Piney IPA

@JackHorzempa , I did notice a nasty sappy taste the one time I added fresh tips at 60 minutes and do not recommend it, in less you really like the taste od spruce gum.

 

Did it remind you of Pine-Sol at all?

Cheers!

P.S. While I have your attention let me regal you with a story. A few years ago a friend was thrown by his family (and significant other) a 50th birthday party. I remembered him telling me prior that he loved the smell of Pine-Sol so as a gag gift I bought him a bottle of Pine-Sol.

 

Good gift.

Honestly I really only remember that it had a pitch/sap taste that stayed in your mouth long after the swallow had occurred.

Pine sol ,,,, I just can't say.

Just don't dump a pint of tips in at 60 , hahahahahah

 

I know this is a Homebrewing forum, but Hey, both you guyz need to pick up a Ballast Point Spruce Tip IPA and report back on whether you think it tastes like Pine Sol

Surely it is available where you are because it is owned by InBev

 

Not sure if you’re trolling, since everyone seems to think that buyout=AB InBev, so I’ll say it just in case: Ballast Point is owned by Constellation.

Either way, your point stands, as it should be available pretty much nationwide. Actually, that’s actually a Sculpin variant I wouldn’t mind trying. Should I not?

 

I already have a 6-pack in my basement. I have not had one yet but I will indeed report on it in an upcoming New Beer Sunday thread where I will tag you and @GormBrewhouse. Spoiler alert! That post will be entitled "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

And don't call me Shirley!!

Cheers!

 

You've seen one multi-national corp...you've seen them all...can't keep up with all the sales between them

 

I essentially did the same for the one Spruce-tip Pale Ale I've made. Picked new Norway Spruce growth, vacuum sealed (for a year, actually), and then added at the end of the boil (don't exactly remember the timing). I believed I used 5 oz for a 5 gallon batch. The young beer had a rather unpleasant finish (I was tempted to dump it), but with some cold conditioning that flavor went away. In the end I had a rather nice beer that my niece claimed was "like drinking a Christmas tree!" Cheers!

 

https://www.morebeer.com/products/distilled-hop-oil-chinook-1-ml.html
Bet this Would do the trick

 

Whether they are fresh or older tips, I would not put them in the boil for longer than maybe 5/10 minutes.

 

Wish this one was available, but looks like it might have been a one-off.
https://www.fullsteam.ag/beer/brawny

Made with tips from fraser firs. I've sent an inquiry about possible re-release and asked about their fir tips additions.

 

Curious, why not order online? 3 hr round trip to LHBS does not sound fun.

Chinook - Piney
Columbus - Dank, pungent green
Northern Brewer - Woodsy, pine, mint

Simcoe has always given me more passionfruit/gooseberry than anything else.

 

Now that I reread the “Think Christmas” comment, I’d be inclined to agree on something like Northern Brewer as well. Minty evergreen flavors scream Christmas. Maybe axe or minimize the Columbus based on that same sentiment.

Also maybe think about some other seasonal flavors... if you use a simple sugar as part of your grain bill, maybe replace it with brown sugar or maple syrup. I’m even thinking maybe a little time on some oak cubes/chips may not be out of place here.

 

Surely you have tried one by now or have amazing self-restraint

 

Yes, I am amazing!

The benefit of having over a dozen+ 'brands' of homebrews is that I do not feel great anxiety to try the beers that I have purchased.

If it makes you feel any 'better' two of the Sculpin beers did get 'transferred' from my basement to my refrigerator last evening. Now all that awaits is the 'transfer' of the bottle to my belly!

Cheers!

 

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!