SPRUCE BEER
METHODS
and more…
Dakota Paul with Special Guest: Alan Bergo -
Foragerchef.com

SHORT HISTORY OF BREWING WITH SPRUCE

Unofficial BJCP Canadian Styles - CHA Speaker Series

IDENTIFICATION & VARIETIES
Other Spruce varieties
not described may be :
Black, Red, Norway or
European
*Disclaimer: I am not an
arborist, spruce tree or
foraging expert!
This is meant as a
jumping off point for
making spruce syrups.
Please try to confirm if
your community or the
City sprays trees for pest
management, eg. for
spider mites.

Common name: White Spruce
Latin name: Picea glauca
French name: Épinette blanche
‘White Spruce is a hardy, long-lived evergreen tree.’

Common name: Colorado or Blue Spruce
Latin name: Picea pungens
‘Blue Spruce is tough, long lived, with a distinctive blue-
green color.’

Common name: Black Spruce
Latin name: Picea mariana
‘Black Spruce is a medium-sized coniferous tree that has
a characteristic straight trunk and a narrow crown.’

Common name: Norway (European) Spruce
Latin name: Picea abies
‘Norway Spruce is a large, openly branched evergreen
recognized by its drooping branchlets and large cones.’

OPTIONS FOR SPRUCE ADDITIONS IN BEER:
SYRUP
BOIL
EXTRACT
“DRYHOP”

FORAGER CHEF @Foragerchef.com
ALAN BERGO

SPRUCE HARVESTING
NEGLECTED
HOPS COIR ROPES
INSTALLED
“INSPIRATION”
STRUCK GOT TO
“WORK”

SPRUCE PROCESSING
RINSED, DRIED & WEIGHED
(ALSO DE-SPIDERED)
LARGE JAR MIGHT
HAVE BEEN MORE
APPROPRIATE
(AND EASIER TO
CLEAN)
ONLY TWO
INGREDIENTS:
SPRUCE AND
BROWN SUGAR DAY 0

SPRUCE AGING
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4

SPRUCE FERMENTING
NO IDEA WHAT THE O.G. WAS
DUE TO WATER PRESENT IN
SUGAR AND SPRUCE, AND WILL
TAKE A READING NEXT TIME.
F.G. OF RAW SYRUP WAS 1.112!
(27.7P)
SPONTANIOUS FERMENTATION
WAS NOT EXPECTED!
DAY 7

SPRUCE SYRUP
• HUGE NOTES OF
SPRUCE, AND A LOT OF
CITRUS, SYRUPY
SWEETNESS.
• RAW SYRUP TASTED
LIKE A SPRUCE
LIQUEUR. ONE FRIEND
LIKENED IT TO UME
(PLUM) WINE.
• SUGAR PRODUCED A
LOT OF STONE FRUIT
AND AGED OXYDATION
IN THE FORM OF
SHERRY NOTES.
• I DOUBT A LOT OF
SUGAR FERMENTED
OUT, SO LACTIC ACID
LIKELY MADE IT TASTE
LESS SWEET AND RICH
THAN IT WAS.
RAW
SYRUP
• BOILED 6 CUPS OF
RAW SYRUP DOWN TO
1.5 CUPS OF MOLASSES
LIKE SYRUP
• I DID NOT HAVE
SHAUN’S TALK OR
DAN’S EXPERIMENTS
FOR MAKING BELGIAN
CANDI SYRUP TO GO
OFF OF AT THE TIME
• NO ACID ADDED, BUT
MIGHT HAVE LUCKED
OUT WITH ALL THE
LACTIC ACID PRESENT
• MUCH MORE INTENSE
CRÈME BRULEE BURNT
SUGAR & DARK FRUIT
FLAVOUR, ALL WHILE
STILL SPRUCEY AND
CITRUSY.
BOILED
SYRUP

SPRUCE BEER
• BELGIAN DUBBEL WAS
MY FIRST CHOICE AS WE
HAD RECEIVED
ESCARPMENT LABS ST.
LUCIFER (DUVEL?)
YEAST FROM MIKE, AND
ITS TRADITIONAL USE OF
SYRUPS
• NEW CHOICES GOING
FORWARD MAY BE PALE
ALE, SAISON, ETC
• NEW SYRUP FERMENTS
MIGHT USE CONES, OR
MATURE SPRUCE?
• BREWED DUBBEL WITH
‘CANDI’ STYLE SYRUP LATE
AUG/EARLY SEPT 2020.
AROMAS OF BROWN
SUGAR/MOLASSES, CITRUS
AND SPRUCE.
• ADDED REMAINING JAR OF
RAW SYRUP LATE SEPT
• FORGOT ABOUT BEER AND
HAD NO IDEA IT WAS GOING
THROUGH A SECOND WILD
FERMENTATION. STARTED
SMELLING QUITE SOUR.
RHUBARB
KELTTLE
SOUR
SPRUCE
DUBBEL

SAMPLE WAS A
LITTLE YEASTY,
WHICH EXPLAINS
THE OPAQUE COLOUR
WILD YEAST THINNED
THE BODY, DRIED OUT
THE BEER AND MADE
IT QUITE ACIDIC
I SAVED THE BASE
AND WILD YEAST,
NOT SURE IF I WILL
USE IT FOR FUTURE
SOURING
MOST WAS FORCE
CARBED & SAMPLED,
AND NOT ENOUGH
ENDED UP BOTTLED
JUST A FEW FOR 2020
CTYW COMP.

OPTIONS FOR SPRUCE ADDITIONS IN BEER:
BOIL SPRUCE TIPS/
BOUGHS SIMILAR TO
TRADITIONAL KVEIK
BEERS USING JUNIPER?
COMMERCIAL SPRUCE
EXTRACTS OR HOMEMADE
TINCTURES USING SPIRITS?
PINE-SOL?!
“DRYHOP” OR AGE BEER
ON WHOLE OR CHOPPED
UP SPRUCE TIPS?