Note the following other ingredients:
3 lbs pie pumpkin (boil)
.5 oz molasses (preferably blackstrap)
2 oz maple syrup (preferably grade B)
1-3 tsp spice mix (Editor: see below for recipe)
2.5 lbs pie pumpkin (secondary)
Roast pumpkin in oven, then coat in brown sugar and spices, then add to boil
(optional) Toss your cubed pumpkin in brown sugar and spices.
Toss your hops, boil for an hour, and kill it. I toss my spices in at flameout.
(Editor: Recipe for Spice Blend):
My spice blend is a mix of one tablespoon of cinnamon, one teaspoon of ginger, one teaspoon of nutmeg, and a quarter teaspoon of cloves.
After primary fermentation, I secondary my pumpkin ale for one week with a fair amount (I do 2.5 pounds) of roasted, caramelized pumpkin. I feel this is the step that really puts the 'true' pumpkin flavor into my beer; along with discovering biscuit malt in 1995, I credit it as turning a good pumpkin ale into a great one. This is also where you use the molasses and maple syrup mentioned in the ingredients; toss them into a hot pan with your roasted pumpkin to candy. You can skip the secondary (or split off a gallon or two to try it on a smaller scale) if you find it unconvincing.