Fir / Spruce Beers?

Short's just released this one (a sour) in 6-packs to its 5-state distribution footprint:
https://www.shortsbrewing.com/beers/exterior-illumination/

I have not had it yet to know whether it's any good but two BA members really liked it:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9629/319251/

 

Haven't had Greenwarden since the first batch was released. I love spruce beer, but Greenwarden didn't do it for me, it tasted watery to me. Peak Evergreen used to be excellent, probably the only decent beer Peak brewed. Haven't seen it for a long time unfortunately.

 

Up here Kulshan does: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28281/88414/

 

That beer was horrible, like Christmas shat in an IPA. Of course I bought a 6 pack of it.

 

I avoid spruce beers for the same reasons I avoid grapefruit beers. These flavors can be naturally imparted by choice hops.

 

I can honestly say that beer was the first time I’d ever been “polarized” by a beer before.

 

Upslope brews a very good one.

 

Dogfish head in collaboration with Woolrich clothing company, Woolrich would give their workers 3 days off to pick spruce tips in the PA forests. Must say that beer was delicious and crisp. Have not seen it recently. It was called Pennsylvania Tuxedo.

 

I forgot about this one... my wife really enjoyed it.

 

Good to hear it. I’ve got one in my fridge that I plan to try soon.

 

Can that log be re-used or re-purposed?

 

NoDa Hoppy Holidays--one of the better beers now.

 

Been drinking the Anchor "Christmas" beer for 30 odd years now. Me and a buddy always felt they added the essence of whatever tree was on the label. It's different every year but lots of conifers over the years . After they bumped up the ABV a couple years ago it tastes more like a (tasty) dubbel now, more malt less spice.

 

This is new to me... only got a single. I've had the aforementioned Greenwarden, as well as Long Trail's Evergreen Blaze (which I think was Blaze Box specific, but really good!)... looking forward to this one. This is one of my favorites, though.

 

I posted the below earlier today in the New Beer Sunday thread:

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

And what could be more Christmassy than a beer brewed with a Christmas tree? Ballast Point Spruce Tip Sculpin Ale in this instance.

Below is the story behind this beer courtesy of The Beer Connoisseur website:

“SAN DIEGO — Just in time for fall, Ballast Point, one of the nation’s leading craft breweries, introduces Spruce Tip Sculpin IPA – a seasonal twist on its flagship IPA. The limited-release beer will be available nationally beginning October 1.

Sculpin’s complexity shines in this Spruce Tip edition. The addition of Oregon spruce tips, harvested from family farms, brings flavors of pine, red berry, lemon and wine grapes, which complement Sculpin’s citrusy hop profile. On the nose, the spruce tips contribute a unique piney, citrusy and woody character. A great brew for the holidays and beyond, the seven percent ABV Spruce Tip Sculpin is a standout in a forest of IPAs.

Spruce Tip Sculpin IPA was inspired by Ballast Point’s “Roots to Boots” R&D program, which empowers employees to brew experimental beers. After growing up enjoying his aunt’s teas made with spruce tips, an employee in the program was motivated to add the spruce buds to an IPA he was creating. The beer yielded such a unique and delicious flavor that the brewers at Ballast Point knew they had to continue experimenting with spruce tips.

“When we added spruce tips to Sculpin, we loved how the pine and berry notes accentuated the aromas and flavors already found in the beer. We thought it would make the perfect fall and holiday IPA,” said James Murray, vice president of brewing at Ballast Point. “Experimentation has always been in our DNA but the fact that the newest member of the Sculpin family was born from our ‘Roots to Boots’ program speaks volumes about our culture of innovation.”

In a quest to bring a spruce-infused IPA to the market, Ballast Point called on San Diego-based Specialty Produce to source spruce tips from Oregon. The local produce company has sourced fruits, vegetables, and herbs for Ballast Point for more than ten years and shares the brewery’s commitment to quality.

“Specialty Produce thinks about their sourcing in the same way we think about barley and hops. Quality always comes first,” said Murray.

Spruce Tip Sculpin comes off the heels of Ballast Point’s recent spring/summer seasonal release, Aloha Sculpin. The original Sculpin IPA launched in 2005 and has since become the hallmark of the west coast-style IPA, winning gold medals at the World Beer Cup (2010, 2014) and European Beer Star (2010, 2011). The Sculpin family now includes Grapefruit, Aloha and now Spruce Tip.

Spruce Tip Sculpin IPA is a fall/winter seasonal release and will be available nationally on draft and in six-pack bottles through February.”

https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/ballast-point-brewing-co-debuts-spruce-tip-sculpin-ipa

As I am sure some of you recall I have a bit of familiarity with Spruce beer having homebrewed a couple of batches of Spruce Ale using fresh growth tips from my next door neighbor’s Blue Spruce tree. My Spruce Ale is more of an APA brewed using fresh growth tips vs. the Ballast Point version being an IPA. For the interested reader you can read my post from last July on my second batch of a Spruce Ale:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-701.582754/#post-6116647

I wonder how a beer brewed with Oregon Spruce tips (Sitka Spruce I presume) would differ from a beer brewed using Blue Spruce tips? As the wise owl would say: “Let’s find out”.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance

Golden colored with a two finger white head.

Aroma

My initial impression is piney. Perhaps some citrus in the background?

Taste:

The flavor is more expressive than the nose. The dominant flavor I am picking up is herbal but there is some pine there as well but of a lesser vibrancy. There is a very slight ‘burn’ in the back of my throat. This beer has a firm bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. There is a subtle aspect to this beer that registers as ‘sticky’ for my palate.


Overall

I think this beer is very good! I found the overall flavor profile (and mouthfeel aspect) to be quite intriguing.

I think it would be prudent to emphasize that while this beer was brewed using a Christmas Tree (i.e., Sitka Spruce fresh growth tips) it’s flavor profile is not really like a Christmas tree. There are some piney aspects in the background but the flavor is not predominantly piney.

For those of you still putting together your Christmas list for loved ones maybe this beer would be a good present for those beer drinkers on your list?

Cheers!

 

Has anybody tried the recently released Ipswich Spruce IPA?

“Spruce Tip India Pale AleSpruce

We’re pleased to bring you this delicious marriage of hops and spruce tips in a tasty seasonal IPA mash up. Be not afraid ye timid imbiber! The spruce tips add a complimentary, subtle spruce note with a hint of fruity sweetness and mint that works perfectly with hop forward beers. Best enjoyed at warm holiday gatherings amongst kith and kin, and for quenching one’s thirst after the Festivus feats of strength. Cheers! From all of us at Ipswich Ale Brewery.

ABV: 6.1”

https://www.ipswichalebrewery.com/SELL SHEET PDFs/Spruce.Sell Sheet.pdf

Cheers!

@GreenKrusty101

 

Look out for beers from Moonlight (CA) and Scratch (IL). Both make some excellent options.

 

Yeah, that one has/had a ton of pine. Too much for my tastes. Any more pine than can be achieved with hops is too much for me. I do like piney IPAs though. There is just a threshold that when crosses puts me off. PA Tuxedo certainly qualifies.

 

I hat e the "fake" spruce flavors imparted by actual spruce

although I know what you're saying!

 

Ballast Point’s Spruce Tip Sculpin is fantastic. I’ve been drinking it all month....tastes like Christmas trees.