Greetings,
My favorite time of year is Fall and i can't think of a more fitting way to enjoy the season than brewing a delicious Pumpkin Ale. I have tested several commercial examples and homebrewed a few in search of the right balance of spice, malt, bitterness, and alcohol. As many of you already may know, this is one style of beer that has been bastardized more than most, with spice bombs that taste more like a bad pie than a rich, creamy, festive Brew. That being said, a few commercial style's that inspired me were "Dogfish head Punkin" and "Southern Tier Pumking."
I think this year's version really hits the mark on all of those categories. A dark brown porter weighing in at 7.5% abv that is meant to be sipped and savored as we enter the cooler months. You may think there is a lot going on in this recipe, and there is! but please don't be discouraged the proportions really work well together.
Grain: 11# 2-Row
.75# Crystal 120
.5 # Roasted Barley
.33# Belgian Aromatic
.33# Chocolate Malt
.25# Black Patent
Hops: 1oz. Perle(8.1%) @ 60
1oz. Willamette(4.8%) @ 20
1oz. Willamette(4.8%) @ 10
Additions: 2 # Canned Pumpkin (in the Mash)
2# Honey (@10 to knockout)
.5# Light Brown Sugar (@10 to knockout)
1 tsp Irish Moss (@15 to knockout)
Spices: 1 tsp Allspice, .5tsp Cinnamon, .5tsp Nutmeg, .25tsp Ground Ginger
Yeast: English Ale 002
O.G. 1.072
F.G. 1.015
ABV 7.5
Mash at 156 for 60 minutes
Happy Halloween and Cheers!
-J.B. Zorn (enjoying the warm weather out here at Sector Honolulu)
