Spruce Tip Beer

I’m thinking of doing another beer with spruce tips. I probably won’t be able to harvest any for a few more weeks, but it’s getting close. Wondering what your guys’ experience is with them.

I wasn’t crazy about the last one I did, which seemed heavy on the spruce and I didn’t care for the astringency from using them as a bittering addition. So instead, maybe just use them as late additions. My ideal spruce beer would not be dominated by them, but would just have some presence to enhance the other ingredients.

I’m thinking of doing an APA, paired with either piney American hops (Centennial, Simcoe, etc), and just use an once at maybe 10 minutes and an once at flameout. Or maybe a saison or grisette, pils/munich/wheat, with more earthy or floral continental hops.

Thoughts?

I’ve been toying withe the idea myself. My plan would be to brew a brown ale with some molasses and a flame out addition of the tips. Still formulating if in my head. Keep us posted.

That sounds great! My understanding is that the colonists made their spruce beer with molasses. Must have been ghastly by modern standards!

Tried it once a long time ago. My short advice, don’t do it. I successfully made Pine Sol beer.

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Do you recall how many ounces you used? I’m thinking of keeping a really light touch with them, as I’ve certainly had some where the spruce dominated everything else. Would have made a great cough syrup!

Sounds great, I would loved to see the final recipe if it turns out well.

Did you dilute it and clean some wood flooring?

Sure didn’t drink it.

Sorry but it was a long time ago. I also wanted try a beer that was something like brewed by our forefathers. I used spruce tips from trees on our property and really had no idea what I was doing. In the end even though I probably over did the spruce, the flavor talked me out of doing it again.

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Never had a spruce beer that I really liked. That is why I think k have to brew my own. I think k can make it work in a brown or Porter. I think an 1/8 oz st flame out.

If you weren’t wearing some sort of flannel while you picked the spruce tips, the beer won’t respect you and you may end up with pine sol.

Prolly need one of those long hipster-lumberjack beards too huh?

It helps! I wear my stormy kromer to compensate for my lack of lumberjack beard.

I was singing “I am a lumberjack, I’m OK. I drink all night and I work all day!” Does that count?

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