Spruce beer advice?

[MikeGottsch]

Hello all. I am an extract brewer since 2003. I want to make spruce beer. I already have the recipe I want, and it calls for spruce tips (fresh growth). I would appreciate advice on the following:

1. Where can I get spruce tips?

2. Can I take them from an Alberta spruce in my yard, even though not new growth? Will that work? Why/why not?

3. Twice previously I made spruce beer using spruce essence. I used 1 tablespoon per 5 gal batch per the recipe. It was way overpowering to the point of being undrinkable. Does the spruce essence in correct proportion replicate the fresh spruce tips taste? If so, how much should I use if I end up having to use essence? I would guess a quarter teaspoon per 5 gal batch.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

 

[wyzazz]

1. Where can I get spruce tips? When I make my spruce beer I pick them from my Blue Spruce in the front yard.

2. Can I take them from an Alberta spruce in my yard, even though not new growth? Will that work? Why/why not? You can take them from the Alberta Spruce, but you want new growth. Pick them in the spring when they are around 1.5-2" long, if you use old growth you'll get a turpentine like taste.

3. Twice previously I made spruce beer using spruce essence. I used 1 tablespoon per 5 gal batch per the recipe. It was way overpowering to the point of being undrinkable. Does the spruce essence in correct proportion replicate the fresh spruce tips taste? If so, how much should I use if I end up having to use essence? I would guess a quarter teaspoon per 5 gal batch. Can't really comment on this one, I've never used Spruce Extract.

 

[megamanisrad]

@Mike
Spruce Beer? Sounds intriguing. Do you have a recipe? I love in northern Ontario, I wonder if black spruce would work?

 

[wyzazz]

Make a tea with the spruce tips in some boiling water, it'll give you an idea of the taste they will lend to beer.

 

[alexdagrate]

You have to wait until spring.

What recipe are you using? I made a spruce pale ale last year and it was fantastic.

 

[wyzazz]

I do mine as a No Chill brew, recipe is below. Everyone loves it!

SpruceBrau (No Chill)

Boil Volume: 6.55 gal Boil Time: 60 min

6 lbs DME Pilsen Light (Briess)
2 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM)
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Secondary 7.0 days) Misc
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Hot Transfer) Misc
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Boil 60.0 min) Misc

White Labs #WLP041

Measured Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Color: 14.1 SRM
Actual Alcohol by Volume: 5.87 %

 

[MikeGottsch]

My plan is to use the following recipe, very loosely based on Papazian's Kumdis Island spruce beer.

6 lbs. amber LME
1 lb. honey
Norther Brewer hops (bittering)
French Strisselspalt hops (flavor)
Danstar Nottingham dry ale yeast
I will probably use spruce essence at bottling, in light of the responses I've gotten (one-quarter teaspoon for the whole 5 gal batch). If I get just hint of spruce, that's what I want. Any further input is most appreciated.

 

[rockfish42]

The extract AFAIK is made from the entire tree, I used some in a beer once and it was a lot like sucking down Pinesol. That tiny amount might be ok, but the real deal is from new growth spruce tips.

 

[MikeGottsch]

I am inclined at this point to wait until next year for the spruce and to just use my recipe without spruce anything, mabye throw in something else to give it a holiday feel. Any suggestions?

 

[wyzazz]

Give it some spice if you want a holiday beer, nutmeg, coriander, cloves, etc...

 

[14thstreet]

I just brewed up a spruce beer made from tips I collected back in May (new growth) that I had frozen. I used 4oz each at start of boil and again at 20 minutes left, along with a half ounce of Centennial at 60 and 1 oz at 20 minutes. I'm not sure how much of the spruce will come through (there's also rye) but the tips were still very aromatic after the boil.

 

[birvine]

I used black spruce last year when the new growth was available - the brew was good, but I cannot really say that I could discern a strong flavour of spruce.