Pumpkin and Scottish Ale tasting

The Scottish Ale is well carbonated and forms a good head when poured. Tastes like beer, nothing special or amazing, but decent.

The Pumpkin Ale only has a hint of pumpkin to it, is not as carbonated, and has an almost syrupy texture, but is not syrupy tasting (it's dry like a beer should be, not sweet) Almost like unsweet, super-light pumpkin flavored pancake syrup (if anyone ever makes such a god awful beast).

But it does have a bit of a kick to it. Not so much in the mouth, but in the head. I had about half a liter and was a bit tipsy.

Pumpkin Ale bottling

Pat and I bottled the Pumpkin and Scottish Ale's.

We racked from secondary to the bucket because the spigot on the bucket made bottling SOOO easy. Added priming sugar to the bucket to induce carbonation in the bottles.

Pumpkin Ale third step

Transferred Pumpkin Ale and Scottish Ale that Pat started on his own to secondary's. Tasted small amount of pumpkin, was hoppy aromatic, but not overpowering, had very little carbonation feel to it. Scottish Ale tasted more refined but less flavorful. Bottled half a bottle of Scottish with half a teaspoon of cane sugar (after we all had a drink or two out of it...)

Pumpkin Ale second step

Pat and I started Pumpkin Ale
http://www.thebrewsite.com/2004/10/11/pumpkin_ale_recipe.php

• 6-10 pounds of pumpkin
• 1 pound of Vienna malt, 4L
• ½ pound crystal malt, 40L
• ½ pound malted wheat
• 6 pounds light or amber malt extract
• 1 cup brown suger (optional)
• ½ cup molasses (optional)
• 1 ounce Mt. Hood hops (boiling)
• ½ ounce Hallertauer hops (finishing)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ to 1 teaspon pumpkin pie spices (see below)
• Wyeast 1056, American Ale

We made minor changes to the recipie due to availability of ingredients
- It called for 1lbs Vienna Malt 4L, we used 3.6L
- It called for .5lbs crystal Malt 40L, we used 1lbs 20L
- We didn't have a scale to weigh Wheat malt extract
- 3lbs bag was approx 9 cups, so we used 1.5 cups
- also, it was a 55% wheat and 45% barley mix of malt extract
- The MT.Hoods and Hallertauer hops were not available, but research showed that Mt. Hood is usually 4-5% acid, and the Hallertauer is stronger (5-6%)
- Used US Goldings (4.5%) for the Mt. Hood, and Sterling (6%) for the finishing hops

Pat bought a 30L Turkey Friar that worked purrrfectly for boiling the wort

Put pumpkin and grains into pot and heated.

After bringing to the initial boil, we poured the whole thing (slowly) through a wire mesh strainer to pull out the pumpkin matter, and then the grains. I pressed the pumpkin in the strainer to extract moisture. A little bit of pulp went through.

We returned to a boil and added dry and syrup malt extract, brown sugar, molasses, and US goldings Hops. boiled for 45 minutes and then added Sterling for 15 more minutes.

After the complete boil, we added vanilla and pumkin pie spice. We then cooled the wort by running cold water though a copper coil submerged in the wort (good idea Pat)

Poured wort into fermenting bucket and pitched yeast.

First step to Pumpkin Ale

Roasted pumpkin for Pumpkin Ale. Four pans on both oven racks.

Accidently left it in the oven overnight (No, not with the oven on...)

Next time, I'll just cook it on one rack at a time. The top ones are a little under-done and the bottom ones are a little burnt.

Scraped cooked pumpkin meat into two tupperware bowls, topped up with water, and put in freezer.