A question about pumpkin ales...

[mamac]

Hi all!

I'm thinking about trying my first pumpkin or sweet potato ale this fall and I'm not sure what I'm going to do for hops. I'm not sure if I want any hop bitterness at all... If I leave them out entirely will I have preservation issues? I figure it won't hold up as long, but a beer's expected lifetime around here is pretty short anyway. I'm also a little worried about my beer being sickeningly sweet? I Imagine the pumpkin as being a little bit bitter after you ferment it dry but I really don't know anything about its residual sugars.

Any thoughts?

[LiverDance]

If you post your recipe we can offer better advice. I go with 20ibus for my pumpkin ale.

[amartin]

You still want some bittering hops, just to keep it from being too sweet and for the preservative qualities. Just aim low.

[mamac]

Here is what I've got so far. I'm aiming for a slightly sweet chai taste.

Pumpkin Chai
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.051
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 5.05%
IBU (tinseth): 8.79
SRM (morey): 10.54

FERMENTABLES:
3.3 lb - Liquid Malt Extract - Light (43.4%)
3.3 lb - Liquid Malt Extract - Light - (late addition) (43.4%)

STEEPING GRAINS:
1 lb - Caramel / Crystal 60L (13.2%)

HOPS:
0.5 oz - Willamette (AA 4.5) for 60 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
4 lb - Roasted Pumpkin, Time: 60 min, Type: Flavor, Use: Boil
1 tsp - Ground Green Cardamom Pods, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Secondary
0.5 tsp - Ground Cinnamon, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Secondary
0.25 tsp - Ground Pepper, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Secondary
0.25 tsp - Ground Ginger, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Secondary