Spruce Beer

 Appearing in the State of Maine Cookbook, published in 1920 for the Centennial, this recipe clearly dates well before 1920. And it is not really what we would call a beer today. I decided to give it a whirl, looking up a modern recipe. Not having all of the equipment for beer production, I'm glad there are alternatives.

I purchased Spruce Essence (yes, it's a thing). It is highly concentrated. So I did the math to figure out that the amount of beverage I'm making only needs 4 milliliters of Spruce Essence. Plus dark brown sugar, water, and a splash of lemon. Boil it up, and while it is boiling, do what bread bakers call proofing. Put the yeast (not the kind for bread, it needs the kind for ale) in a small amount of warm water for ten minutes. When the boiling mixture is done (thirty minutes), place it in an ice bath, and watch it plummet to 70 degrees F, at which time you bottle the stuff and pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and cork it. Tip the bottle upside down several times to mix the yeast thoroughly. I referenced several online recipes and blended ideas. So I claim no responsibility for anyone reading this who tries it and it tastes awful!! The beverage needs to sit at room temperature for 4-6 days, then in a cool, dark place for a week or so, before pouring. Serve cold, and try to leave the yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle (don't tip too vigorously).

I very much liked the smell of the mixture boiling on the stovetop. It rather reminded me of the smell when I walk into my uncle's sugarhouse, the sweet smell of sap, but this has overtones of spruce. We'll see how it tastes, when done fermenting. I just hope to heaven that the cork stays in place and carbonation does not send it flying!

No time in my life right now to try my hand at home brewing. But maybe in retirement, who knows?! "The Parched Parson's Brewery" Kinda has a ring to it, doesn't it?!

This recipe completes the Beverages chapter in the Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook. And while some of the beverages have been a little old-fashioned-wild (Hay-Time Switchel, Raspberry Shrub, see blogs), I've loved them all, with their own unique flavors.