Spruce Tips are Popping...Do I Dare???

[BierMuncher]

Anyone have experience adding fresh spruce tips to their beer?

I've found recipes for spruce tips on BYO, I've seen that Alaska Brewing uses spruce tips in their Winter ALe.

I'm thinking my next (10-gallon) malty pale ale, I might just toss in half a cup (loosely packed) into one of the fermenters.

Thoughts? Experiences? Warnings?

 

[McKBrew]

No spruce tips for me yet, it's too early. I am all about adding spruce tips to beer, and am looking forward to giving it a go. I personally think spruce tips could work well in either an APA, IPA, or American Wheat. In order to get any major spruce flavor, I think boiling would be the best option to extract the flavor. Just dry-sprucing might not open up the needles enough to get much of anything.

 

[BierMuncher]

No spruce tips for me yet, it's too early. I am all about adding spruce tips to beer, and am looking forward to giving it a go. I personally think spruce tips could work well in either an APA, IPA, or American Wheat. In order to get any major spruce flavor, I think boiling would be the best option to extract the flavor. Just dry-sprucing might not open up the needles enough to get much of anything.

Yeah, I've read 10-15 minutes in the boil.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

I am drinking an Alba scottish spruce/pine ale right now. Saw your post and thought, hmm, time to pop it open.

I have been curious about it myself and other "traditional" seasonings.

It is quite tasty I think. A bit unusual but it is definately beer. According to the bottle it is only malt and spruce/pine tips, no hops mentioned. The first impression is sweet and very reminiscent of a belgian abbey type brew. As you swallow the pine chacarcter is definately there but not unpleasant. Kind of like throwing a pine bough on to a campfire and getting a waft of it burning. Or perhaps sweet piney incense burning...

If you can find Alba pick one up. I think alot of other recipes and literature I have read on using spruce involves rather dark roasty beers like porters and is paired with things like molasses. This however is a bit lighter but still pretty rich and malty. I would imagine if you were to make something like a pale ale you would want to be careful so as not to overpower the malt.

Are you planning on foregoing hops?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Spruce is a powerful flavor. I'm cellaring 10 gallons of last year's winter warmer for a year as a result. I used the recommended amount of spruce extract, and it was VERY overpowering. I imagine the same could happen with actual spruce tips.

 

[uglygoat]

i read a short story in papazan's beer book where he travels the globe and drinks beer, about an icelandic(iirc) brewer who puts whole spruce cuttings in his boil kettle, branches and all...

 

[BierMuncher]

...Are you planning on foregoing hops?

No. Normal hop additions for bittering and adjust the late additions to compliment the spruce additions.

 

[landhoney]

Dare! Dare!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

My Norway spruce is popping tips too.

I have/had no plans for a spruce beer but, I do intend to collect afew ounces of the tips and put them in a deep freeze for later use.

 

[Evan!]

DOOOOOOO EEEEEEEET!

But don't go with some wimpy winter ale, yo. Make a big fatass Imperial Spruce Porter. You need to do some research with regards to amounts, though, because even with actual tips and not the extract, it's easy to overdo it. I made a porter once that I added spruce extract to, and it was/is way too sprucey, even after 18 months in the bottle. A friend poured me a pint of spruce stout (a rather large, hoppy, roasty base beer with tips added) once, and even with age, it was really sprucey. So I would definitely make a big huge imperial dark beer for the base, as it would be much more forgiving and age much better than a milder, smaller beer.

 

[EinGutesBier]

If you're looking to innovate, do it. However, just to be sure of what you're getting into, test the tips out by making a tea and drinking it. Not only will you have an idea of the imparted aroma and flavor, but you might get an idea s to what concentration would be best.

EDIT: I'm also curious how this turns out.

 

[BierMuncher]

If you're looking to innovate, do it. However, just to be sure of what you're getting into, test the tips out by making a tea and drinking it. Not only will you have an idea of the imparted aroma and flavor, but you might get an idea s to what concentration would be best.

EDIT: I'm also curious how this turns out.

Yeah. I'm not looking to do a "spruce beer". I just want to impart some "essence" of the spruce. I'm hoping to replicate some of that piney aroma you get using chinook.

