Dude, if you're in the Ann Arbor area, join the club! Ann Arbor Brewer's Guild is one of the older and prestigious clubs in the area; the amount of knowledge you'll find there is simply astounding.
Case in point: Several of the brewers there have made many batches of spruce beer (and I'm pretty sure won awards for it too, but don't quote me on that). Contact Mike O'brien, webpage here:
http://www.ypsilantibrewing.com/
Stop by the shop on a Saturday and ask to sample his brew; he usually has a spruce on tap in the back that he'll gladly share. He also sells a lot of homebrew supplies; I get my 2-row from him at the lowest price I can find locally. He'd know best what state the spruce tips are in around here.
Seriously, stop in at the monthly meeting. Second Friday of every month, find out where at aabg.org. Next month's meeting will be priceless; we'll have the Fill In The Hop Ale group project on hand, with the same batch of ale split up into 10, 10 gallon batches and brewed with different hops (we got sponsored by Wyeast and Hop Union). It'll be at NHBC, I highly encourage everyone to stop in! Sadly, I can't make it, but the beer'll be just as tasty without me
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