Pumpkin Beers

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!

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.

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!