One of the reasons I asked if I could participate in my Brewmaster Cuisinternship during the Oregon Brewers Festival was so that I could experience beers from some breweries that I’ve never heard of, or (unless I’m able to get back to Oregon again) may never be able to try again. One of the more interesting selections from the Brewmasters’ dinner was this spruce bud beer from Fort George Brewery in Astoria, OR. As you may be able to guess by the name, there are absolutely no hops in this beer. All of the bittering comes from spruce tree buds. I’ve heard of this method from podcasts and such, but never actually tried a beer like this, so here was a prime opportunity.
The first thing I noticed is that it was extremely clear and light colored. I wondered if the lack of hops contributed that signficantly to the clarity and color of the beer. It had a creamy, soap-bubble-like white head which fell after a couple minutes. The aroma was very piney – exactly as you might expect – like a spruce tree.
The body was very light, and the first flavors I noticed were light lemony and piney flavors, which carried through to the aftertaste. Since it was very light flavor – it didn’t taste like Pine-Sol if that’s what you’re thinking- it had potential be good for a hot day.
Since this beer was so light, I imagine it could be good with almost any food. However, I could see it with a fish cooked on the grill and seasoned with the same spruce buds. Overall, it was light and crisp, but not a flavor I enjoyed very much. While it wasn’t Pine-Sol flavored, I just think I prefer the flavor of hops in my beer rather than pine buds.
