About This Beer
Trouble Brewing Pumpkin Brew 44cl 4.5% is a seasonal Irish Pumpkin Ale brewed by Trouble Brewing in Kill, Co. Kildare. Returning for autumn, Pumpkin Brew combines real pumpkin with a malt-led ale and warming spices to create a beer that's become something of an annual Halloween tradition within Irish craft beer.
And this isn't simply a beer flavoured to resemble pumpkin spice. Trouble Brewing's own ingredient information confirms that pumpkin itself goes into the beer, alongside water, malted barley, hops and yeast.
The pumpkin contributes an earthy sweetness which works alongside the beer's malt character, while the familiar autumn combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger provides its distinctive spiced profile.
The result pours towards copper and orange, with malt and spice immediately apparent on the aroma. Sweet pumpkin follows, while cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger build through the palate. Importantly, Pumpkin Brew isn't designed as a thick or excessively sweet dessert beer. At 4.5% ABV, there's enough hop bitterness and clean drinkability to balance the sweeter malt, pumpkin and spice.
Pumpkin ales have a much longer history than the modern pumpkin-spice craze might suggest. Pumpkins were used in North American brewing centuries ago, originally in part because fermentable brewing ingredients weren't always readily available. Modern pumpkin ales generally use the ingredient for flavour instead, often combining it with spices associated with pumpkin pie and autumn baking.
Trouble Brewing has been making its own Irish interpretation for years, turning Pumpkin Brew into a recurring seasonal release rather than a one-off novelty.
For anyone exploring Irish craft beer, it's an opportunity to try something markedly different from the IPA, pale ale and stout styles that dominate many Irish craft beer selections.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Copper to orange-gold with an autumnal hue and a foamy head.
- Aroma: Sweet malt and pumpkin accompanied by warming cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger.
- Taste: Earthy pumpkin and malt sweetness lead into cinnamon and warming baking spices, with nutmeg and clove particularly noticeable.
- Mouthfeel: Smooth and approachable, with enough body to carry the pumpkin and spice while remaining highly drinkable at 4.5% ABV.
- Finish: Warming spice gives way to a smooth, gently hoppy finish that balances the sweeter pumpkin and malt character.
About the Brewery
Trouble Brewing is an independent Irish craft brewery based in Kill, Co. Kildare. Established in 2010, the brewery has been part of Ireland's independent brewing scene since its relatively early days.
Originally operating from Allenwood, Co. Kildare, Trouble later moved to a larger production facility in Kill. The brewery has developed a broad range over the years, spanning approachable core beers alongside experimental, limited and seasonal releases.
Pumpkin Brew is one of the brewery's recurring seasonal beers and has a history stretching back well over a decade. References to Trouble Brewing's pumpkin beer can be traced to 2012, making it a particularly established example of the style in Ireland.
The beer has since become associated with the arrival of autumn and Halloween, returning seasonally rather than becoming part of the year-round range.
There's also a particularly nice local element to the beer's history. Previous releases have used pumpkins grown and roasted for Trouble Brewing by Deirdre, known by the brewery as its “Pumpkin Queen”, before being added to the brew.
That combination of real pumpkin, spice and an established annual brewing tradition makes Pumpkin Brew more than simply a Halloween-themed label. It's a genuine seasonal beer with a long-standing place in Trouble Brewing's range.
Discover more beer from independent producers in our Irish craft beer collection.
Food Pairings
Trouble Brewing Pumpkin Brew is particularly good with the flavours we naturally associate with autumn.
Roast pork is an excellent match, especially with roasted root vegetables, where the pumpkin, malt and warming spice complement the caramelised flavours of the dish. Roast chicken works equally well, particularly with traditional sage or herb stuffing.
Sausages are another easy pairing. The savoury meat provides contrast to the beer's sweeter pumpkin character, while caramelised onions echo its malt sweetness.
For cheese, try mature Cheddar or a nutty Gouda. Both have enough flavour to stand alongside the cinnamon, nutmeg and clove without overwhelming a relatively moderate 4.5% beer.
Pumpkin Brew can even move into dessert. Apple crumble, carrot cake or lightly spiced ginger cake all pick up different elements of the beer's autumn spice profile.
Try More Like This
Pumpkin Ale remains an unusual style in Ireland, which is part of what makes Trouble Brewing's annual release worth seeking out. If you enjoy beers that move beyond the more familiar lager, stout and IPA categories, explore our Other Beer collection.
You can also discover more beers produced by breweries around Ireland in our Irish craft beer selection.
For the complete range, browse Craft Beer & Craft Cider, including seasonal releases, limited editions and established favourites from Ireland and around the world.
Shop the best of craft beer Ireland and from around the world online with TheCru.ie or in our Dublin craft beer store, Carry Out Tyrrelstown in Dublin 15.