best beer base for a pumpkin ale?

[Faseel]

This is an easy one, what is the best ale base for a pumpkin ale? I want to crank one out for thanksgiving.

Thanks all!

 

[android]

if i was going to do a pumpkin beer, i'd try for a malt bill that would approximate a light oktoberfest or light amber ale. by light, i mean the color, not the flavor necessarily. i just wouldn't want something uber dark and malty, i'd think that would cover the pumpkin flavor. i've also heard using the pumpkin in the mash is the way to go.

 

[TopherM]

Most of the commercial examples of Pumpkin Ales are based off Ambers. Other less prominant commercial examples are based off Browns, Porters, or Stouts.

If you want to make a Pumpkin Beer that tastes like liquid Pumpkin Pie, base it off an Amber recipe.

I made a Pumpkin Stout this year that is really good, but the body of the beer is more defined by the Stout properties than the pumpkin spices, and I put a ton of pumpkin spices in there, along with 56 oz of pumpkin meat in the mash. The same would go for Porter-based, the Porter properties are going to dominate. Brown would be somewhere in the middle. I'd go amber if you want to really taste the Pumpkin and Spices.

 

[Sacreddog717]

I just tasted my Pumpkin Porter. Based of a basic Brown Porter recipe. It's my first pumpkin beer and so far I think it turned out very good.