Spruce Beer

[zimmerstutzen]

Saw many references to Spruce beer as part of a soldiers ration. Came across a recipe:

Boil a hand full of hops. and twice as much of the chippings of sassafras root. in ten gallons of water; stain it and pour in, while hot, one gallon of molasses, two spoonsful of the essence of spruce, two spoonsful of powdered ginger and one of powered allspic; put in in a cask and when sufficiently cold, ad a half pint of good yeast; stir it weel, stop it close, and when fermented and clear, bottle and cork it tight.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Not sure what essence of spruce is, but it is for sale mail order through some brewer supplies.

 

[Silky921]

Any idea of what that would taste like?

 

[Cruzatte]

Any idea of what that would taste like?

With ingredients like sasafrass, allspice, ginger, and molasses, I suspect something close to root beer. I don't know how the essence of spruce would influence the final taste, though. :idunno: If you make any, let us know.

 

[Silky921]

Well, my passion is wine making, so I actually was thinking of incorporating those ingredients into some sort of mulled/spiced wine.

Those type of wines seem to be better in the colder seasons.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I'm doing a 1 gallon experiment right now...
14 oz red wheat
4oz picconcillo
4 oz steel cut oats.

1/2 oz hops at 15 min...

English ale yeast...

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have tried no less than 7 recipes for spruce beer, all recipes dated to the 18th century in North America.

It was an anti-scorbutic, in other words it was used to ward off scurvy for men in the winter. In fact the British had standing orders for their soldiers that the men were not to cut down spruce trees without the permission of the army's brewer.

ALL of THE RECIPES SUCK!
If you want to know what authentic spruce beer, that is spruce boiled with molasses and fermented then here's a very close simulation. Mix one ouce of regular flavor Listerine mouthwash with one ounce of Diet Pepsi cola beverage.
:barf:

Now I've heard from many people who tell me, "Oh no you're wrong, spruce beer is very tasty", and some add, "..., especially with smoked meat and smoked cheeses.". BUT when I inquire, it is always aged at least a year, and/or uses "essence of spruce" from a vial, not the actual spruce.

In EITHER case this is NOT the stuff they read about in soldiers' or officers' journals or adjutant's logs from the 18th century. Because the soldiers did wait to age the stuff, they started drinking it even before it finished "working" and the "essence of spruce" (I've found a reference to it in "boxes") they used back in the 18th century was not the same as the modern stuff, and was used in larger portions, than folks use today.

So while you can make something with spruce flavor, and use molasses, if you're not boiling spruce tips, it's not what the soldiers drank by the quart each day. (OH and apparently if you do age the stuff made with spruce tips, it greatly improves the flavor)


LD

 

[hawkeye2]

"Boil a hand full of hops. and twice as much of the chippings of sassafras root."

" Sassafras is no longer used in commercially produced root beer since sassafras oil was banned for use in commercially mass-produced foods and drugs by the FDA in 1960 due to health concerns."

" Sassafras oil has also been added to soap and other toiletries. It is banned in the United States for use in commercially mass-produced foods and drugs by the FDA as a potential carcinogen."

I have a lot of sassafras on my land however the power company took out the nice stand I had cleared around about 3 weeks ago. I would never consider using any of it in anything I would consume and I won't cut one down as they look nice and the leaves turn a distinctive color in the fall. I wish I had spruce here as I miss it. I was in northern Maine 3 years ago, just outside the former Loring AFB, riding down the road with the aroma from the spruce trees almost overwhelming. When I was very young my great aunt showed me how to climb spruce to harvest the spruce gum to chew. I wish I had some now.

 

[Nativearizonan]

All the evergreens, whether juniper, pine, spruce, or fir, leave a residual taste of turpentine, IMO. I would say drinking turpentine is an acquired taste at best, but you can ignore it and I definitely would ignore it to avoid scurvy. Yew, however, is poisonous, so make sure you know what you are using.

 

[coloradoclyde]

How about Dandelion and or Burdock beer?....

Ginger beer?

Juniper beer?....

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Here is an 1830 recipe for Ginger Beer

Pour two gallons of boiling water on two pounds of brown sugar, one and a half ounce of cream of tartar, and the same of pounded ginger; stir them well, and put it in a small cask; when milk warm, put in half a pint of good yeast, shake the cask well, and stop it close-- in 24 hours it will be fit to bottle, cork it very well, and in ten days it will sparkle like Champaigne-- one or two lemons cut in slices and put in will improve it much. For economy you may use molasses instead of the brown sugar, one quart. This is a wholesome and delicious beverage in warm weather. From the Virginia Housewife

 

[zimmerstutzen]

recipe for Mead
mix your mead in the proportion of 36 ounces of honey to four quarts of warm water; when the honey is completely held in solution, pour it into a cask. When fermented, and become perfectly clear, bottle and cork it well

 

[Silky921]

Did a dandelion wine myself. Very easy one to mess up.

The kids and I picked the flower heads on April 23rd, I think, which happens to be the traditional day to pick them.

Anyway, don't want to hijack this thread, but awesome results.