believed that pumpkin ale really requires no pumpkin to get the right flavor. It only requires ample crystal malt, overall maltiness and the right spices. So use your chocolate (cocoa works best) and use pumpkin pie spice. Should work.

+1 on the use of pumpkin. I did one once using canned pumpkin in a large hop bag during the boil. I tasted before adding the spices and the wort had very little pumpkin flavor, although the color was great. After adding the spices it tasted just like pumpkin pie