Every community has some way of saying “welcome to the neighborhood.” Here in the Northwoods it typically involves some sort of collision with a deer. The morning that we planned on brewing Tracy’s new pumpkin stout recipe, Tracy’s daughter Lilah received her deer initiation on the way to school. Fortunately, she was completely unharmed, but the poor deer was not, so we’ve got venison in the freezer. The brew day was delayed but proceeded as planned.

Just in time for Halloween, this oatmeal stout incorporates 27 pounds of roasted sweet pumpkins locally provided by Tanya from Hofrichter Farms in Deerbrook, WI. This brew offers an extremely smooth mouthfeel and finish. Thanks to the excellent advice from Tracy’s mentor back in Virginia, the custom spice blend is the perfect complement! Think pumpkin pie from scratch in a glass…