Spruce Suggestions Please

[OrCoastBrew]

Ok, So I am going to go harvest a bunch of Sitka spruce shoots for my next beer and I have been working hard to come up with a recipe but I am stumped.
My thought was that I would brew an all grain amber ale with a light hop addition and try to pick up most of my bittering flavors with the spruce. I have researched a ton of recipes but they are all over the place on Quantity, and timing of addition. So I talked to the brewmaster up at Alaska brewing company and she wasn't much help other than suggesting that I don't add the tips until the end of the boil for fear of picking up some tanins. Has anybody done one of these beers? I need some advice on quantity and timing. I am thinking 2 ozs 5 minutes before flameout and then maybe even adding some to the secondary for a week. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Poindexter]

The one from the Alskan brewery in Juneau is the only spruce beer I can stomach. It starts like a very basic pale ale, good balance through the middle, and then some Christmas tree in the finish.

Definitely an aquired taste, I have had a couple that were like drinking turpentine. If someone with more brewing experience comes up with "replace half of your (5)minute hops with x amount of spruce tips at flameout I would start there and maybe use less.

A little bit of the flavor goes a long way, but I don't know how big a pile of sprucetips...

 

[SankePankey]

Alba from Scotland is very good. The spruce is understated and the beer has a nice malty sweetness and a slight piney-ness which combine to make a sort of resiny-ness. If I were to brew this beer myself, I'd pump up the spruce a bit. So, if you're looking for subtle spruce, try this one. I didn't think it was 'un-stomachable'. Still looking for the Alaska one here in NY. Never seen it.

From what I read (cause I like the spruce topic) most people think that your in for a bag of hurt when it comes to spruce. So, I think it would be a safer route to include partial spruce essence along with the tips so you can moderate/measure your desired amount of spruciness. Haven't tried it myself though.

 

[lurker18]

I just noticed the new spruce tips comming out this morning and had the same thought. I agree that Alba is a decent beer, I haven't tasted it for a couple of years, but thought that the hint of something different was quite good.
I am also looking to make a throw together spruce beer, but I am not set up for all grain yet so it would be a countertop partial mash, and was thinking about doing more of a spruce tip tea and then adding to the wort at flame out, or possibly in the cooling stage. That way I could maybe taste as I go and scale up for the full 5 gallons.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/12142/243

 

[SankePankey]

I have read recommendations from people to do just that on other threads.

I do imagine that the bark has a way more tannins than the needles, so when I do it I am going to take some scissors to it to remove as much stem as possible.

 

[lurker18]

From what I have read and heard, the only part that should be used is the very newest growth, and it is only good for a few weeks in the spring. Just cut 3/4 of the new groth tips off with scissors, there will be no bark or sticks or twigs. At least that is what I am planning to do.

 

[wyzazz]

From a BYO (Fort George Brewing Spruce Budd Ale)

6 lbs Extra Light Dry Extract
2 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L
3.00 oz Spruce Tips (Secondary 7.0 days)
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Boil 5.0 min)
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Boil 60.0 min)
1 Pkgs Pacific Ale (White Labs #WLP041)

I plan on making this tonight or tomorrow, they use Sitka Spruce Tips I will be using Blue Spruce.

 

[OrCoastBrew]

From a BYO (Fort George Brewing Spruce Budd Ale)

6 lbs Extra Light Dry Extract
2 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L
3.00 oz Spruce Tips (Secondary 7.0 days)
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Boil 5.0 min)
5.00 oz Spruce Tips (Boil 60.0 min)
1 Pkgs Pacific Ale (White Labs #WLP041)

I plan on making this tonight or tomorrow, they use Sitka Spruce Tips I will be using Blue Spruce.

Please let us know how it turns out. We could maybe do some tweaking to that recipe based on your thoughts.

 

[wyzazz]

I'm actually doing a PM version of this tonight or tomorrow, I'll definitely let everyone know how it worked out. I believe the tasting notes state it tastes "Like a walk in the forest". ;0)

 

[freddyb]

A guy in my local club is an experience spruce beer brewer. He always uses the spruce tips in the mash, not the boil. I've tried two of his spruce beers and enjoyed them both. One was a brown and the other a stout. Some reference links:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=1752.0
http://picasaweb.google.com/picobrew/HistoricBrewing# (scroll down to the picture "spruce tips in the mash")

Hope this helps.

 

[OrCoastBrew]

O.K. So I sat down and had a couple of homebrews with the former owner/brewmaster of Siletz brewing today and he gave me a few tips about the spruce ale.

1. Wait until the tips are about 3 inches long and only use the light green area.
2. Only use in the last 10 to 15 minutes of the boil. He also liked the idea of incorporating them into the mash.
3. go light on the hops
4. amount is up to personal taste and would be different if you put them in the mash as apposed to the end of the boil. I think I am going to put them into the mash and I am going to use about half a paper grocery sack full for a 5 gallon batch.