Fir / Spruce Beers?

I agree wholeheartedly about Pennsylvania Tuxedo. I thought it would be gimmicky but it is a really solid and enjoyable beer. It's one of my winter favorites.

 

And the 'plus' for Tom (@drtth) is these blue spruce clippings come from Delaware County so there is some local 'terroir' here for him.

Cheers!

 

This. That beer tastes like an Xmas tree

 

Pine Drops from Deschutes, I think, is made along those lines. Similar to Dogfish Head Pennsylvania Tuxedo but more hops and stronger. And a milder option is Yards Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce. All delicious.

 

To me Balsam is kind of sweet smelling and not so astringent so I am curious what a beer with balsam tips would be like. Maybe with a small amount of hops that would give a lemony flavour too?

 

I second Yards Poor Richards tavern spruce.

I've a large. Full height spruce in my yards I plan to pick tips off for a homebrew this fall. Will be nice around Christmas

 

I'm gonna go ahead and chime in with the others on Jackie O's New Growth. It's worth trading for, seeing as OP is in WA. It's an extremely great example of spruce tip utilization. I remember last year's release, the malt bill was extremely clean, hops to compliment the spruce, and the spruce REALLY stood out nicely. Much more potent than Pennsylvania Tuxedo IMO. It's to be released again pretty soon, well worth a trade.

 

I am uncertain what you mean by "tips" but fresh growth tips occur in the spring (i.e., now). Are you picking these tips now?

Cheers!

 

The pieces that grow on the tip of the end of branches. If I should harvest now then I will. Cheers.

 

I've never had a Sahati before and I can't handle the flavor of spruce. Should I avoid Sahati if this is a common flavor?

 

You may already know this, but in addition to Spruce Budd, Fort George also makes Magnanimous IPA with fir tips from an employee's farm. I believe Spruce Budd is draft only, but Magnanimous got canned last year.

 

Have not had many but this is outstanding. Like the Wisconsin north woods:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23018/69642/

 

I have often read you want the new tips after the red pericap falls off. The will be small, not needles, no wood. This site has pictures.
http://www.spruceontap.com/main.sc

The Short's beer talked about above has a strong flavor of turpentine some years. Not my favorite.

 

That's the first time I've heard anyone use turpentine used as a descriptor, but I can believe it as a spruce flavor mixed with the alcohol. I personally get a Pine-Sol flavor sometimes. Maybe they should cut back a little on the amount of spruce tips that they use.

 

This is my favorite Spruce beer.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32893/205192/

Super Spruce, Grimm Artisan Ales

 

Kingdom Brewing up in Newport does one.

Captain Jack’s Smoked Spruce Pale Ale 4.5%

Couldn't ask for a nicer brewer or chiller establishment. Worth a visit!

 

Spruce Tip IPA from Point. It has decent ratings:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/786/117738/

 

Long Trail Evergreen Blaze IPA was OK.

For a different spruce beer experience there's Rock Art's Imperial Pumpkin Spruce Stout. Unlike most pumpkin beers, Rock Art's does not use the typical pie-like spice and sweetness, so it drinks like a bitter/piney imperial stout.

 

Black Husky Sproose 2IPA and their imperial version Sparkly Eyes.
There's been some variation in the few bottles of Sproose I've had, but always pine/spruce forward. The Sparkly Eyes blew me away when I had it though, a big spruce and piney hop bomb, they do some great stuff.

 

Actually, not really. I've never learned to taste the differences, if there actually are any, between Blue Sprice tips found in this area and those we used to find in the mountains near where our home was in the state where I grew up.

Now, however, if you were talking about the difference between the nuts of the Pinon pine vs. other pine nuts, that would be a different story. Especially if the pine cones, before they have dropped their nuts, are set in the heat on a fireplace hearth, but not too close to the fire, to open from the heat of the fire so the nuts can be eaten fresh or roasted a bit and ground in with coffee beans....