Spruce tip beer critique

[Davemci]

9 lb marris otter
.5 crystal 69 ( o yes 69 deg lovbond)
Mashed at 150 for 75 min BIAB

. 5 oz Legacy60 min
.5 legacy 15 min
3 oz fresh spruce tips 15 min in a hop bag to be removed at flame out
1 oz legacy flame out
2oz spruce tips at flame out

The spruce tips are fresh picked and I'm a newbie with using them. They r heavy because they r fresh. Should I dry them?
I'm also worried I'll over cook them in the boil and make pine sol

I have some white labs dry English slurry ready to go so I was goin to use it.
14 days in primary to keg.
Thanks ahead of time.

 

[martyjhuebs]

Subscribed, I find it a little funny that the day I pick some spruce tips to try brewing with is the day you post this. I am definitely curious what people say.

 

[Psylocide]

Wish I could help, I'm planning mine as well. I am not planning to dry mine first though, I think fresh will be better. The flavor is really good now and think you may lose some oils that way?

I really have no idea though. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[lowtones84]

Certainly no need to dry them, and you will not create pine-sol by overcooking them. When I made a spruce IPA, I used spruce tips at every stage of the boil in combination with hops and it wasn't a problem. Some people loved it, some people didn't, as usual

I don't think the amount you're using is bad either, so brew away! I'm not familiar with Legacy hops, so the only question I have is if they will play nicely with the spruce tips that you have. It also depends on how fresh the spruce tips are, what type of spruce they come from, etc. etc...brewing with spruce tips has a bit of a learning curve, so take good notes for next year.

 

[Psylocide]

Certainly no need to dry them, and you will not create pine-sol by overcooking them. When I made a spruce IPA, I used spruce tips at every stage of the boil in combination with hops and it wasn't a problem. Some people loved it, some people didn't, as usual

I don't think the amount you're using is bad either, so brew away! I'm not familiar with Legacy hops, so the only question I have is if they will play nicely with the spruce tips that you have. It also depends on how fresh the spruce tips are, what type of spruce they come from, etc. etc...brewing with spruce tips has a bit of a learning curve, so take good notes for next year.

Any idea on the type of spruce you had?

I have blue spruce and I get big lemon flavor and very slight pine/mint when chewing it... but the aroma isn't overpowering either.

Any thoughts on what you think it added to the beer?

 

[lowtones84]

I had a combination actually. To me, the blue spruce had stronger flavors. I'm not sure on the other specific types I had really, just that they were green, with the tips being a very light green.

To me it added a slight citrus as you mentioned, but also a piney/resinous flavor. I used quite a bit, and it was sharp when it was young (there was also quite a bit of centennial in the recipe...) but has mellowed. I still have a few bottles stashed back at my parents' house, and after two years the spruce holds up much better than the hops.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Are you sure it is blue spruce and not engelmann spruce?

 

[Davemci]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll keep u guys posted. I already vacuume packed and froze the tips. They decay fast while they r still fresh. But I'm probably going to do it this week.

 

[lowtones84]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll keep u guys posted. I already vacuume packed and froze the tips. They decay fast while they r still fresh. But I'm probably going to do it this week.

Yeah, I brewed the day that I picked mine. Because this thread reminded me of it I actually had my last spruce IPA a couple of nights ago. It's from two years ago, but the spruce is -definitely- still present and delicious! It was basically a Two Hearted Clone from the recipes section here (all Centennial) with quite a bit of spruce thrown in at different stages of the boil. Definitely worth a shot.