Pumpkin Beer Specifications et al

Our homebrewed pumpkin beer is almost ready (or I hope it’s almost ready), and I can barely contain myself. We started brewing it on October 15. Here’s some of the specifications for you:

- 9 lbs. pumpkin baked at 350F until thoroughly soft
- mashed 1 lb. crystal malt with pumpkin at 160F for 30 minutes
- combined with 1 lb. light powder malt extract and 8 lbs. 2 row syrup malt extract
- 60 minute boil with 2 oz. Willamette hop plugs
- 10 minute boil with 1/2 oz. Cascade hop plugs
- Original Gravity of around 1.058, but I think I measured it wrong
- Safale US-56 yeast
- Primary fermenter at 60F from 10/15 to 10/21
- Secondary fermenter at 60F from 10/21 to 11/9
- Bottled with 3/4 bottling sugar on 11/9
- Final Gravity of 1.026, so around the low end of 4% alcohol

The stuff should be ready a week from today which is Thanksgiving which we will be spending in Le Grand, OR with the Narlochs, if the weather holds up that is. It’s about 1000 miles to get there…

I went to get a flu shot today, but they ran out of vaccination in 2 hours; I blame the retirement community.

I made applesauce tonight from Granny Smith and some other apple they get out here. It’s not so great. My mom always made her sauce with the peels from the apples still on there which gives it a great color, and that works with good New England apples, but the apples out here don’t even compare. I am excited to make a pie tomorrow with the Courtland apples Mom sent us from Hollis, NH. They’re delish.