Roasted Pumpkin Beer Recipe (All Grain & Partial Mash)

Pumpkin beer is a distinctly American creation. Rumor has it that even Thomas Jefferson even had a pumpkin beer recipe he brewed.
As we get into the final days of summer, these popular pumpkin beers start flying off the shelves. But you’re a homebrewer. Why buy someone else’s pumpkin beer when you can brew your own?
The pumpkin beer recipe below uses a number of fall spices and a hefty amount of pumpkin to produce a fairly high-gravity, creamy, sweet, and spicy brew. Just like pumpkin pie in a glass! This pumpkin beer recipe works best as an all-grain or partial mash. You’ll need a kettle as well as a separate mash tun for “stewing” the pumpkin and the grains.

Pick a Base Style
Balanced and malt forward beers work best. Porters, ambers, and brown ales make for good base styles. A lager, such as an Oktoberfest could also be interesting. Either pick a Steam Beer or use the pumpkin beer recipe below.
Roasted Pumpkin Ale Recipe:

OG: 1.070
FG: 1.015
ABV: 7.2%
IBUs: 28-32
8 lbs. Two-row malt
2 lbs. Munich malt
1 lb. Caramel 60°L
1/2 lb. Victory® malt
8 lbs. Pumpkin, peeled and roasted
1 oz. Northern Brewer hops @ :60
1 oz. Willamette hops @ :10
1 tsp. Irish moss @ :10
1/4 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
English or American Ale yeast (Suggestions: Safale S-04, Safale S-05, Wyeast 1056, Wyeast 1099)
5 oz. corn sugar for priming

Preparing the Pumpkin
If you’re so inclined, you can use a whole pumpkin in this pumpkin beer recipe. Choose a variety that’s suitable for pumpkin pie, about 10 pounds in size. Clean out the pumpkin, setting aside all the pulp and seeds. Peel the rind from the pumpkin, reserving the meaty flesh. Bake the pumpkin at 350°F for 1 1/4 hours, then mash into a pulp.
If you’re short on time, canned pumpkin will work in a pumpkin beer recipe, too. Leave behind the preservatives and artificial coloring and go with 100% pumpkin.

Procedure – All Grain
Using 1 quart of water for every pound of pumpkin and grain, mash the pumpkin with the crushed grains for 60 minutes at 150°F. Sparge with water at 170°F, collecting 5.5 gallons of run-off. Bring to a boil, then add the bittering hops. At the 30 minute mark, add the spices. Add the flavoring and aroma hops according to your beer recipe. At the :10 minute mark, add the Irish moss. Whirlpool, cool, and transfer to a clean, sanitized fermenter. Pitch yeast when the wort reaches 70°F.
Primary fermentation for one week, secondary for two. Prime with corn sugar, then bottle.

Procedure – Partial Mash
Using 1 quart of water for every pound of pumpkin and grain in the pumpkin beer recipe. Mash the pumpkin with the specialty grains at 150°F for 30 minutes. Strain out the pumpkin and the grains, collecting the wort in the brew kettle. Add water (up to about 75% of your brew kettle capacity). Bring wort to a boil, then add the bittering hops. At the 30 minute mark, add spices. Add the flavoring and aroma hops according to your beer recipe. At the :10 minute mark, add the Irish moss. Whirlpool, cool, and transfer to a clean, sanitized fermenter. Pitch yeast when the wort reaches 70°F.
Primary fermentation for one week, secondary for two. Prime with corn sugar, then bottle.
Feeling extra adventurous? Serve the pumpkin beer with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make a pumpkin beer float!