[lazydog79]

Howdy all!  Long time, no chat!  Been busier than a one-armed painter here, but the weather is getting warm, which means it's time to get to brewing.  I think I would like to do a pumpkin beer for the fall. I know, I know! Some people are sick of them, but I like them and so do my beer pits/friends.  I've scratched together a couple of recipes.  Which one sounds better?

Option 1 (a Southern Tier PumKing Clone-ish)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.57 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal   
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.090 SG
Estimated Color: 10.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 83.2 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
3 lbs 3.2 oz          Pumpkin (0.0 SRM)                        Adjunct       1        15.8 %       
1 lbs 9.7 oz          Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM)                     Adjunct       2        7.9 %         
8 lbs 13.4 oz         Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)           Grain         3        43.6 %       
4 lbs 0.3 oz          Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)         Grain         4        19.8 %       
1 lbs 0.1 oz          Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)    Grain         5        5.0 %         
12.9 oz               Victory Malt (25.0 SRM)                  Grain         6        4.0 %         
12.8 oz               Brown Sugar, Light (8.0 SRM)             Sugar         7        4.0 %         
0.46 oz               Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           8        17.6 IBUs     
0.50 tsp              Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins)              Fining        9        -             
0.91 oz               Sterling [7.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min        Hop           10       6.8 IBUs     
2.0 pkg               English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [35.49  Yeast         11       -             
5.00 Items            Vanilla Bean (Secondary 14.0 days)       Spice         12       -             
0.13 tsp              Ginger Root (Bottling 0.0 days)          Herb          13       -             
0.50 tsp              Ground Cinnamon (Bottling 5.0 mins)      Spice         14       -             
0.25 tsp              Nutmeg (Bottling 0.0 days)               Spice         15       -             
0.13 tsp              Clove (Bottling 0.0 days)                Spice         16       -             


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 20 lbs 4.3 oz
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash In           Add 24.33 qt of water at 163.7 F        152.0 F       60 min       
Mash Out          Add 13.63 qt of water at 200.7 F        168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Fly sparge with -0.08 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know the mash is all jacked up.  I have to work on that yet.  I have cobbled this together from several sources and think I have ended up with a "kitchen-sink" style mess!

Option 2: Based on Northern Brewer's Smashing Pumpkin kit:
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.59 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.88 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal   
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 10.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 69.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
7 lbs 8.0 oz          Pale Malt (2-Row), US - Rahr (2.0 SRM)   Grain         1        69.8 %       
2 lbs 8.0 oz          Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)                    Grain         2        23.3 %       
8.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM)    Grain         3        4.7 %         
4.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)    Grain         4        2.3 %         
10.00 lb              Pumpkin (Mash 60.0 mins)                 Herb          5        -             
1.00 oz               Cluster [7.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           6        24.3 IBUs     
1.00 tsp              Pumpkin Pie Spice (Boil 0.0 mins)        Spice         7        -             
1.0 pkg               SafAle American Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-05 Yeast         8        -             


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 12.0 oz
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash In           Add 16.51 qt of water at 161.5 F        152.0 F       75 min       
Mash Out          Add 6.81 qt of water at 211.4 F         168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Fly sparge with 2.54 gal water at 168.0 F
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am leaning towards the second one from a drinkability standpoint, but I would love for some other opinions.  Thanks!

[reverseapachemaster]

You probably need the rice hulls on either recipe.

The top recipe looks busier because you have the rice hulls plus individual spices listed. I would make some changes to the spices in the first one though. I wouldn't use vanilla and I would opt for dried ginger over fresh ginger. Dried ginger has that sweeter flavor you expect in desserts. Fresh ginger is more spicy. I would use whole or crushed cinnamon over powdered cinnamon because I've had problems getting too much tannin out of powder. Plus I think the flavor in whole cinnamon doesn't fade as quickly as powdered cinnamon which can be somewhat bland.

I think the bottom recipe gives you a more generic pumpkin ale but the top recipe may not be balanced to give you the pumpkin pie flavor you seek. You could end up with a caramel-y spice beer that may not be bad but doesn't scream pumpkin pie either. The right direction depends in part on what attributes you want in the beer.

[lazydog79]

That's pretty, much what I was thinking.  Thanks for the feedback.  Yeah, I know the spicing still needs work.  It's probably more of a philosophical question: big beer and medium beer.  I was talking myself out of the bigger beer for a while, but I agree with you.  I'm not always one to jump to high octane, but pumpkin beers need the big flavor.  Otherwise, they are kind of blah.

Thanks again!