Spruce; Picea family

Here is a nice, big Spruce growing in my backyard.

As a homebrewer, I truly enjoy trying the lesser known adjuncts that add character...and a conversation...to beer.  One adjunct I have read about and gained an appreciation for are spruce tips, harvested from that cluster of new spring growth at the tips of each spruce branch.  Late May this year has been the perfect time to harvest these little guys.

How do you know if you're dealing with a spruce or some other conifer?  That's a good question, it's particularly hard to tell the difference between a spruce and a fir, but there's a trick my friend Zach from Morningwood Farm & Nursery in Madison taught me.  He said, "Pluck a needle off of the tree, and try to roll it between your fingers.  If it rolls, it's a spruce, and if you can't roll it then it's a fir."  Another plant similar to spruce is Yew (Taxus), and somewhat similar would be red and white pines.  Other evergreens such as Cypress, Juniper, Eastern Red Cedar, and Northern Whitecedar (Arborvitae) shouldn't look like spruce, but take some time to learn them and know the different uses of these plants.  I will be adding photos to this blog in the future, but until then, just think of a spruce as a Christmas tree, then do that needle trick to find out if it's a Spruce or a Fir.

The light green growth on the tips are known as "Spruce tips."  They can be picked at this stage, but it is preferable to pick them earlier when they are more compact.

Harvesting these tips are not only good for brewing beer, but also for making a tea.  It is quite refreshing and like some other conifers such as White Pine and Norhtern Whitecedar (Arborvitae), it is packed with Vitamin C.  If you find yourself in a survival situation in a coniferous forest, the tips can be eaten raw (they have some moisture content as well for hydration).

Back to the beer, I read that spruce beer has a nice, crisp, Pepsi-Cola-type taste without the sugar...and the author went on to say, "but it's much more than that!"  I recently harvested about 4 pounds of spruce tips from a big spruce in my backyard.  I put them in a bag and directly into the freezer.  I read that a pint jar loosely filled with spruce tips is a sufficient amount to add nice character to a 5 gallon batch of beer.  I will be trying this with my next batch of beer, and will update this article when I learn more.