Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale (no pumpkin)
Brewed: 10/20/2024 Kegged: 10/26/2024

Seriously, the last time we brewed the pumpkin beer, we had it on tap from the end of September until the following MARCH!
She just doesn't drink enough to go through a whole five gallons.
For quite some time, I've been thinking that the beer would be better with just the base. No pumpkin and (more importantly) no spices.
Another advantage of doing just the base is that we could make a pumpkin spice tincture and add it "on demand" if she really wanted a pumpkin spice beer.
Win / win.
So ... this is the recipe we brewed. Since I really like the name, I kept it on the non-pumpkin beer.
It's my beer. I can call it what I want. If you brew your own non-pumpkin Autumn Ale, you can call it what you want.
Untappd: Will-o-Wisp Autumn Ale (no Pumpkin)

For more information on Will-o-Wisp, see Sheppy's Blog: Will-o-Wisp.
Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale --- Batch 2 (363) |
Style | American Brown Ale | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.60 gal | |||
Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
Recipe Gravity | 1.054 SG | Estimated FG | 1.014 SG | ||||
Recipe Bitterness | 26.4 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.3 % | ||||
BU : GU | 0.488 | ||||||
Recipe Color | 18.5 SRM |
|
|||||
Measured OG: | 1.054 | Measured FG: | 1.013 | ||||
ADF: | 75 | Measured ABV: | 5.4 |
Ingredients
Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7.96 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
6.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
2.00 g | Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
2.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
0.50 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 5 | - | - |
10 lbs | Golden Promise (Simpsons) (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 81.2 % | 0.78 gal |
2 lbs | Crystal, Medium (Simpsons) (55.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 16.2 % | 0.16 gal |
3.0 oz | Pale Chocolate Malt (200.0 SRM) | Grain | 8 | 1.5 % | 0.01 gal |
2.0 oz | Midnight Wheat Malt (550.0 SRM) | Grain | 9 | 1.0 % | 0.01 gal |
1.000 oz | Magnum [12.60 %] - Boil 30.0 min | Hop | 10 | 26.4 IBUs | - |
1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) | Fining | 11 | - | - |
1.0 pkg | SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] | Yeast | 12 | - | - |
Mash Profile
Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
---|---|---|---|
Saccharification | Add 32.01 qt of water at 158.9 F | 152.0 F | 45 min |
Heat | Heat to 158.0 F over 10 min | 158.0 F | 15 min |
Mash Out | Heat to 170.0 F over 7 min | 170.0 F | 10 min |
If steeping, remove grains,
and prepare to boil wort
Brewing salts in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=101,Mg=15,Na=21,SO4=223,Cl=119,HCO3=104
Acid addition to bring calculated pH around 5.4
Mash grains as directed.
Boil as directed. Cool to as close to 60 degrees as possble.
Hold low temperature for first 24 - 48 hours of fermentation, allowing to raise where it wants after that.
Ferment 2 weeks. Keg and carbonate.
Brewing Record
Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
Mash Temps: | ||||||
Pre-boil OG | (1.049 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.60 gal) | |||
Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
Fermentation | ||||||
Day 1: | ||||||
Day ... | ||||||
Day ... |
Brewing Notes
10/8/2024 Ordering ingredients from the Brew Hut today. Thinking I'll brew Sunday or Monday.
10/14/2024 Picked up ingredients. Not sure when I'll brew.
10/20/2024 Brew Day today went well. Hit the gravity numbers fine.
10/21/2024 1.054 OG. Made a mistake in leaving the fermenter outside to cool some while I went on a bike ride and by the time I was back, the fermenter was in the sun and the Tilt said it was 79 degrees.But, once I got the fermenter in the basement, it recovered into the high 60's. Fermentation was going strong by the time went to bed. Today, Tilt says 1.046 at 66.
10/22/2024 Bubbling slowed down. Krausen starting to fall. Tilt says 1.014 at 72 degrees. I think I might be able to keg by this coming weekend. We'll see.
