Pumpkin beers are a complete pain in the ass to brew - but also a lot of fun I have to admit. I got almost 100 lbs of fresh pumpkins from a local, organic farm. I cut them up, baked them off, and then scooped their flesh directly in the mash tun to a base of Maris Otter and 5 different specialty malts to give the beer a sturdy malt backbone. Traditional pumpkin pie spices were added in the kettle.