Here at Northern Brewer there's one question we get asked a lot during the
fall and winter months
and that's how to incorporate real pumpkin in our Smashing Pumpkins Ale beer kits.
One of our most popular seasonal recipes, Smashing Pumpkins Ale drinks like a
slice of pumpkin pie in the glass.
Now what most people are thinking of when they think
"pumpkin pie" isn't the pumpkin itself,
it's the spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice & cloves that typically
go into a pumpkin pie.
Our Smashing Pumpkin kit certainly includes a spice blend
for that holiday pizzazz.
But if you want to step up your game and give your Smashing Pumpkin added
body and color, you can use real pumpkin.
In this video we will show you how to use canned and real pumpkin in our
extracted and all-grain kits. Let's start by adding canned pumpkin to our extract kit.
Of course you can make this beer by simply steeping and draining the
specialty grain, adding the extract,
boiling the hops and spices -- and end up with a perfectly awesome beer.
But if you want to use canned pumpkin
here's what Northern Brewer suggests.
This will require a straining bag large enough to fit in the opening of your
boil kettle. We recommend a brew master filter bag. In addition to your extract
recipe kit, you'll also need to buy two pounds of crushed six-row malt
and two or three cans of pumpkin.
This pumpkin should have no sugars or preservatives added. This mini-mash of
six-row malt will help convert the starches in the pumpkin
into fermentable sugars.
Bring three gallons of water up to about 160-degrees. Don't sweat it
if you're off by a degree or two.
Line the kettle with the filter bag.
Add the grain into the bag and stir well then add the pumpkin.
Be careful not to splash,
this water is hot.
Stir the pumpkin to mix well into the mash and break up in the large clumps.
After you add the grain and pumpkin the temperature should drop a few degrees.
Hold this mash at a temperature of 150-to-152 degrees
for about one hour.
If your temperature is too high
add a small amount of cold water.
If it's too low
just turn the heat on low and stir for a few minutes.
At the end of the hour, lift the bag out of the kettle,
drain as much liquid as possible, and discard the contents.
The mesh bag itself can be cleaned and reused.
You can see the influence of the canned pumpkin in the color of the wort already.
From here
add heat to bring to a boil,
add your extract,
hops and spices per the recipe.
Now let's look at using real pumpkin in our all-grain kit. You can use this
roasted pumpkin method for the extract kit as well. First, find an 8-to-10 pound
pumpkin or a few smaller pumpkins that add up to that weight. Cut the gourd(s)
in half and discard the innards. Then cut it into smaller chunks or cubes. If pumpkins
are out-of-season, this technique works well with winter squash like butternut
or acorn. Toss the pumpkin on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil or a
glass casserole dish in the oven between 300 and 350 degrees
for about 60 to 120 minutes
or until soft and cooked through.
Once out of the oven, move to another cookie sheet or bowl and let cool.
Once cooled, use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the gourd skin and into a
small bucket or bowl. Stir or smash the pumpkin well the break-up any large
clumps before adding the pumpkin into your all-grain mash.
We suggest adding some hot water to the pumpkin to help loosen it up and make it
easier to pour into your mash tun. Pour your grains into your mash vessel and
stir well the mix. Some homebrewers even add a few handfuls of rice hulls to help
avoid a possible stuck sparge.
Next, scoop the moist and cooked pumpkin flesh into the mash tun.
Again stir well to mix the pumpkin into the mash and break up any clumps.
Mash it at 152-degrees fahrenheit for at least one hour.
After this mash rest you have the option of raising to a mash-out temperature
of 170-degrees for ten minutes then continue to sparge by
whatever method you choose.
Again, you'll notice the pumpkin's immediate influence on the color,
feel, and aroma of the wort.
Collect your total boil volume.
Bring to a boil.
Follow the recipe for hops and spice additions.
Just like you can add real roasted pumped into the extract version of
Smashing Pumpkin,
you can also add canned pumpkin to the all-grain version.
And there you have it:
a festive beverage with full body and great spice. Whether you add real pumpkin
or not, Northern Brewer's Smashing Pumpkin Ale is a perfect treat for friends and
family during the holiday season.
Get your extract and all-grain beer kits now at northern brewer dot com.