First Pumpkin Beer...

Pumpkin absolutely has flavor. It's mellow and nutty after it's roasted for an hour at 350 degrees. I like the flavor of pumpkin (especially the "Cinderella" pumpkins, the ones that are short and wide; look like someone sat on it and squashed it. ha ha, squashed it...). When I make anything with pumpkin I reduce the spices by 1/2 to 3/4 so I can taste it.

Anyway, I've tried brewing a pumpkin beer that had the flavor of pumpkin about 6 times and gave up. I tried a mild brown ale base, wheat ale, Belgian single, you get the idea. All were mellow beers. Hops were always mild hops, usually Noble hops. Yeast was WLP001 and things like that.

I always roasted the pumpkin to get it soft and flavorful. I've tried adding it to the mash, I've added it to the boil, I've added it to the primary right out of the oven and into the fermentor.

Spices were typical pumpkin pie spice. In fact, I think I used pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice. I've added it to the boil and tried adding it to the fermentor after fermentation.

I've determined that it's really tough to get the natural taste of roasted pumpkin in a beer without it getting really starchy. I'm sure there are extracts or artificial flavors that can be added, but I didn't want to go that route. I've also determined that calling something a pumpkin beer is false advertising. It's a spiced beer, not a pumpkin beer. Or, it's a pumpkin pie beer, or maybe a pumpkin-spice beer; but if it doesn't taste like pumpkin, it's not a pumpkin beer.

Ok, that said, if you want to try it: you must roast the pumpkin, let it cool a bit, scrape the mush off the skin and don't forget the juices that puddle at the bottom of the pan. The pumpkin should go into the mash. I can't remember if I considered the starch convertible or not, I've tried both ways (shout out to HB42, if he's still on this, for help with that conversation). The time I put the pumpkin mush into the boil was a fail, the beer was so thick and starchy it was really disgusting. The time I put it in the fermentor wasn't as bad, but you have to use a hop bag or something so you can take it out and prevent chunks from disintegrating into your beer. Spices were better when I added them after fermentation, some floated on top a bit and some sunk. Clove became really pronounced.

Amounts: 1# pumpkin mush did nothing. 5# mush made a starchy mess.
Spices: 1" cinn stick in boil and 1" + 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp ginger and a few cloves at end of boil was ok, fewer cloves. I have a note that says a pinch each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice wasn't enough.

I have another note somewhere that says to use roasted sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin. That flavor will be more pronounced and when blended with the spices will taste more like pumpkin. I don't know where I got the info.

Recipes: I have two written down that I found, but I know I tried more.
First, from my first year brewing:
6.6# Wheat or LME
1# UK pale malt
12 oz UK medium crystal (huh?)
5 oz UK chocolate malt
4 oz fuggles hops
WLP001
Do standard extract with grains type brewing (partial mash, I guess?) with the pumpkin mush in the mash.

Second recipe:
all grain, I felt it was an epic fail but the stuff disappeared after awhile so someone drank it. Probably my sister during Thanksgiving, I don't know. I never asked.
6# US pale malt
5# pumpkin mush from a roasted pumpkin
.75# 30L crystal
8 oz flaked wheat (have no idea why...)
1.5 oz chocolate malt (for color)
1.5 oz Williamette @ 30 min
6# extra light dry extract (@ 10 min)
1 tsp irish moss @10 min
1 oz Goldings hops @ 5 min
1 pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice (note says next time add 1/4 tsp ea) @ 1 min
WLP001
Mash the grains in 2.5 gal water @ 150 deg, with the pumpkin mush.
This one came out very Belgiany, probably due to the spices. My note says it was ok at first, but after a few months it sucked. Probably due to the starches.

If I were trying one now, I'd not care about the cloudiness of the beer, or the starchiness. I'd brew a smaller batch that would be drunk within a month or two. I'd brew a basic pale ale malt bill with noble hops, add most of the mush to the mash (reserve the juices from roasting), and the rest of the mush and the juices in a hops bag after fermentation.

Another idea is to try "fat washing" the roasted pumpkin. Google fat washing, you'll see (it's essentially making your own flavored extract) that this might be a way to go.