The Smashing Pumpkin Ale

My Jolly Pumpkin Ale Recipe:
½ lb crushed Vienna malt
½ lb rolled oats
¼ lb Cara pils
1/4 lb chocolate malt
6 ½ lbs amber liquid malt extract
1lb dry pale malt extract
1 ½ oz Tettnanger
1oz Fuggle
1oz East Kent Goldings
Approximately 30 St. Johns wort capsules
5lbs gooseneck pumpkin
3lbs Calabaza
3oz honey
London Ale yeast
Gypsum
Irish moss
Pumpkin pie spice
Freshly ground nutmeg
4 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean
(Help from the Brew God)
Add Gypsum to brew kettle while bringing water to a boil. Steep crushed grain in grain bag at temp of 150degrees for approximately 1 hour with 4 whole cinnamon sticks. Drain grain bag pouring cold water through. Quarter pumpkin and Calabaza grating nutmeg with spice grater and add pumpkin pie spice bake in oven for 15 min at 350 degrees or until golden brown. Add Liquid and Dry malt extracts-stirring to avoid caramelization. Add EKG, Tettnang and Fuggle Hops in 20min staggered additions follow up with honey at last 20 min and Irish Moss at last 15 min. of boil Molasses may be added for richer flavor, rather than honey, but the key to the full mouthfeel is the rolled oats. I added one vanilla bean (preferably a Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean) scored and scooped to the primary. I recommend adding the vanilla to the secondary or primary and not the boil, no extract as the results will suffer.’

I have done a variation on this recipe for 5 years in a row, and took last year off to do a mushroom ale. I like swithcing up the yeast or spice slightly, but the method and ‘meat’ stays the same.  It is one of my favorites to brew and you can make a pie from the pumpkin meat so it is doubly good.

Matt – VP