Smashed Pumpkin Brew Day

Last weekend of October.  Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the brain.  Rainstorm outside.  It must be that time of year to make my Smashed Pumpkin Ale.  The last  time I was brave enough to brew this pesky squash quencher was back in 2010.  That year, I was still a novice brewer making partial mash/partial extract brews.  With friends and family alike begging for this harvest beer, it was time to make it an all grain masterpiece.

Smashed Pumpkin Ale

Yield:
10 gallons

Grains:
3.0 lbs Rye
3.5 lbs Crystal 80
3.5 lbs Crystal 20
18 lbs  Gambrinus Pale

Mash:
45 minutes at 152 degrees

Sparge:
12 gallons

Boil:
60 min:   2oz Cascade hops
20 min:   9.5 lbs of 100% canned pumpkin
15 min:   2oz of Mt. Hood hops
10 min:   1 tbsp each of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, All Spice, and Cloves
               1 oz of pure vanilla extract

Yeast:
NW Ale 1332 by Wyeast (2)

Original Gravity:
1058

Conditioning Options:
Four years ago, I put in a bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka after fermentation was complete.  I immediately force carbonated the batch and bottled it a week later.  When the boil kettle was filling our humble garage brewery with pie spice, two alternate options came to mind: taking half the batch and throwing it in a cask with Mexican vanilla beans to be enjoyed a month from now or putting the whole batch into a Bourbon Whiskey barrel from Woodinville Whiskey and see what magic happens.  Check back in a few weeks to see what we decided.  If you try this recipe at home, let us know any adaptations you made and how it all turned out in the comment section below.  

Happy brewing!