Spruce Beer

Classification: spiced ale, spruce beer, extract

Source: Louis Clark (hplabs!mage!lou) Issue #453, 7/4/90

My tasting notes on this say that at 2-1/2 months after bottling it was "fair." This tells me that it was unremarkable. My recollection is that it was drinkable but unexciting. Perhaps the dark extract overwhelmed the spruce and more spruce essence should have been used. Where the bottle says "Sufficient for 8 gallons of spruce beer" they may mean for a somewhat lighter beer.

Ingredients:

6.6 pounds, Munton & Fison dark malt extract
3 pounds, dry dark extract
3 ounces, Cascade hops (4.3 alpha)
3 teaspoons, gypsum
1 ounce, Cascade hops
1/2 teaspoon, Irish moss
1/2 ounce, spruce essence
Leigh & Williams Beer & Stout yeast

Procedure:

Boil malt and boiling hops for 1 hour. In last 10 minutes add the 1 ounce of Cascade finishing hops and the Irish moss. In the last 2 minutes add the spruce essence. Chill and pitch yeast.

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.040
F.G.: 1.018