The idea of doing a spruce tea to validate the flavor and aroma is a good idea.

 

[EinGutesBier]

Yeah. I'm not looking to do a "spruce beer". I just want to impart some "essence" of the spruce. I'm hoping to replicate some of that piney aroma you get using chinook.

The idea of doing a spruce tea to validate the flavor and aroma is a good idea.

Good call on the Chinook replication. I don't see why an ounce or whatever of spruce tips couldn't be a good adjunct for those who like that piney flavor if you're out of piney hops.

One name comes to mind..."Piney the Elder"...

 

[TexLaw]

I have not messed around with spruce because I've had only a couple spruced beers that I wanted more than a few sips of. However, I understand that you can easily overdo spruce and that it can take a looooong time to mellow with age. I also understand that, as you mentioned, you do need to boil spruce. If you are interested, go for it, but tread carefully.


TL

 

[BierMuncher]

Here’s my stab at a recipe. I’m modifying a (Kona-esc) haus ale that I love by increasing the malt grains a bit and removing 2 ounces of late addition hops in favor of the spruce tips.

I’m initially looking at 2 ounces of spruce tips for 10 minutes in an 11.5 gallon batch. The IBU’s look a bit low, but I’m counting on the spruce adding some bitterness.

Once I get a visual look at how much that is, I may adjust.

Adirondack Pale
Batch Size: 11.60 gal
Boil Size: 15.13 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 10.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount
14.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)

1.00 oz Phoenix [12.00%] (90 min) (FWH)
1.00 oz Cascade [6.10%] (1 min)
1.00 oz Sterling [7.50%] (1 min)

2.00 oz Spruce Tips (Boil 10.0 min)

2 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-56) Yeast-Ale

Mash at 155 for 45 minutes.

 

[RadicalEd]

One of my LHBC members is huge into the "authentic old-style beer" stuff, and has made many a batch of spruce beer. Their best success was a demonstration brew at a local Renaissance festival. They lined the bottom of a wooden keg with pine boughs to use as a mash tun, which apparently worked fantastically. The beer was simple, mostly 2-row with a little crystal and on the heavy side (maybe 1080 OG?). All the pine came from the boughs in the MLT. It was just right; not overpowering, but still very present.

 

[BierMuncher]

One of my LHBC members is huge into the "authentic old-style beer" stuff, and has made many a batch of spruce beer. Their best success was a demonstration brew at a local Renaissance festival. They lined the bottom of a wooden keg with pine boughs to use as a mash tun, which apparently worked fantastically. The beer was simple, mostly 2-row with a little crystal and on the heavy side (maybe 1080 OG?). All the pine came from the boughs in the MLT. It was just right; not overpowering, but still very present.

That sounds like a fun idea.

I think I'll sample out of the keggle once it's cooled and gauge the aroma. I can always steep more and add to the secondary if needed.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Very interested to hear how this turns out - subscribed.

 

[Bobby_M]

10 gallons of experimental beer? You're an animal.

 

[BierMuncher]

10 gallons of experimental beer? You're an animal.

Yep. Good thing I have forgiving taste buds.

I was out tonight...sneaking over to the neighbors yard plucking some big, fat, tender blue spruce sprouts off his tree.

Gear is set up...grains are crushed and hops are measured. Tomorrow (Friday) after work and the experiment begins.

 

[RadicalEd]

I just dropped a message on the LHBC email list asking if anyone had a write up of the process. I'll check my email as frequently as possible and try to post any response up for you tomorrow, if you're interested.

And yeah, BM, you are an animal!

EDIT:
and the responses begin trickling in:

I hear the going rate is 1 brown paper grocery
bag full of spruce tips per 10 gallons. Avoid the woody part and just
use the tips.....in the mash.....do not boil.

EDIT #2:
from the master hisself:

Ah - Spruce Beer!
. . has been brewed for centuries - found to contain sufficient vitamin
C to prevent scurvy - George Washington's troops were given a daily
ration of Spruce Beer.

