Captain Lawrence Brewing Company: Pumpkin Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052   FG = 1.013
IBU = 19   SRM = 11   ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients

10.5 lbs. (4.75 kg) 2-row pale malt
7.5 oz. (0.21 kg) crystal malt (120 °L)
2 oz. (57 g) Fawcett pale chocolate malt (220 °L)
4.5 AAU Columbus hop pellets (60 min.) (0.3 oz./8.5 g at 14.8% alpha acids)
4 oz. (0.11 kg) fresh pumpkin meat
0.2 oz. (5.7 g) nutmeg (0 min.)
0.2 oz. (5.7 g) cinnamon (0 min.)
0.2 oz. (5.7 g) allspice (0 min.)
½ tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
½ tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) yeast
¾ cup (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step

Finely dice the pumpkin and mix it and the crushed grains with 3.5 gallons (13 L) of 172 °F (78 °C) water to stabilize at 154 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Slowly sparge with 175 °F (79 °C) water. Collect approximately 6 gallons (23 L) of wort runoff to boil 60 minutes. Add the hops and spices as per the schedule. Cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 68 °F (20 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. Gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition 1 week and then bottle or keg.

Extract with grains option:
Reduce the 2-row pale malt in the all-grain recipe to 2 lbs. (0.9 kg) and add 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Coopers light, unhopped, liquid malt extract and 1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) light dried malt extract. Steep the milled grains and finely diced pumpkin meat in 5.5 gallons (21 L) of water at 154 °F (68 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grains and pumpkin from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (1.8 L) of hot water. Add the malt extracts and boil 60 minutes. Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.