How much spruce tips did you add and at what point in the boil (or flameout)? I have spruce ale recipe and always like to compare with other brewers as its a fairly non-traditional brewing ingredient.
You'll have to update with how it tastes vs what you added.
I used liquid spruce essence, about 1/3 of the bottle or it tastes like pine-sol for for a couple weeks (it does diminish over time).
I changed things up and used some Simcoe, Northern brewer, and Cascade for filtering in the Hop Rocket.
Here is the recipe, feel free to use it.
Steve's Spruce Ale 2015
5.5 Gal batch (according to BeerSmith 2)
10# 2-Row
1# Crystal 20L
8 oz Carapils
4 oz Crystal 60L
Mash at 150 +/- 2 degrees for an hour or until starches have converted fully. Sparge at 170. Collect around 8.5 - 8.75 gallons BEFORE adding molasses. If you did add the molasses it will skew the reading a bit. RDWHAHB.
1 oz - Simcoe - FWH
1# Unsulfered Blackstrap Molasses - Add and stir in well, before starting boil (to prevent scorching on the bottom of the brew vessel).
.5 oz - Northern Brewer (I used .8 oz and it could use a little less) - 20 Min
1/3 of a 2 oz bottle of spruce essence. (.666 oz) - 5 min
1 oz Northern Brewer - 5 min
Your standard Irish Moss, yeast nutrient, Alpha Amylase also if desired at 10-15 min.
American Ale Yeast II - 1272 at pitching temp around 65 degrees
Ferment for 7 days at 68 degrees.
Dry hop with 1 oz of Cascade if you wish.
You WILL get blowoff if fermenting in a 5 Gal Corny keg.
Tasted nice unfermented, and with a barely noticeable hint of spruce. We'll see once she's done fermenting.
It's still bubbling away, and did push out more than expected in a growler and spilled yeast all over the floor of the mini fridge. No worries all clean (for now).
Once done fermenting, take a bit and then once you have consumered a beer then transfer 2 a keg and have another bear. then have a bar and carbonute at 12-14 PSI for another beer. Cleen stuff some time. Dun. WHOOO!
