Brew day came and our group of 4 apprentice brewers turned up nice and early for a mash rich in speciality roast malts giving a rich dark base for all the interesting ingredients to follow. First ingredient into the copper was roasted and mashed pumpkin to give subtle background flavours and bigger mouthfeel. Next hops from our wide British collection were chosen after a lot of sniffing, including some of our favourites like Bramling Cross. We then went onto the spices which included cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and vanilla. Care was taken to try and balance the intensities of the spices.