By: Living a Stout Life<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sugar and spice and everything nice, that\u2019s what Pumpkin Beers are made of\u2026 Not!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s a dirty little secret that many consumers aren\u2019t aware of when it comes to all things pumpkin. Rarely, if ever, do they truly emerge from the actual flesh of a pumpkin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Products such as pumpkin pudding, gelato, latte, pancake and waffle mix, cotton candy, Goldfish brand crackers, marshmallows, and more. And, yes, pumpkin beer. Quite frequently, these are pumpkin spiced goods not made from pumpkin flesh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most of you brewers that have ever made a pumpkin beer already knew that. Pumpkin can be difficult to work with, yes. But there\u2019s more to the story than just that. And it dates back to the times of the Founding Fathers of the United States.<\/p>\n The history of pumpkin beer dates back to colonization of the United States. While brewers in Europe were using malts, the colonists were not privy to such luxuries. Barley and other grains were scarce, so they turned to other fermentables.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pumpkin was a hardy crop that basically grew as easily as growing weeds. They were in plentiful supply and became a staple of the colonial diet, which included beer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But brewers like George Washington<\/span><\/a>, the first president of the United States, didn\u2019t brew the type of pumpkin beer that we\u2019re familiar with as craft beer drinkers today. Pumpkin flesh was quite literally a substitute for malt, providing the fermentables, alongside other ingredients of the time, such as molasses, apples, pears, squash, and corn. Because it was so readily available and added little to the final flavor of the beer, pumpkin became a go-to ingredient.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pumpkin beers were still generally hopped, but were also sometimes paired with spruce, ginger, or even ground ivy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As grains and malting became available in the United States, brewers eventually shifted away from using pumpkin. Thus, pumpkin beer faded away for the better part of a century. But when craft beer started knocking on the door, so did the return of pumpkin beer.<\/p>\n In the mid 1980\u2019s Bill Owens, the founder of Buffalo Bill\u2019s Brewery in Hayward, Calif., discovered that George Washington had brewed beer with pumpkin, so he decided to give it a go, too. He quickly concluded that pumpkin added nothing to the beer to make it enjoyable, save for the fermentables.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Owens realized that it wasn\u2019t the pumpkin he was after, but instead, it was the great American taste of pumpkin pie, which derives its flavor profile from the various spices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He brewed his typical amber ale and went light on the hops. He let the yeast do its magic, then infused the beer with \u201cpumpkin pie juice\u201d in the bright tank just before carbonation. His magic elixir was several boxes of pumpkin pie spice mix that he steeped in a coffee maker.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The modern pumpkin spiced beer was born! And that\u2019s how most pumpkin beers and many other pumpkin tasting products are made today. They employ spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. These products, including beers, will sometimes use pumpkin or squash, but that is largely more for marketing than it is for adding flavor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/h2>\n
The Colonial Origins of Pumpkin Beer<\/h2>\n
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Craft Beer Revives Pumpkin Beer\u2019s Historical Roots<\/h2>\n