Here at Northern Brewer there's one
question we get asked a lot during the
fall and winter months
and that's how to incorporate real pumpkin 
in our Smashing Pumpkins Ale beer kits.
One of our most popular seasonal recipes,
Smashing Pumpkins Ale drinks like a
slice of pumpkin pie in the glass.
Now what most people are 
thinking of when they think
"pumpkin pie" isn't the pumpkin itself,
it's the spices: cinnamon, nutmeg,
allspice & cloves that typically 
go into a pumpkin pie.
Our Smashing Pumpkin kit 
certainly includes a spice blend
for that holiday pizzazz.
But if you want to step up your game and
give your Smashing Pumpkin added
body and color, you can use real pumpkin.
In this video we will show you how to 
use canned and real pumpkin in our
extracted and all-grain kits. Let's start by
adding canned pumpkin to our extract kit.
Of course you can make this beer by
simply steeping and draining the
specialty grain, adding the extract,
boiling the hops and spices -- and end up with a perfectly awesome beer.
But if you want to use canned pumpkin
here's what Northern Brewer suggests.
This will require a straining bag large
enough to fit in the opening of your
boil kettle. We recommend a brew master
filter bag. In addition to your extract
recipe kit, you'll also need to buy two
pounds of crushed six-row malt 
and two or three cans of pumpkin.
This pumpkin should have no sugars or
preservatives added. This mini-mash of
six-row malt will help convert 
the starches in the pumpkin 
into fermentable sugars.
Bring three gallons of water up to 
about 160-degrees. Don't sweat it
if you're off by a degree or two.
Line the kettle with the filter bag.
Add the grain into the bag and 
stir well then add the pumpkin.
Be careful not to splash,
this water is hot.
Stir the pumpkin to mix well into the
mash and break up in the large clumps.
After you add the grain and pumpkin the
temperature should drop a few degrees.
Hold this mash at a temperature 
of 150-to-152 degrees
for about one hour.
If your temperature is too high
add a small amount of cold water.
If it's too low
just turn the heat on low and 
stir for a few minutes.
At the end of the hour, 
lift the bag out of the kettle,
drain as much liquid as possible,
and discard the contents.
The mesh bag itself can 
be cleaned and reused.
You can see the influence of the canned
pumpkin in the color of the wort already.
From here
add heat to bring to a boil,
add your extract, 
hops and spices per the recipe.
Now let's look at using real pumpkin 
in our all-grain kit. You can use this
roasted pumpkin method for the extract 
kit as well. First, find an 8-to-10 pound
pumpkin or a few smaller pumpkins that
add up to that weight. Cut the gourd(s)
in half and discard the innards. Then cut it
into smaller chunks or cubes. If pumpkins
are out-of-season, this technique works
well with winter squash like butternut
or acorn. Toss the pumpkin on a 
cookie sheet covered with tin foil or a 
glass casserole dish in the oven 
between 300 and 350 degrees 
for about 60 to 120 minutes
or until soft and cooked through.
Once out of the oven, move to another 
cookie sheet or bowl and let cool.
Once cooled, use a spoon to scoop the
flesh out of the gourd skin and into a
small bucket or bowl. Stir or smash the
pumpkin well the break-up any large
clumps before adding the 
pumpkin into your all-grain mash.
We suggest adding some hot water to the
pumpkin to help loosen it up and make it
easier to pour into your mash tun. Pour
your grains into your mash vessel and
stir well the mix. Some homebrewers even
add a few handfuls of rice hulls to help
avoid a possible stuck sparge.
Next, scoop the moist and cooked 
pumpkin flesh into the mash tun.
Again stir well to mix the pumpkin into
the mash and break up any clumps.
Mash it at 152-degrees
fahrenheit for at least one hour.
After this mash rest you have the option of
raising to a mash-out temperature 
of 170-degrees for ten minutes
then continue to sparge by
whatever method you choose.
Again, you'll notice the pumpkin's
immediate influence on the color,
feel, and aroma of the wort.
Collect your total boil volume.
Bring to a boil.
Follow the recipe for hops 
and spice additions.
Just like you can add real roasted
pumped into the extract version of
Smashing Pumpkin, 
you can also add canned 
pumpkin to the all-grain version.
And there you have it:
a festive beverage with full body and
great spice. Whether you add real pumpkin
or not, Northern Brewer's Smashing Pumpkin
Ale is a perfect treat for friends and
family during the holiday season.
Get your extract and all-grain beer kits
now at northern brewer dot com.
