Pumpkin Ale Recipe: How to Brew a Pumpkin Ale

If you have brewed a few batches already and want to try Pumpkin Ale, this is a straightforward, all-grain route to it. The backbone is Pale malt, with Magnum 16% doing most of the work in the boil.

Recipe at a Glance

Brew Day, Step by Step

That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.

Serve It Right

A Pumpkin Ale is best served in a snifter or mug, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: Volarium 13.5oz Tulip Glass Set of 6

Ingredients & Gear for This Batch

Grain / Adjuncts Brewmaster – GR300EM Malt – 2-Row Pale – 5 lb Milled

Hops Citra Pellet Hops 1 oz

Yeast LalBrew VOSS Kveik Brewing Yeast (2 Pack) – Kveik Ale Yeast

Fermenter Italian Carboy 5 Gallon | Clear Glass Fermenter for Wine and Beer

Priming Sugar Corn Sugar Dextrose Bottling Priming Sugar 1 lb Highly Fermentable N

Equipment PERA 4 Pack Bottling Bucket Plastic Spigot

Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Ale

Traditionally brewed in colonial America as a cheap, local alternative to malt beers, this seasonal ale is subtly spiced to complement the distinct pumpkin character.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

To Ferment29 days d

Course: Beer

Cuisine: Mixed Styles

Keyword: Pumpkin Ale

Servings: 40 Pints

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Dan Smullen

Equipment

• 1 Large brewing pot
• 1 Fermentation vessel (such as a glass carboy or plastic bucket)
• 1 Airlock and stopper for the fermentation vessel
• 1 Immersion or counterflow wort chiller
• 1 Mash tun or large heat-resistant container for mashing
• 1 Brewing thermometer
• 1 Hydrometer or refractometer for measuring gravity
• 1 Long stirring spoon or paddle
• 1 Auto-siphon or racking cane for transferring beer
• 1 Tubing for siphoning and transferring beer
• 1 Sanitizing solution or sanitizer
• 1 Bottles or kegs for storing the finished beer
• 1 Bottle capper or kegging system
• 1 Airlock for the fermentation vessel
• 1 Cleaning brush or scrubber for equipment cleaning
• 1 Brewing software or recipe formulation tool (optional, but helpful for recipe calculations)

Ingredients

For the Mash – Liquor 12.75 Litres (22 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F

• 7½ lb Pale malt Quantity 3.4kg
• 2¼ lb Munich malt Quantity 1kg
• 1.2 lb Wheat malt Quantity 500g
• 3½ oz Special B Quantity 100g

For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins

• ½ oz (Hops) Magnum 16% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 21.8)
• ⅓ oz (Hops) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh 5% When to add – For last 5 mins of boil (IBU 1.0)
• 1  tsp   Protofloc  Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
• 1 stick Cinnamon stick Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of boil
• ½ tsp   Ground ginger Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of boil
• ¾in piece Vanilla pod Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of boil
• 2 cloves Whole cloves, crushed Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of boil

To Ferment – 18°C (64°F) – Conditioning 5 weeks at 12°C (54°F)

• 1 White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Instructions

Mash Preparation:

• In a large pot, heat 12.75 liters (22 pints) of water to a temperature of 65°C (149°F).
• Add the following ingredients to the pot: 7½ lb (3.4 kg) Pale malt, 2¼ lb (1 kg) Munich malt, 1.2 lb (500 g) Wheat malt, and 3½ oz (100 g) Special B.
• Stir the mixture well and let it mash for 1 hour.

Boiling:

• In a separate large pot, bring 27 liters (47½ pints) of water to a boil.
• Once boiling, add ½ oz (Hops) Magnum (16% alpha acid) to the pot and start the 1-hour boil timer.
• After 50 minutes of boiling, add 1 tsp Protofloc to help clarify the beer.
• With 5 minutes remaining in the boil, add ⅓ oz (Hops) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh (5% alpha acid), 1 stick of cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¾ inch piece of vanilla pod, and 2 cloves (crushed).
• Stir the mixture gently and continue boiling for the remaining 5 minutes.

Cooling and Fermentation:

• After the boil, cool the wort as quickly as possible to a temperature of 18°C (64°F).
• Transfer the cooled wort to a sanitized fermentation vessel.
• Pitch the White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast into the fermentation vessel.
• Seal the vessel with an airlock to allow carbon dioxide to escape while preventing contaminants from entering.
• Place the vessel in a temperature-controlled environment at 18°C (64°F) for fermentation.
• Let the beer ferment for approximately 29 days.

Conditioning:

• After fermentation, transfer the beer to sanitized bottles or kegs.
• Store the bottles/kegs at a temperature of 12°C (54°F) for conditioning.
• Allow the beer to condition for about 5 weeks to develop its flavors and carbonation.

Enjoyment:

• Once the conditioning period is complete, your Pumpkin Ale is ready to drink!
• Pour it into a glass, savor the flavors, and enjoy your homemade Pumpkin Ale.

Get the fermentation temperature right on Pumpkin Ale and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.

What Makes Pumpkin Ale the Style It Is

Pumpkin Ale sits in a well-established style family, and the version most homebrewers land on today reflects decades of small adjustments by brewers chasing balance rather than novelty.

Expect a beer that leans on pale malt and magnum 16% once it is finished conditioning. White Labs WLP001 California Ale is the yeast strain behind that profile, so keep an eye on your fermentation temperature.

Style Characteristics at a Glance

• ABV: 6.5-8.5%
• Bitterness: 20-35 IBU
• Color: 12-25 (amber to brown)
• Serving temp: 50-55F (10-13C)
• Glassware: a snifter or mug
• Food pairings: roast turkey, spiced desserts, aged cheese

Common Questions

Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.

What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.

Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.

Keep Exploring

Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:

• Christmas Ale Recipe
• Oaked Brown Ale Recipe
• Yorkshire Bitter Recipe

Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.

This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.