Beer Forum

I'm going to brew this year's fall seasonal with Yams/Sweet potatoes. I'm scratching my head a bit trying to figure out how much to put in. I plan on throwing it in with the mash. But I can't find much for info anywhere to get any pointers on potential extract and all that.

Anyone have any input?

Evan B wrote:I'm going to brew this year's fall seasonal with Yams/Sweet potatoes. I'm scratching my head a bit trying to figure out how much to put in. I plan on throwing it in with the mash. But I can't find much for info anywhere to get any pointers on potential extract and all that.

Anyone have any input?

Obviously you'd want to cook them first (I'd roast them whole in the oven, wrapped in foil, seam up, at 350F for 1 to 11/2 hours to get some caramelization flavors) Then just use 'em like pumpkin. You should be able to get an idea of the extract potential from one of the millions of pumpkin ale recipes out there. The Lazy Magnolia brewery makes their Jefferson Stout with sweet potatoes. You oughta' shoot them an e-mail.

I think the show with The Bruery discussed using yams.

You can ask fupa on the forum. He makes a sweet potato holiday amber. It received a medal in last years Minnesota state fair comp.

It's very good had it last Christmas.

to me, sweet potaoes and yams are not even close to the same thing and should not be confused. sweet potatoes make great pie, yams make a pie that tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. i've never made a sweet potato beer, but the yam beer I made based on tips from Patrick at The Bruery was awesome.

straight cash homey wrote:to me, sweet potaoes and yams are not even close to the same thing and should not be confused. sweet potatoes make great pie, yams make a pie that tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. i've never made a sweet potato beer, but the yam beer I made based on tips from Patrick at The Bruery was awesome.

recipe? That sounds (and looks) excellent!

I agree on the sweet potato pie- I like it much better than pumpkin pie.

For my pumpkin beer I usually cook, puree adn then add 10 pounds to the boil (in a bag) for a 5 gallon batch. I read in one of my books that since there are no starches to be converted into sugar the only thing you get out of adding pumpkins to the mash is a stuck mash - I would research if the same applies to sweet potatoes and yams.

straight cash homey wrote:to me, sweet potaoes and yams are not even close to the same thing and should not be confused. sweet potatoes make great pie, yams make a pie that tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. i've never made a sweet potato beer, but the yam beer I made based on tips from Patrick at The Bruery was awesome.

So how about the tips he gave you? I'm thinking of doing a seasonal saison or bier de garde with yams .