Robin Shepard
A bottle of Giant Jones beer and a liquor bottle in the Awildan taproom.
Mates: Giant Jones’ spruce beer and Awildan’s genever.
Madison’s Giant Jones Brewing Company and Sun Prairie-based Awildan Distilling have teamed up to highlight a Canadian Style Spruce Beer (that’s also its name). Spruce beers, while rare in the U.S., are popular in parts of Quebec and Nova Scotia. It was released a few weeks ago at the same time the distillery unveiled its new barrel-aged genever, a malty spirit flavored with juniper berries and other botanicals.
Distillery owner Jeff Olson and brewery owner Jessica Jones designed them to showcase their pairing potential. Jones got the spruce tips, which replace hops in the beer, from Harmony Valley Farm of Viroqua. The spruce was used at two points in the brewing process to impart piney aroma and flavor, much like hops. The spruce beer has a hazy amber color, a soft medium body, and subtle warmth from its 7.5% ABV ($7/500mL bottle). It also meets all the requirements for being certified organic, as do all of Giant Jones’ products.
Awildan’s barrel-aged genever matures for 10 months in bourbon barrels from the Driftless Glen Distillery of Baraboo. Awildan also makes an un-aged genever that is available year-round and has become the distillery’s most popular product (both versions sell for $30/375mL and $55/750mL).
Olson was eager to work with Giant Jones. “Barreled genever is an older style of spirit, and Jessica does an awesome job turning historical beer styles and brewing techniques into delicious beer. It was Jessica’s idea to do a malty spruce beer. Thinking about the flavor profile of the barreled genever, I thought it would be a great complement.”
Working with spruce tips can be challenging. With hops there is a lot of information about how much to add for desired flavor and aroma. Spruce tips are part of the new growth of the tree so levels of pine and woodiness can vary widely. And Jones found little information to draw on to help predict what might happen during the brewing process.
“We were taking our best guesses,” says Jones. “I was really worried about how bitter the beer would be, and how quickly the spruce might produce an astringent character.”
To avoid harsh bitterness, Jones added smaller amounts of spruce at two points in the brewing process, and omitted hops altogether. The beer has a touch of woody pine, hints of citrus, and subtle sweetness.
Jones’ spruce beer works well as a chaser to the barrel-aged genever. I expected the spruce and juniper to combine, when consumed that way, and be more intense. However, the light fruitiness and subtle sweetness of the beer, along with a hint of bourbon barrel woodiness, softens the piney bitterness and helps blend the flavors.
Milwaukee’s Supermoon Beer Company has been self-distributing to Madison for about a year; owner Rob Brennan makes the trip every two to three weeks. His beers turn up in a handful of tap and package stores like BarleyPop Tap and Shop on Atwood Avenue, the Longtable Beer Cafe in Middleton, and Steve’s Liquor on Junction Road. This small brewery in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood opened its taproom at 3145 South Howell Ave. in fall 2022; it’s currently open Thursday-Sunday.
Supermoon specializes in oak-aged and bottle-conditioned beers. Among my favorites on local shelves right now is Sensitive King, an abbey-style tripel ($10/375 mL bottle). It is a slightly sweet version of the style with hints of apricot, honey and rum, ending with the characteristic spicy dry finish of a well made tripel. If you like this type of Belgian beer, don’t hesitate to grab one of these, it’s a limited run. You won’t be disappointed. Also on the Supermoon May release schedule is Commonbier, a lager based on the California Common style ($13/four-pack, 12-ounce bottles).
