Brew Day - October 20, 2013

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Smashing Pumpkin Ale (Norther Brewer recipe)

Ingredients:
Rahr 2-row Pale
German Munch Malt
Briess Caramel 80
Briess Caramel 60

1 oz cluster hops
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Liquid yeast (Wyeast 1056 American Ale) via 1 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.054 (estimated); 1.052 (measured)
FG: ?? [estimate not provided]; 1.012 (measured)
ABV: ??% [estimate not provided]; 5.1% (measured)

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 3.5 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 167 degrees
• 10.75 pounds grain, 1.25 quarts/pound ~ 14 quarts
• Was about 170, so poured about 1.5 gallons into mash tun, turned off burner, stirred
• Temperature dropped to 167; re-added water from mash tun
• Added grains to mash tun
• Added water to mash tun by about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon at a time; poured last 1.5 gallons from brewpot straight into mash tun
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 154 degrees; rechecked at 45' temperature still 154 degrees 
• After 60 minutes recycled 3/4 gallons and then lautered into sanitized bucket 
• Heated about 3.7 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered into bucket until we had about 6.25 gallons (basically got out everything we could). Poured bucket into brew pot and brought to boil
• Boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops according to schedule
• Chilled by putting pot into tub with ice and water (filled about 6-8 inches of tub with water) and wort chiller/pre-chiller to < 80 degrees in about 7 minutes
• Pitched yeast (whole 2 L bottle) and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket (had probably ~5.5 - 6 gallons total volume (hard to tell because very foamy)
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees (took 14 minutes post-boil)

• Ferment 14 days
• Recommended schedule is to ferment for 1-2 weeks in primary, then 1-2 weeks in secondary, then condition for 2 weeks in bottle
• Will likely ferment for about 2 1/2 weeks, cold crash, then keg around 11/6

Update:

• Kegged on 11/2/13
• Flavor got a little stronger after another 10 days or so, but still not a strong pumpkin flavor
• Next time double the amount of pumpkin spice?