My discovery of Spruce Beer - came about during my research into
historical brewing. In days of old the mash vessel did not have nifty metal
screening devices - the common practice was to use straw or evergreens
in the the bottom of the vessel as a means of separating the grain from
the sweet wort. I had commonly used straw and pine boughs - both of
which worked very well in the mash tun - but provided little to no flavor
to the beer. Spruce on the other hand - when used in the mash tun -
imparts a delightful citrusy/spruce character to your beer.

I have found that a 'grocery bag full' (a historical measure) of spruce
tips (about 7#) - works well in 10 gallon batches with a decent
gravity - over 1.060. Style makes little difference as I have brewed pale
ales, porters and stouts all with pleasant results. My latest batches have
been made with Belgian yeast. I have alway use some hops for bittering
and flavor and let the spruce take care of the aroma.

Most of my historic brewing takes place in the late summer. By then the
'new growth' is about 6 to 8 inches long.
I have, even been known, to used the tips of 'used' spruce Christmas
trees - I try to pick the ones with the lease tinsel.

My experience has been with blue and white spruce trees - as that is
what I have in my yard. The blue spruce having more flavor.
The two trees that I would like to try are black spruce and Sitka
spruce - anybody have access to these?

I have always used my spruce in the mash - feeling that the lower
temperatures minimize the risk of pulling out the resiny turpentine
characters. Speaking of turpentine character - DO NOT USE the milky bottles of
Spruce Essence found in the home brew supply shops. This is not a
pleasant flavor - though I have heard that it is drinkable after 1 or 2
years!

I have also tasted very nice examples of spruce beers made by club
members (Tom Roache?) who added a small quantity of spruce tips at the end
of the boil.

At Big Brew last week someone shared a Short's Imperial Spruce India
Pilsner - Wow!
This is part of their Imperial series:
http://www.shortsbrewing.com/imperial_beer_series.html

In these day of high priced hops and shortages - spruce is due to make
a comeback.

Drink more Spruce Beer!

So there you go; one of the foremost homebrewers of spruce beer's advice for ya . Hope that interests/helps you guys.

 

[BierMuncher]

Collected about 4 ounces, but will probably dose these in at the same rate you would do orange peel or coriander...around 1 ounce per 5-gallon batch.



Funny but the aroma is very subtle. Maybe the boil will release more aroma.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

^ Looks great, I can almost smell/taste them already...

Now, go pick some more, vacuum pack, and freeze them, so you can brew spruce beer all year with 'fresh' tips. (this would work, wouldn't it?)

 

[McSwiggin']

just prosted this thread - sounds great.... maybe a swap for some of my "Florida" Steam when you are done?

 

[zoebisch01]

I made some with Hemlock. Unfortunately in the process I found Wooly Agelids

 

[krispy d]

Here's one that has been done a lot and is trued and successfull.

Ingredients:

* 10 lbs american 2-row malt
* 1/2 lb crystal 40 Lovibond
* 1/3 lb chocolate malt
* 1 oz cascade hops (aa=7.6%, 60 minutes)
* 1 pint fresh spruce growths (30 min.)
* German Ale Yeast

Procedure:
I mashed all grains together and did a protien rest at 122 degrees for 30 minutes and then mashed at 148-152 degrees for 1 hour.

Specifics:

* O.G.: 1.052
* F.G.: 1.010

 

[BierMuncher]

Okay, so you're at 1.052 and one "pint" of spruce tips. I'm at 1.045.

I better find my measuring glass.

 

[BierMuncher]

Can't stop me now... Keggle's filling quickly...

 

[RoaringBrewer]

"Spruce Tips 15-Min W.T.F.!!"

Ha-ha-ha

 

[BierMuncher]

"Spruce Tips 15-Min W.T.F.!!"

Ha-ha-ha

Yeah...I was asking myself "are you sure?" all the way up until I tossed them in.

Surprisingly, the pine needles turned to absolute mush by the end of the mash. Yep...they were mash mush.

Racking to the primary I didn't really detect any strong aroma or flavor from the spruce. I suppose the strong malt smell and flavor still dominated any subtle flavors that may eventually come through.