Simcoe Spruce
Half Pints Brewing Company

Big thanks to tbadiuk for the bottle.

Its hard to rate a style of beer that you are not a huge fan of from ther beginning...almost seems unfair. Having said that, this is the best spruce beer I have ever had (it's a short list). The first few sips were offensive and off-putting, but the more I drank it, the more I liked it. Maybe it took time for my palate to accept this crazy concoction. The spruce is strong in both the nose and taste but ultimately works nicely with the hops.

 

 

 

I don't rate beers often unless I find something I feel to be creative. Beer hipsters sometimes grade such a beer harshly, and I could see this with this beer. Has a spruce taste with the scent for a fresh cut Christmas tree with aftertaste of rosemary. Boy would I love to pour this on a Thanksgiving Turkey. Very creative and inspired. Wish I had bought more than 1 bottle.

 

Pours crystal clear amber with a nice white head with globs of lacing. The simcoe hops and pine play well in the nose, but in the body very quickly the spruce begins to dominate. The first few sips were better and more balanced than the last as I am not a huge fan of spruce apparently... The spruce eventually gives way to a nice hop finish with minimal bitterness, though a hint of pine resin remains deep on the back of the tongue. An interesting beer, oddly enough I much preferred Garrison's spruce beer which was less hoppy, and normally I am a hop head.