August's Brew Day - Imperial Harvest Pie (Fall Seasonal #2)

Last Friday, I brewed up the August brew of the month.  As the end of the summer draws near, I decided to brew the second fall seasonal beer of this year (the first being my Oktoberfest, brewed in March traditionally). 

I LOVE the fall but I'm not all that CRAZY about fall beers.  I should refine this statement....I'm not all that crazy about spiced beers.  Spice is good in my favorite drinks at Starbucks and in pumpkin pies but NOT in beers...that's just my philosophy.  To be more accurate, I think that most spiced beers are overspiced, UNbalanced and need something to back the overwhelming aroma and flavor of the spices used.  One particular example is pumpkin beer which usually tends to be heavy on the spice and light on the pumpkin.

A definite exception to the pumpkin beer trend of overspiced-ness is Southern Tier's Pumking.  Another great beer from an outstanding brewery, the seasonal offering is a big 'ol 8.5% abv and loaded with carmel / pumpkin / sweet goodness.  Sooo...I've tried to replicate it...sort of.

Actually, I'm trying to replicate the balance they've achieved with spice and sweet and pumpkin.  So, I've started with a big beer...Lots of pale malt with a generous amount of crystal malt.  Added Lactose sugar for residual sweetness and a secondary fermentation stage which will age on bourbon soaked vanilla beans.  The kicker?  This beer actually ISN'T a "pumpkin" beer...it's a butternut squash beer!  Here in Middle Tennessee, there aren't any fresh pumpkins ready yet but plenty of squash and to boot, they're all in the same family.  In fact, I've heard of lots of folks using butternut squash in pumpkin recipes and having great results.

I mashed as normal but added chopped up bits of squash that had been roasted for 45 min during that last half of the mash.  It worked famously.  Some folks have complained of pumpkin making a sticky mess but I had no problem. 

Right now, the big beer is churning away in the primary fermenter with a blow-off tube in place as it is REALLY humming right now.  In about 3 or 4 weeks, I hope to keg what will be a sweet but spicy pumpkin beer at around 7.5%.  Here's the Recipe:

 Imperial Harvest Pie Ale:
Original Gravity = 1.084
Finished Gravity = 1.025
Projected ABV = 7.72%

Grains and Mash Schedule:
American Pale Two Row = 14 lbs
Crystal 60L = 1.5 lbs
Carapils = .5 lbs
Roasted Butternut Squash = .5 lbs
Rice Hulls = 1 lbs

-Mash at 157 deg for 60 min.
-Add Roasted Butternut Squash at 30 min.

Hop / Other Schedule:
Boil 60 min.
60 min = Magnum; .5 oz
15 min = Sterling; .5 oz
10 min = Lactose; 12 oz
5 min = Spice tea with .5 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice, .3 tsp Cinnamon, .2 Allspice, .2 Nutmeg

Secondary fermenter = 2 vanilla beans soaked in bourbon for 10 days