Pumpkin ale recipes?

[grapeadmin]

Cool, let me know how it comes out.

john

[beerman]

These bottles were stored in a basement over the summer for a cooler, more temperature stable aging.
I examined the bottles, held up to flourescent lights, and there was a pale translucent film at the top of the beer. I would think this is from proteins or something else in the pumpkin. In the past, I remember someone suggesting to give bottles a firm twist back and forth. This was to dislodge some yeast or other sediment particles from my homebrew that had attached to the sides of the bottles. I gave this a try with all the pumpkin bottles to see if this stuff will settle to the bottom.

This beer does have alot of sediment. I knew this would be the case, when I had to pump the autosiphon into the secondary and then again similarly at bottling. The beer was very thick and going very slowly from the half way mark on down towards the bottom 6" of sediment level in the secondary. I Will be doing a taste sample in the next week.

[grapeadmin]

Cool. Keep me posted.

john

[beerman]

The pumpkin beer came out pretty good over all.
There is pumpkin flavor, and then there is also fermented pumpkin flavor and/or yeast and pumpkin solids flavor.
I'm not so sure it's worth the effort for the maybe 3 gal yield I got. Although, eveyone liked it at Pumpkin Fest.
I wont be doing this next season, and when I try it again some things would be done differently. I wont use wirlfloc and may try a different pumpkin addition time. Have it sparged through the grain to help clarify things maybe etc.

-Do all extra's added to beer fermentations (fruit puree's, pumpkin, etc.) provide a different sort of flavor from their own unique fermentation characteristics? (off flavor may not be the correct term?)

This is also from my experience with the oregon apricot puree also having a different fermented fruit sort of flavor more than apricot flavor. I have not brewed with fruit much, but have used honey a few times and it has a fermented different taste it own, I think.

[grapeadmin]

I think you are correct. Each fruit/spice/honey will have it's own flavor/aroma etc... It is more common to put the fruit etc.. in the secondary to retain more of the aroma.

john