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From: Shawn Baker <shawnkayak_at_yahoo.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Spruce Beer
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 07:27:36 -0700 (PDT)
Gordin asked:
>Now I've had a few whobbly  pops, but never a Spruce.  Anyone care to
>enlighten us on Spruce Beer.

As far as I know, it's beer that is bittered with spruce needles,
rather than hops.  I'm told it tastes something like Pepsi.

Not much sugar in spruce needles, though...I wonder if they hauled
barley for a "fermentable", or if they used sugar?

Sahwn

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From: Victoria Constance Odhner <torilodge_at_hotmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Spruce Beer
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 20:31:06 +0000
http://www.stoutbillys.com/stout/RECIPENS/15a993b0/791e1b24.htm
 Has recipes for a variety of Spruce Beers.

Tori.. who doesn't drink and wouldnt have a clue... but thought finding
out was an interesting challenge...

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From: G. Warner <hmgwarner_at_shaw.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Spruce Beer
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 21:38:59 -0700
> http://www.stoutbillys.com/stout/RECIPENS/15a993b0/791e1b24.htm
>  Has recipes for a variety of Spruce Beers.
>
Ok, enough with the recipes.  Was it Henny Youngman, who said, "Never ask a
watch maker for the time.  He'll tell you how the clock works."  Years ago I
thought it would be cool to brew some beer.  Wrong.  My wife kept the 70 odd
bottles around to use as slug bait in her garden.  Apparently the slugs died
happy. I don't want to make Spruce Beer.  I wanted to know what it taste
like?  Anyone ever drunk this stuff - the Spruce Beer not my slug beer.

I won't post anymore on this topic as it's a long digession.

gordin warner
victoria

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From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Spruce Beer
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 14:21:41 -0400
From: "Shawn Baker" <shawnkayak_at_yahoo.com>


> Gordin asked:
> >Now I've had a few whobbly  pops, but never a Spruce.  Anyone care to
> >enlighten us on Spruce Beer.
> 
> As far as I know, it's beer that is bittered with spruce needles,
> rather than hops.  I'm told it tastes something like Pepsi.
> 

Pepsi?  Not any spruce beer that I've had!*

I suppose there are variants on spruce beer, but the stuff I often
guzzled as a kid in Quebec was, like root beer and ginger beer, a 
non-alcoholic, sweet soft drink.  It was strong and... well... 
distinctive - certainly not like most soft drinks.  If you know the 
"kick in the taste buds" style Jamaican ginger beer, then you have a 
notion of what it's like - not that it tastes _like_ ginger beer, just 
that it hits you with flavour that is lacking in most North American 
pop.

It tastes sort of medicinal... a taste that few would like, to be honest.
I cannot think of anything - fruit, vegetable, whatever, that would
give you a sense of the flavour.  So I guess you'll have to go to Quebec
to try it; I've never seen it anywhere else (not that I've looked).

Mike

* BTW, my understanding is that the spruce beer of old would have been
an alcoholic brew as Shawn describes - I have no idea how it would taste.
Then there was the Jack Pine Cocktail - but that's too crude even for this
group :-)

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