10/23/2024 Bubbling seems to be pretty much done. Krausen gone. Getting pretty clear looking. Tilt says 1.011 at 70 degrees. I am planning on kegging this weekend.
10/26/2024 Kegged. Final Tilt reading 1.008 at 69, but the hydrometer read 1.013. Gorgeous mahogany color. Already pretty clear. Great malt flavor. Maybe a bit more dry than I remember this beer. Nicely balanced. Not much hop flavor at all. Yummy. Chilling in the beer fridge.
10/31/2024 Foamy, I think this is mostly high psi currently in the keg. Might purge CO2 before Learn to Homebrew guests arrive. I am really liking the flavor. Malty. A bit of chocolate. Caramel. Fairly clean. Not much hop flavor but nicely balanced.
11/3/2024 Served at Learn to Homebrew Day, which was a huge success. People really seemed to like all the beers.
11/10/2024 Smooth. Nice brown ale. A touch of chocolate. A touch of caramel. Yummy.
11/14/2024 Checked into untappd. Rich and smooth. Balanced. A little nutty. Nice dark chocolate and caramel notes. Easy drinking.
11/21/2024 Yummy. Caramel. Nice that the ABV is fairly low.
11/30/2024 I think this is running low. Very clear now. Still tasting about the same.
12/13/2024 Still tasting wonderful. Looks beautiful. Nice and clear. Not sure how much time this beer will last. Probably not too long.
12/15/2024 Killed the keg. Nice that Tafel Mystère will have a home once it finishes.
10/8/2024 Ordering ingredients from the Brew Hut today. Thinking I'll brew Sunday or Monday.
10/14/2024 Picked up ingredients. Not sure when I'll brew.
10/20/2024 Brew Day today went well. Hit the gravity numbers fine.
10/21/2024 1.054 OG. Made a mistake in leaving the fermenter outside to cool some while I went on a bike ride and by the time I was back, the fermenter was in the sun and the Tilt said it was 79 degrees.But, once I got the fermenter in the basement, it recovered into the high 60's. Fermentation was going strong by the time went to bed. Today, Tilt says 1.046 at 66.
10/22/2024 Bubbling slowed down. Krausen starting to fall. Tilt says 1.014 at 72 degrees. I think I might be able to keg by this coming weekend. We'll see.
10/23/2024 Bubbling seems to be pretty much done. Krausen gone. Getting pretty clear looking. Tilt says 1.011 at 70 degrees. I am planning on kegging this weekend.
10/26/2024 Kegged. Final Tilt reading 1.008 at 69, but the hydrometer read 1.013. Gorgeous mahogany color. Already pretty clear. Great malt flavor. Maybe a bit more dry than I remember this beer. Nicely balanced. Not much hop flavor at all. Yummy. Chilling in the beer fridge.
10/31/2024 Foamy, I think this is mostly high psi currently in the keg. Might purge CO2 before Learn to Homebrew guests arrive. I am really liking the flavor. Malty. A bit of chocolate. Caramel. Fairly clean. Not much hop flavor but nicely balanced.
11/3/2024 Served at Learn to Homebrew Day, which was a huge success. People really seemed to like all the beers.
11/10/2024 Smooth. Nice brown ale. A touch of chocolate. A touch of caramel. Yummy.
11/14/2024 Checked into untappd. Rich and smooth. Balanced. A little nutty. Nice dark chocolate and caramel notes. Easy drinking.
11/21/2024 Yummy. Caramel. Nice that the ABV is fairly low.
11/30/2024 I think this is running low. Very clear now. Still tasting about the same.
12/13/2024 Still tasting wonderful. Looks beautiful. Nice and clear. Not sure how much time this beer will last. Probably not too long.
12/15/2024 Killed the keg. Nice that Tafel Mystère will have a home once it finishes.