Pumpkin Ale Success

“This is really close (to perfection).”

That was the top response I received from the folks at Austin Homebrew Supply after asking them to sample my Pumpkin Ale. Honestly I was a bit surprised. I knew the beer had an imperfection or two but apparently not as noticeable as I had believed.

Photo is too dark. The beer is more red-orange in color.

They pointed out that it’s a bit light on body and has just a tinge of astringency. This is most likely due to mash temps dropping too low. Also in small batches imperfections tend to show more. They offered some advice on how to keep the temperature high (reheat and recirculate liquor during steps) and boost the body (Carapils®). I’ll definitely try these suggestion next time around.