Dead Frog Brewery Announces Big Stump Spruce Golden Ale
Dead Frog Brewery is pleased to announce the release of its newest ale, the Big Stump
Spruce Golden Ale. Harking back to Captain Cook’s 1778 arrival in Nootka Sound, this 6.5% golden ale incorporates the terroir of the Fraser Valley with Sitka spruce tips harvested a mere 10 minutes from our brewery.
Our brewer, Nick Fengler, was inspired by forays into the old growth forests of British Columbia. We hope this spruce ale will evoke similar images of our verdant land fed by rains nourishing the windward slopes of the Coast Mountains, trickling through the luxuriant growth and into the mighty Fraser River from which we draw our water.
Description
A perfectly balanced golden ale brewed to celebrate summer on the West Coast. Fresh picked spruce tips and Simcoe hops provide a tropical pine aroma and crisp bitterness to offset a smooth caramel malt profile.
No stumps were used or harmed in the making of this beer. We added fresh-picked spruce tips grown 10 minutes from our brewery, here in the Fraser Valley.
Nick’s Inspiration
Growing up on the West Coast, I’ve spent endless summer days hiking, camping, and wandering in old growth forests. I love being surrounded by the earthy, piney, almost citrusy fragrance. I really wanted to try to capture a small sense of that.
Using locally-harvested Sitka spruce tips, along with a little help from both Simcoe and Norther Brewer hops, I feel like this brew could easily fit in around the campfire or transport you to one when stuck at home. At 6.5%, it pours a rich gold colour. The rich malt sweetness from Cara and Maris Otter plays with both the hop bitterness and bright spruce flavour for a truly unique pint.
Specs
o Ingredients: water, malted barley, hops, yeast, spruce tips
o Malts: Prairie 2-Row, Maris Otter, Cara 30, White Wheat
o Hops: Simcoe, