# ppg for pumpkin



## mondestrunken (26/4/13)

Hi all.

Well it's that time of year, and I'm thinking of doing a pumpkin porter to use up some pumpkins that I've just harvested. Does anyone have any ideas of how much sugar to expect per kg of pumpkin? Any pumpkin ale recipes I have are extract based, and I can't work out how much ppg/yield to expect from mashing with pumpkin.

Thanks.


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## kenlock (26/4/13)

Expect very little. 

I have pumpkin set as 1.006SG in Beersmith, and from experience it contributes negliable sugars.

:icon_cheers:


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## bum (26/4/13)

I went to the extent of doing a cereal mash thing (even though it isn't a cereal) on the pumpkin for my pumpkin ale and reckon kenlock's 1006 might be over starting it on some systems. Just design the beer you want then add the pumpkin, if that makes sense.


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## lukiferj (26/4/13)

Are you planning on mashing or boiling the pumpkin? Have see recipes with both. Have made an extract pumpkin ale in the past where I boiled it. Seemed to have more pumpkin flavour than just mashing it but haven;t tried it since going AG.


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## kenlock (26/4/13)

bum said:


> I went to the extent of doing a cereal mash thing (even though it isn't a cereal) on the pumpkin for my pumpkin ale and reckon kenlock's 1006 might be over starting it on some systems. Just design the beer you want then add the pumpkin, if that makes sense.


I agree negliable sugar. Really should be set at 1.000 for all practical purposes.


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## mondestrunken (26/4/13)

So, I was planning to roast 1-2 kg pumpkin, add it into the mash with a few kilos of grain in the usual way, and strain into the boil.




bum said:


> Just design the beer you want then add the pumpkin, if that makes sense.


Yes the sense that I'm getting is to expect jack shit from it ppg-wise.

I'll have to assume there's some flavour aspect to using pumpkin in a beer otherwise it's pumpkin soup time.

Cheers & thanks.


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## DUANNE (27/4/13)

imo if you want a pumpkin beer leave the pumpkin out and just use the spices. in my experience no matter how much pumpkin you use the flavour doesn't come through in the finished product.


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## Nick JD (27/4/13)

If you want the flavour to come through, roast the living shit out of it. Slightly burn it.


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## lukiferj (27/4/13)

+1 for roasting/slightly burning the pumpkin. Otherwise you just end up with flavourless mush.


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## QldKev (27/4/13)

You can also leave it out of the mash, and add it to the boil. It helps produce a lot more flavor. Also caramelizing it in the oven is great. But I agree the spices make up a lot of this brew.


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## lukiferj (27/4/13)

QldKev said:


> You can also leave it out of the mash, and add it to the boil. It helps produce a lot more flavor.


This is what I have done in the past.


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## mondestrunken (27/4/13)

OK thanks guys.

I'm thinking WTF is the point of it if you don't get any fermentable sugars and/or flavour?

I might reconsider this one. There's plenty of other things to brew...


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## Nick JD (27/4/13)

Rockmelon makes a better pumpkin beer than pumpkin.


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