Author: Steve Thanos
As the saying goes, “they who drink beer will think beer,” and I constantly find myself mulling over different ways I can go about making unique and fun beers. While boring to some and perhaps overwhelming to others, stepping outside of defined style guidelines through the use of interesting ingredients is something I absolutely love about brewing, not to mention a killer way to learn about the flavor impact different ingredients have on beer.
Recently, I watched an episode of Ugly Delicious where Chef Rene Redzepi examined the use of spruce wood as a source of smoke and heat, which naturally caused me to think about beer. I’ve brewed with spruce tips many times, and I’m also no stranger to smoked malt, but I’d never paired these two ingredients together. The spark of inspiration was lit and off to Brewfather I went!
Most of the smoked beers I’ve brewed have been on the darker side, though as much I love that combo, my aim here was to do something more unique. Based on prior experiences, I thought spruce tips and smoked malt would work well with the grapefruit notes of Cascade hops, which ultimately led to me settling on a moderately hopped American Pale Ale as the base for this recipe.
| Making Smoldering Spruce Pale Ale |
Inspired by my roots, I went with a more Midwestern grain bill for this Pale Ale recipe, relying on Sugar Creek Malt to impart a richness I felt would meld well with the spruce tips, smoked malt, and hops.
Smoldering Spruce Pale Ale
I started this brew day by collecting the full volume of filtered water for a 5 gallon/19 liter batch.
After adjusting the water to my desired profile, I milled the grains.
Once the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grains then checked to make sure it was at my target mash temperature.
While the mash was resting, I prepared the kettle hops and spruce tips.
Once the 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains then boiled the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and spruce tips at the times listed in the recipe, after which I chilled the wort with my Hydra IC.
A hydrometer measurement showed the wort was at my target OG.
After placing the filled fermenter in my chamber, I pitched a single pouch of Imperial Yeast G02 Kaiser.
The following week, I noticed signs of active fermentation had dwindled and took a hydrometer measurement showing the beer was at my target FG.
At this point, I racked the beer to a sanitized keg that was placed on gas in my keezer and left to condition for 2 weeks before it was ready to drink.
| IMPRESSIONS |
For some, brewing is all about replicating classic styles as closely as possible, while for others it may be about reproducing the same style over and over until it’s perfect. While I appreciate both sentiments very much, my passion lies in creating unique, perhaps even weird, beers using ingredient combinations that are usually inspired by something I found meaningful. That’s exactly what Smoldering Spruce is– a Midwest Pale Ale made with alder smoked malt and spruce tips.
When designing recipes like this, there’s always a chance it’s not going to turn out as imagined, but I’m happy to say that was not the case at all with this Smoldering Spruce Pale Ale. When bringing a pint up for a sip, the drinker is hit with obvious signs of smoke, though while pronounced, it’s not at all offensive and is balanced by Cascade hops and rich malt character. Unlike many presume, I’ve not found spruce tips to contribute pine, but rather a sweet candy-like flavor, which definitely comes through on the palate after taking a drink.
Prior to brewing this beer, I proposed the idea to a number of other brewers, may of whom were convinced it wouldn’t work out. Given how subjective preference is, there’s no doubt Smoldering Spruce Pale Ale wouldn’t be well received by everyone, but I was incredibly happy with how it turned out and will absolutely be keeping this recipe in my lineup. For the more adventurous brewers out there who enjoy playing around with fun ingredients, this is a recipe I truly think you’ll enjoy!
If you have thoughts about this recipe or experience making something similar, please feel free to share in the comments section below!
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5 thoughts on “Brü It Yourself | Smoldering Spruce Pale Ale”
I had the same idea a couple years ago. Out on a crisp, cool morning I was taking in the smell of nearby pines while smoke drifted past from a neighbor’s chimney, I wanted to capture the combination in a beer. I am glad to hear yours turned out well, as my tasting notes simply say “do not repeat”! Mine was different in that I added spruce extract at bottling as I had many times before with good results. It did not blend with the smoked malt in a pleasant way, to put it mildly. Not a drain pour but it it was a tough batch to finish. I am now encouraged to give it another try with spruce tips in the boil. Thanks!
Wtf is a Midwest pale ale?
Typically a little darker, with a more pronounced malt character. Hope are still the focus, but malt it a bigger support. It’s IPA, but think Two Hearted versus Stone IPA
To me the taste of spruce tips is reminiscent of maple syrup (though I use far more in my brews so it mihht be more subtle in yours) , which I also found to be very similar to what I get from brewing with fresh hops interestingly enough.
Your addition of alder smoked malt sounds quite good to me, I suspect I would have greatly liked this beer!
Excellent. I have a bunch of catmint that grows each year and it can be consumed (I have made a tea with it; its most widely used application for humans). I’ve thought about how to incorporate it in a brew. I keep landing on, in my mind, an English Mild. This plant will be available to me in about two months. I made need to do a small experimental batch this year. The Korean Pear tree in my front yard produces small edible berries, in the Fall, that are kind of hard to harvest but taste like mango-pumpkin. I infused a hard cider with them a couple years ago that was mehhh, but maybe I will try a beer this coming fall. This article rekindled my imagination!