Darwin18
Well-Known Member
- Recipe Type
- All Grain
- Yeast
- WLP001 - California Ale
- Yeast Starter
- Yes - 1 L (Stir Plate)
- Batch Size (Gallons)
- 5.5
- Original Gravity
- 1.056
- Final Gravity
- 1.012
- Boiling Time (Minutes)
- 60
- IBU
- 38.0
- Color
- 6.7 SRM
- Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
- 21 days @ 66F
- Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
- None
- Additional Fermentation
- None
- Tasting Notes
- Excellent balance between the spruce and the base style. Spruce is enjoyable!
This was my first attempt using spruce in brewing beer. I had tried a spruce beer a few years ago in Asheville during a brewery tour and it wasn't really my thing. My wife, however, loved it. I decided I'd brew a spruce beer this year for her. Recipe details are below and assume 75% efficiency:
Grain Bill
- 9.5 lbs of Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
- 1.25 lbs of Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
- 0.5 lbs of Cara-Pils (2.0 SRM)
- 0.25 lbs of Crystal 60 (60.0 SRM)
Hops & Spruce Additions
- 1 oz Cascade (8.60%) FWH
- 1 oz Cascade (8.60%) 10 minutes (10 minutes left in boil)
- 1 oz Cascade (8.60%) 0 Minutes
- 4 oz of Spruce Tips 15 minutes (15 minutes left in boil)
Mash
- Single Infusion / Medium Body
- Mash in with 18 quarts of water to hit 153 F for 60 minutes.
- Batch Sparge out with 4.40 gallons of water.
Boil
- Boil for 60 minutes
Overall Impressions
- This has an excellent balance between the spruce and the American Pale Ale base style. The spruce is prevalent but not dominating, and allows for the hop aroma and flavor to come forward. As a judge, I realize that I'm drinking an American Pale Ale that has spruce in it; it's not a spruce bomb. This will be something that I brew on a regular basis.
Spruce tips were obtained from: http://spruceontap.com/
Awards / Recognitions
- 3/7/2015: CARBOY Shamrock Open XX - This beer took 2nd place in the Spice/Herb/Veg category out of a total of 32 entries in that category.
Pictures!
Grain Bill
- 9.5 lbs of Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
- 1.25 lbs of Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
- 0.5 lbs of Cara-Pils (2.0 SRM)
- 0.25 lbs of Crystal 60 (60.0 SRM)
Hops & Spruce Additions
- 1 oz Cascade (8.60%) FWH
- 1 oz Cascade (8.60%) 10 minutes (10 minutes left in boil)
- 1 oz Cascade (8.60%) 0 Minutes
- 4 oz of Spruce Tips 15 minutes (15 minutes left in boil)
Mash
- Single Infusion / Medium Body
- Mash in with 18 quarts of water to hit 153 F for 60 minutes.
- Batch Sparge out with 4.40 gallons of water.
Boil
- Boil for 60 minutes
Overall Impressions
- This has an excellent balance between the spruce and the American Pale Ale base style. The spruce is prevalent but not dominating, and allows for the hop aroma and flavor to come forward. As a judge, I realize that I'm drinking an American Pale Ale that has spruce in it; it's not a spruce bomb. This will be something that I brew on a regular basis.
Spruce tips were obtained from: http://spruceontap.com/
Awards / Recognitions
- 3/7/2015: CARBOY Shamrock Open XX - This beer took 2nd place in the Spice/Herb/Veg category out of a total of 32 entries in that category.
Pictures!