Schema Pumpkin (Perle Batch) Recipe
Schema Pumpkin is an ale brewed with pumpkin, spices, and candy corn. The idea was inspired by spending time with my family for the holidays, particularly the pumpkin pies mum makes when we all get together. It was pieced together from several pumpkin ale recipes: weeknight pumpkin ale, Midwest pumpkin ale, and another pumpkin ale, all found via reddit. In addition, we drew from the wisdom of a couple of pumpkin pie recipes, for the spices and the pie itself. A big thanks to all these sources for sharing their ideas with the world for others to enjoy and build upon.
Unfortunately I came to really understand the direction of the recipe a little too late for this batch (and the next batch even). I will post updates on changes to the recipe as we get the batches into the fermenter. Also, I apologize for the ambiguous amounts. The pumpkin was big, about 10 pounds I would guess, enough to fill an 9x13 cake pan an inch after roasted and pureed. The spices weren’t measured, I just started with the 4 cinnamon sticks and tried to get a 8:2:2:1 ratio of cinnamon:nutmeg:ginger:cloves by eye.
Ingredients:
- .5 lb carapils
- .5 lb caramel/crystal malt 20L
- 6 lbs light liquid malt extract
- .5 cup light brown sugar
- .5 lb candy corn
- 1 oz fuggles
- 1 oz perle
- .5 oz crystal
- pumpkin
- 4 sticks cinammon
- 10 cloves
- 3 nutmeg
- ginger
- safale s-04 yeast
Steps:
- Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out guts and seeds (set seeds out to dry).
- Place pumpkin flesh down on a pan and put in a 325 °F oven for 40 minutes.
- After the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel and puree the soft flesh.
- Steep the grains in 1.5 gallons of 155 °F water for 30 minutes.
- Bring to boil. Stir in all liquid malt extract.
- Add fuggles hops.
- Spread pumpkin on pan and cook in 450 °F oven for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat in oven to 350 °F, continue to bake for 50 minutes.
- 50 minutes into the boil, add perle hops.
- 55 minutes into the boil, add cascade hops.
- At the end of the boil, very coarsely break up the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg and add to boil.
- Cover and quickly cool to 70 °F.
- Add pumpkin and brown sugar to wort.
- Pour wort into fermenter and top up with water to 5 gallons.
- Pitch yeast on the wort.
- Mix well.
- Ferment at 59-75 °F
- 3 days into fermentation, melt candy corn in a double boiler and add to fermenter.
- When gravity has settled (7-10 days) move to secondary for another 7-10 days.
- Toast pumpkin seeds and add to secondary.
- Package (keg or bottle) and carbonate.
- Chill and serve!
