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Special K.'s Sitka (Spruce Tip) Spruce Ale
Flagstaff Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
- From:
- Flagstaff Brewing Company
- Arizona, United States
- Style:
- Herb and Spice Beer
- ABV:
- Not listed
- Score:
- Needs more ratings
- Avg:
- 3.94 | pDev: 8.12%
- Reviews:
- 5
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 16, 2015
- Added:
- May 31, 2008
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by Camjmorton:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by OrestesMethuon from Montana
4.14/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
4.14/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
With huge bonus award for being a mountain-rarefied example of a well-executed spruce beer, it's unsurprising that this unhopped twist on FBC's Agassiz Amber owns a big, fresh nose, and tenders well on the promise of its aromas with a very alpine, pleasantly-sweet body that's full of a range of caramels and ends on a smooth malt pop. Unlike many attempts to supplement or replace hops with spruce-tips, this is a very drinkable, and—moreover—very refreshing beer, aided by FBC's use of a well-worn amber base. All in all, a quite successful gamble.
Jun 16, 2015Rated by russpowell from Arkansas
3.48/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.48/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
I thought this needed more body & spruce...
Jun 16, 2015Reviewed by Halcyondays from California
3.73/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.73/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at the FBC,
A: Pours a dark amber/red with a off-white head, some lace.
S: Has a nose of an underattenuated brewpub red that I find all too often, some nice herbal notes save it here.
T: Not overly sugary like I thought from the nose, this is a very subtle easy flavour. The herbal spruce is intriguing and fruity (reminds me a bit of Alaskan Winter) and the malt is biscuity, English bitter like. An unhopped bitter if you will.
M: Very soft carbonation, light/medium-bodied, delicate, quaffable.
D: The bartender informed me that this batch isn't a piney as it used to be, but it's still pretty good and worth a try if in Flagstaff.
Aug 02, 2010A: Pours a dark amber/red with a off-white head, some lace.
S: Has a nose of an underattenuated brewpub red that I find all too often, some nice herbal notes save it here.
T: Not overly sugary like I thought from the nose, this is a very subtle easy flavour. The herbal spruce is intriguing and fruity (reminds me a bit of Alaskan Winter) and the malt is biscuity, English bitter like. An unhopped bitter if you will.
M: Very soft carbonation, light/medium-bodied, delicate, quaffable.
D: The bartender informed me that this batch isn't a piney as it used to be, but it's still pretty good and worth a try if in Flagstaff.
Reviewed by ILikeGoodCider from New Jersey
4.63/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.63/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
I'm drinking this beer right now; at Flagstaff Brewing. One of the most eventive beers I've had at a microbrewery in 2009. Served in a 14 oz pint glass.
A: Deep amber with a single finger head. Lacing is quite good for a "spiced" beer - all the way down the glass.
S: Like a red, like an amber. With a touch of grassy IPA. Sorry for the non-descript account, but that really does it justice the best.
T & M: More malt than hops. And the bartender informs me that there are, in fact, Alaskan Spruce Tree tips added to the boil. Best part here. The taste is very original. Not to many carbs, but that's good.
D: Put it this way, I've never had any other of the brews here and I am not going to at this sitting. And I only make it Flagstaff once a year. And I am a big proponent of trying the tap handle I don't recognize. I hope that gets across how much I'm digging this beer...
Nov 28, 2009A: Deep amber with a single finger head. Lacing is quite good for a "spiced" beer - all the way down the glass.
S: Like a red, like an amber. With a touch of grassy IPA. Sorry for the non-descript account, but that really does it justice the best.
T & M: More malt than hops. And the bartender informs me that there are, in fact, Alaskan Spruce Tree tips added to the boil. Best part here. The taste is very original. Not to many carbs, but that's good.
D: Put it this way, I've never had any other of the brews here and I am not going to at this sitting. And I only make it Flagstaff once a year. And I am a big proponent of trying the tap handle I don't recognize. I hope that gets across how much I'm digging this beer...
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada
3.88/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.88/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bartender stated this beer was brewed with Alaskan spruce tree tips.
Appearance: clear dark copper in color with a thin 1/2" head that lingered around awhile.
Smell: caramel and a bit of spruce tree was detectable by the nose.
Taste: followed the nose as the caramel, bits of spruce tree, hints of maple, and a mild bitterness made up a nice session ale. The malt profile was enough to make this interesting.
Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start but smooth at the finish. Relatively short aftertaste here.
Drinkability: decent session ale that had a nice flavor. Worth a try if it is on tap.
Jul 02, 2009Appearance: clear dark copper in color with a thin 1/2" head that lingered around awhile.
Smell: caramel and a bit of spruce tree was detectable by the nose.
Taste: followed the nose as the caramel, bits of spruce tree, hints of maple, and a mild bitterness made up a nice session ale. The malt profile was enough to make this interesting.
Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start but smooth at the finish. Relatively short aftertaste here.
Drinkability: decent session ale that had a nice flavor. Worth a try if it is on tap.
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania
3.9/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.9/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This came with a big, medium-tan head with decent retention. The color was a deep-amber with NE-quality clarity. The nose had a sweetness underlain with pine. The mouthfeel was medium with a pleasant, earthy sweetness on the tongue. The finish was quite pine-y. The question for me was: this or Yards' Poor Richard's Spruce? For me, it would be the latter.
May 31, 2008
Special K.'s Sitka (Spruce Tip) Spruce Ale from Flagstaff Brewing Company
Beer rating:
3.94 out of
5 with
8 ratings
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