PUMPKIN: To mash or not to mash... that is the question

[brewjedi]

Some put it in the mash. Some put it in the boil. Some use canned. Some just us pumpkin spice.

Some say mash to convert starch. My research so far shows it has little or no starch??? It does have 6 gram sugars per pound and 100 mg calcium per pound. So I guess 60 grams sugar and 1 gram calcium for 10 pounds. If this info is correct than I don't see a big gravity point advantage ether way. Not sure about the calcium being extracted. Some say Mash method is easier to clean up but if you don't get much flavor. I also heard a lot abot stuck mashes.
I have heard its impossible to strain when boiled making a secondary mandatory. So far my opinion is for best flavor and clean up it appears the best method would be using a large grain bag.
Any thoughts or info would be appreciated. The pumpkin is roasting as I type.

[brewinhard]

I have mashed my roasted pumpkin pulp and I have boiled it. I always found mashing it was a PITA, and never gave me any extra gravity points at all. Sometimes it even lowered my efficiency from my actual grains b/c it stuck up my mash tun so much.

The last few times, I have boiled it in a large 5 gallon mesh bag bought from my local homebrew shop. I put the roasted pumpkin in the boil after adding my 60 min hop addition and let it boil away pushing the bag under the surface of the boiling wort pretty often. With 10 min. left in the boil, I pull the bag and let it drip drain into the kettle for a few minutes. Then place the bag into a smaller pot to collect any remaining runoff which I add back to the final minutes of the boil.

I feel that boiling the pumpkin gives the best flavor and aroma without the hassle or mess in the mash tun. Easy clean up and contrary to what people may say, the beer was bright and clear within two weeks of conditioning in the fridge at 35F. So, I vote for the boil! You won't be sorry...

[MNHazmat]

I recently tried a very nice pumpkin cream ale. According to the brewer he had added 3 cans of pumpkin to the mash for a 10G batch. The pumpkin flavor was very evident and smooth but not overpowering. He did mention that he forgot to add rice hulls and as a result it took 3 hours to sparge.

[bhaas]

I recently made a pumpkin ale. I used a combination method. Half the pumpkin in the mash and half in the boil as Brewinhard suggests. 4lbs total. If you plan accordingly (rice hulls in the mash or grain bag in the boil) the addition of pumpkin is not a pain in my opinion. I did not add any spices until bottling. When i tasted my FG sample i felt there was not much pumpkin flavor, after spicing is when it became a pumpkin ale. I think the pumpkin does contribute to color. This beer has only been in the bottles 3 weeks and i still need to critically taste it.