Certainly! Spruce beer (Bière d’épinette) is a traditional Quebec fermented drink made from spruce tips (young spring shoots of spruce trees). Unlike modern commercial versions (like Épinette by Gaspé), old-fashioned spruce beer was often home-brewed as a lightly alcoholic or non-alcoholic fermented beverage.
Here’s a classic Quebec recipe inspired by historical methods:
Traditional Quebec Spruce Beer Recipe
(Makes ~4 liters / 1 gallon)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh spruce tips (young, bright green shoots, preferably from black or red spruce)
- 3.5 liters (1 gallon) water
- 1.5 cups brown sugar or molasses (traditional) – adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp grated ginger (optional, aids fermentation)
- Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar for acidity)
- 1/4 tsp ale yeast or bread yeast (or wild fermentation for a traditional approach)
Instructions:
1. Harvest Spruce Tips
- Collect young, tender spruce tips in spring (May–June). Avoid toxic varieties like yew or pine (spruce needles are short and grow singly, not in clusters).
2. Boil the Spruce Tips
- Bring water to a boil, add spruce tips, and simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer for stronger flavor). Strain out the needles.
3. Sweeten & Cool
- Stir in brown sugar/molasses until dissolved. Add ginger & lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature (~25°C / 77°F).
4. Ferment (primary ferment)
- Add 1/2 cup of ginger bug (or leave uncovered for wild fermentation). Cover with a cloth and let sit 1–3 days (warmer = faster). Surface will start showing bubbles and evidence of carbonation.
5. Bottle & Carbonate
- Strain into clean bottles (swing-top or plastic, leaving headspace). Ferment 1–2 more days at room temp to carbonate, then refrigerate to slow fermentation. Use a plastic tester bottle, when firm and can’t be squeezed it is ready.
6. Serve Chilled
- Drink within 1–2 weeks. Alcohol content is low (~1–2% ABV if fermented briefly).
Notes:
- Wild Fermentation: Older recipes skipped yeast, relying on natural microbes (riskier but more traditional).
- Molasses vs. Sugar: Molasses gives a richer, old-fashioned taste (common in 1800s Quebec).
- Non-Alcoholic Version: Skip fermentation—just steep spruce tips in hot water with sugar and lemon for a refreshing cold drink.
This spruce beer was historically consumed by voyageurs and settlers to the New World to prevent scurvy (spruce is high in vitamin C). Today, it’s a nostalgic Quebec treat—fizzy, piney, and slightly sweet.
