Pine sap?
- Thread starter masskrug
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One of my friends makes a spruce beer, it's called "sproose juice". It's good.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23018/69642 if you want impartial from beeradvocate.
http://www.blackhuskybrewing.com/blackhuskybrewingsproosejoose.html from his website.
It's really good, and not like I thought it would be. He uses spruce tips (not pine sap or pine tar) and it's really tasty.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23018/69642 if you want impartial from beeradvocate.
http://www.blackhuskybrewing.com/blackhuskybrewingsproosejoose.html from his website.
It's really good, and not like I thought it would be. He uses spruce tips (not pine sap or pine tar) and it's really tasty.
He uses hops in the DIPA. but I never thought to ask him how much/what type/etc. I don't drink it much, as it's a big beer alright.
He did one as a special at Christmas that was Imperial Sproose Joose. Damn near killed me- good thing Bob was driving home (his brewery is about an hour away from where we live).
I know that he hand picks the spruce tips and tips only, but I don't know much else, sorry!
Oh, I just remembered!!!! I'm going to see him next Saturday and I'll try to ask him. It's at a beer festival, though, and his booth is usually very very swamped. If I can't ask him on Saturday, please remind me and I'll shoot him a message on Facebook. Or if you are a Facebook person, you could send him a message and just ask him directly. Tell him that you're a friend of mine, and if he's telling, he'll tell you!
hey Yoop, not to get too off subject but you gonna be talking to M. Ferguson anytime soon? if so, PM me. I'd like to shoot one of my early inspirations an email or something.
He uses spruce "tips" because the young growth at the tips of the branches are too young to contain the alkaloids in the other parts of the tree. The alkaloids are poisonous.
hogwash
Well-Known Member
I believe Alaskan does a spruce tip beer as well. I don't know much about it though.
No, I don't think so unless he's going to be at the NHC in Philly. My "beer travel budget" has been slashed by management
, so I'm not out and about all that much any more. If I see that he'll be at NHC, I'll let you know, though.
I've tried making a piney IPA with hops, but fail to really get a strong piney flavor. I've used Chinook and Simcoe so far. Are there any better ways?
I'd have to drive pretty far for pine needles/cones...
I'd have to drive pretty far for pine needles/cones...
ghack
Well-Known Member
Greek Retsina is flavored with Aleppo Pine resin. Aleppo pines grow in the US, but I have yet to find a source for the resin. I would suspect you could add it to beer. If you've never had Retsina, best thing to say is it is an acquired taste, and I have acquired it. Others wonder how anyone can drink a wine that tastes like Listerine and smells like turpentine.
OP
OP
masskrug
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Would the alkaloids be removed in the boil, or would this end up being a sickening beer?
I don't think the boil would lessen the effects of the alkaloids in the other parts of the tree. The sap is boiled to make turpentine,etc.
Clonefan94
Senior Member
Don't use pine tar. That stuff has already been boiled down and believe me, it's nasty if you taste it. Used to use it all the time when playing baseball. Putting a chew in with that stuff on your hands was nasty enough, I couldn't imagine drinking it.
I would think if you got some fresh sap, needles, or especially the tips, like Yooper has mentioned, it could be interesting. There is a reason though they added "tar" to the end of pine tar, is definitely as much, if not more tar than pine.
I would think if you got some fresh sap, needles, or especially the tips, like Yooper has mentioned, it could be interesting. There is a reason though they added "tar" to the end of pine tar, is definitely as much, if not more tar than pine.
Smells like turpentine because that is where turpentine comes from! It is distilled from pine sap, and what is leftover is used for rosin (for baseballs, bowling balls, violin bows etc.)
Kirkwooder
Emperor of all things nobody cares about
There is a recipe in the book "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" page 212 for a spruce beer. If you want I could post it or PM it to you.
Majic Hat makes a beer they call "Woody" that is susposed to be a ESP spruce beer. It's pretty good for something diffrent.
Majic Hat makes a beer they call "Woody" that is susposed to be a ESP spruce beer. It's pretty good for something diffrent.
Spruce is very easily found- but probably not in Texas. I don't think I've ever seen any spruce trees in TX.
The trees are everywhere here, more numerous than just about any other trees around.
What exactly does spruce add to the beer?
I'm certainly game for trying things out. Is it worthwhile to search for? Or should I keep hoping to find myself living in the Rockies again?
Obviously not something I might easily find around these parts?
I'm certainly game for trying things out. Is it worthwhile to search for? Or should I keep hoping to find myself living in the Rockies again?
Obviously not something I might easily find around these parts?
It has a distinct "pine tree" taste. Well not a pine really, because it's spruce which isn't a pine. But using the spruce tips gives the beer that spruce flavor.
Black spruce is said to be the most common tree on earth- but I've never seen it in the south. We have black, white, and a few blue spruce where I live but mostly black and white spruce. They have blue spruce in Colorado.
Is it worth searching out? Well, not to people like me. But there are people who like it. It'd be like heather tips or something unique in a beer. I don't care for it at all.
And like was mentioned- you don't use the pine tar or sap, you use only the tips.
adamdillabo
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I was going to try rosemary. Any one have experience. Recommend boiling or dry hop?
CreamyGoodness
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One word of caution. If a pregnant woman is having one of her three allowable weekly beers do not do not let it be one that includes pine. Pine needle tea has been used for centuries to abort pregnancy spontaneously.
Baileisdad
Well-Known Member
I don't think I would give a pregnant woman any beer. Even if they thought they could have three.
CreamyGoodness
Well-Known Member
I'm not going to start a debate about whether or not a pregnant woman should drink beer. Honestly, I have no reason at this time to give a crap.
What I AM interested in is pregnant woman not consuming a product with natural pine flavoring and not knowing the risk to themselves and to the fetus.
What I AM interested in is pregnant woman not consuming a product with natural pine flavoring and not knowing the risk to themselves and to the fetus.
Baileisdad
Well-Known Member
Baileisdad said:
Just sayin. Not to start a debate.
ghack
Well-Known Member
Not a good idea to start debating with a pregnant woman, either.
Anyway...a few commercial examples of spruce beer are out there from time to time.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/450/26892
Anyway...a few commercial examples of spruce beer are out there from time to time.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/450/26892
