Beer Forum

Take a look at the recipe below and give me some feedback please.

Pumpkin

Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer OG: 1.057
Type: All Grain FG: 1.014
Rating: 0.0 ABV: 5.57 %
Calories: 185.31 IBU's: 18.83
Efficiency: 75.00 % Boil Size: 12.44 Gals
Color: 12.9 SRM Batch Size: 10.00 Gals
Preboil OG: 1.048 Boil Time: 60 minutes

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
15.00 lbs 65.93 % Pale Malt (2 Row) US 60 mins 1.036
2.00 lbs 8.79 % Briess 2-Row Caramel 60L 60 mins 1.034
1.00 lbs 4.40 % Briess Special Roast 60 mins 1.033
1.00 lbs 4.40 % Briess Rice Hulls 60 mins 1.000
3.00 lbs 13.19 % Munich Malt 60 mins 1.037
2.00 ozs 0.55 % Acid Malt 60 mins 1.027
10.00 ozs 2.75 % Brown Sugar, Light 60 mins 1.046

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
1.00 ozs 12.33 Cluster 60 mins 7.00
1.00 ozs 6.50 Hallertauer 30 mins 4.80

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
American Ale Wyeast Labs 1056

Additions
(none)

Mash Profile
Profile Name: All Grain Profile 1

Grain Temp: 70.00 °F Mash Tun Vol Loss: 0.50 Gals
Grain Absorption: 0.13 Gals/lb Tun Temp Loss: 4.50 °F
Cooling Shrinkage: 4.00 % Kettle Trub Loss: 0.50 Gals
Hourly Boiloff: 1.50 Gals/hr

Mash Steps:
Sacch' Rest 60 min@152.0°F
Add 31.69 qts water @ 167.4°F
Batch Sparge
Sparge 31.05 qts water @ 170.00

Notes
Add 20 lb roasted peeled pumpkin to the mash
Add 4 tbs of pie spice at flame out
Think about mashing 75-90 mins.

Add 6 grams gypsum and 6 grams calc. Chloride to mash water for an estimated mash ph of 5.53.

http://www.iBrewMaster.com

I am not a huge fan of cluster hops and would probably either go with a neutral bittering addition like magnum or even some earthy English hops to complement the pumpkin. I also don't think you need any flavor hops either as you want the pumpkin and spices to shine.
The grain bill looks good to me. Just be prepared for a messy mash with a potential stuck sparge from all that pumpkin. i have boiled mine in the past with good success and more ease. I just used a large 5 gallon mesh strain bag.

The last thing you might want to consider is to use a different yeast. Cal ale yeast will be very clean while using an English ale strain can lend a maltier body with some more interesting fermentation aromatics. Just some food for thought...

Maybe I will bitter with the hallertau. The 20 lb pumpkin is the weight of the actual pumpkin approx. so I may only have 10 lbs of meat going into the mash. I am hoping the rice hulls will assist and keep from a stuck sparge.

Change of plans. I am going to swap out the pumpkin for sweet potatoes 8-10 lbs roasted and back the spice down from 4 tbs. to 3.