Pumpkin Pie Mead Maine Style

[bilbo-in-maine]

With Masta's input, I got a batch started yesterday. This is for 2 gallons.



8 pounds fresh pumpkin, baked w/ spices, then peeled

7 pounds local wildflower honey

1 bag orange flavored Craisins

6 oz dried currants

1 tsp pectic enzyme

1 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient

1 tsp yeast energizer

2 Campden tabs

Smidge of tannin

Water to 2 gallons

1 packet Lalvin EC-1118 yeast



The OG was 1.112 at 78 degrees when the yeast starter was pitched. Here
is what the must looked like after adding everything except yeast.

The strainer bag held down for a clear view

The must was prepared in one my smaller 4 gallon fermenting buckets
gotten for free from a local whole foods store (ignore the 2 1/2
gallons of pumpkin wine in the background fizzing away - yeah, I know,
I'm into pumpkin this season

)

Eight hours after preparing the must, I pitched the starter, splashing
it off a spoon to try to keep it on top of the must, and the bag helps
keep it afloat.

This morning, 10 hours later, there was good activity.

By this evening the EC-1118 has taken off and darkened in color.

This strain of yeast is good for up to 18% alcohol and works quickly.
Unlike Masta's batch, started over a week ago, mine should ferment to
complete dryness. After tasting, I'll have the option to slightly
sweeten later. I'll rack in about a week, leaving the bag behind, and
hopefully have more pictures at that point and progress report!



Bill

 

[masta]

Lookin Great Bill....we will be trading bottles next fall to compare batches.

Give it a good stir twice a day for the first 3 days at least to get that yeast working!

 

[PolishWineP]

Lookin' good! I'm interested in knowing if you end up with the same problem Masta had with the "pumkin water."

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Give it a good stir twice a day for the first 3 days at least to get
that yeast working!

OK Masta, will do - I figured stirring would be appropriate, I'll make them
active stirs.

I'm interested in knowing if you end up with the same problem
Masta had with the "pumkin water."

Hmmm. Yes, now that you mention it, I wonder too

. I'll have to
monitor SG. It's all part of the fun!

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Just an update without pictures, sorry. The mead has been racked to two
gallon jugs plus two small carryover bottles that got all the dregs for
topping up the one gallons. Fermentation is still going on. I racked at SG
about 1.006 and squeezed the strainer bag well. There was not much
sweetness at that point but the overall taste was pleasant. Now I wait for
fermentation to stop, and then clearing.

I don't think I got hit with the water surprise. Prior to pitching the yeast, I
had the pumpkin in the strainer bag and squeezed it to try to wring out as
much water as I could before adding the main quanitiy of water to the
honey. The pumpkin had been frozen and readily gave up water.Edited by: bilbo-in-maine

 

[PolishWineP]

Ah!


***Adopts the Maxwell Smart stand and voice***


"The old freeze-you-pumkin-so-it-readily-gives-up-it's-water routine. Good thinking, Chief!"

I was having romantic notions about using fresh pumpkin but I know that we always get better results when we've frozen our fruits. Great way to avoid the pumpkin water problem.

 

[masta]

Way to go Bill...bake then freeze and squeeze!

 

[Steve]

You think this would work with canned pumpkin? It will be hard finding fresh pumpkin this time of year...

 

[masta]

Steve,


Using canned pumpkin would work just fine justnot sure on the amount per gallon. Have to think about this some more...what do you think Bill?

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

My experience with canned pumpkin is that it comes out of the can as
semi-liquid mush and becomes so much mush in the fermenter. It won't
stay in even a fine strainer bag. This leaves you with much more sediment
than whole pumpkin leaves, assuming it too is placed in a bag, and it
definitely has to be. All the fruit for my pumpkin wines have been in bags,
but I still get a lot of light, fly-away lees.

As to amount per gallon, that is difficult to say. There is a lot of water in
the canned pumpkin, just as there is in the fresh. Not having a can here
with me at the moment, I don't know if the ingredients listed on a label
say Water and Pumpkin or just Pumpkin. I would assume there are no
preservatives. If no water is added, then what is in the can might well be
the natural water in the pumpkins that were processed and hence pretty
much the same amount that we get with our fresh ones. If so, Masta now
has the experience to know how much water to add to the must.

Bill

 

[masta]

I just remembered when I made my Pumpkin Ale last year I used canned pumpkin and cooked it a bit in the oven. I spread the canned pumpkin on a baking sheet and cooked until it was starting to caramelize. This would also help remove some of the water and you could also use the spice on it as we did with the fresh.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

I think that once the de-watered pumpkin is combined with the liquid
must it will turn into a fine mush again. It's not the end of the world - you
just have to expect to leave a lot behind for several rackings. I will say
that pumpkin wine clears on its own very well over time without much
haziness, at least when made with fresh pumpkin. My mead is showing
signs of the same propensity.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

With the benefit of Masta's input, I figured it was time to rack this mead. I still have 2 full 4-liter jugs plus one 375 ml bottle of very tasty liquor.

The EC-1118 took it to full dryness so the final SG is .992, for ABV of 16.15%. I shook each bottle for several minutes to degas and now they are undergoing cold stabilization to settle and clear. I'll try to remember to post photos at bottling time, and hopefully a year from now after aging! (if it lasts that long)

 

[masta]

Nice color Bill...it is quite darker than mine and must be from the type of honey you used.

 

[PolishWineP]

That is beautiful!!!

I am moe committed than ever to make this next year!

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Pumpkin pie mead was bottled a week ago - eleven bottles from the batch.
Should be very pleasant tasting next year's holiday season!

 

[djcoop]

Yum, looks beautiful. Pumpkin is my favorite pie(I'll eat anything pumpkin

). I bet this is going to be good. I am making Martina' s pumpkin wine (canned pumpkin), next time, I may try fresh and bake as masta suggested.


I think I need to get a snack...........


Great job

 

[masta]

I was looking at my Pumpkin Pie Mead the other day and it is lookin pretty clear so soon it will be time to adjust if need and bottle for aging!

 

[Country Vines]

Okay - it's been a year . . . how are the pumpkin meads doing? I want to try the pumpkin mead, but I'll have to use canned pumpkin and I thought I would check on your results before I start a batch.