Punkin’ Ale Recipe (All-Grain): 5 to 30 Gallons
An all-grain Punkin’ Ale recipe you can brew at 5 to 30 gallons: 6.3% ABV and 16 IBU, with the grain bill, hop schedule, yeast and step-by-step process.
In this post
Punkin’ Ale at a glance: 6.3% ABV, 16 IBU, OG 1.064. One of the most-brewed pumpkin ales online: real baked pumpkin in the mash, brown sugar in the boil and a generous dose of pumpkin pie spice at the end.
Recipe credit: Punkin’ Ale by Reno_eNVy on HomeBrewTalk, #9 on HomeBrewTalk’s all-time Top 100. We’ve put it in our recipe card, scaled to 5 gallons at 72% efficiency, and kept the brewer’s gravity and hop schedule. See the original for the brewer’s own notes and the discussion.
Bräu Supply recipe · All-grain
Punkin’ Ale
Grain · for 5 gal into the fermenter
| 9.75 lb (4.42 kg) | Pale 2-row malt | 83% |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | Crystal 60 | 9% |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | Victory malt | 9% |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | Brown sugar, 60 min |
Hops
| 1 oz (28 g) | Hallertau Mittelfrüh · 4.8% AA | 60 min |
| 1 oz (28 g) | Hallertau Mittelfrüh · 4.8% AA | 5 min |
Other ingredients
| 3.6 lb (1.63 kg) | Canned pumpkin (two 29 oz cans, no spices), baked at 350°F (177°C) for 45 to 60 minutes | In the mash |
| 4.5 tsp | Pumpkin pie spice (1½ tablespoons) | Last 5 min of the boil |
Yeast and water
| 2 pkg | American ale yeast (US-05), 2 packets | |
| Water | Balanced water. | |
Process
- Mash: 156°F (69°C) for 60 minutes
- Boil: 60 minutes
- Ferment: 66°F (19°C) until the gravity is stable
- Condition: Package when stable; ready in about 3 weeks
- Carbonate: 2.4 volumes of CO₂
Brew it on
Based on 72% brewhouse efficiency and about 5.5 gal after the boil for a 5 gal batch. Adjust the base malt if your system runs higher or lower. Hops scale in a straight line; larger kettles extract a little more bitterness.
About this recipe
Baking the canned pumpkin first caramelizes it and drives off water, which gives more flavour and a less sticky mash. The brown sugar adds a little molasses depth and keeps the finish from getting heavy. The spice charge is fairly bold; cut it back if you prefer a lighter touch.
How to brew it
- Spread the pumpkin on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 45 to 60 minutes. Let it cool.
- Mash the grain and pumpkin at 156°F (69°C) for 60 minutes. Add rice hulls if the runoff is slow.
- Boil 60 minutes with the brown sugar and first hops; add the spice and last hops for the final 5 minutes.
- Chill to 64°F (18°C) and pitch two packets of yeast. Ferment at 66°F (19°C).
- Package at about 2.4 volumes of CO₂.
Tips
- Use plain canned pumpkin, not pie filling.
- Taste before packaging; you can add more spice then, but you can’t take it out.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from your pumpkin ale?
It’s a little stronger, with brown sugar and a bigger spice charge. Our pumpkin ale is lighter on the spice.
Does the pumpkin add fermentable sugar?
Very little. It mostly adds colour, body and a subtle earthy note.
Related guides
Our pumpkin ale, how much spice to use, avoiding a stuck sparge.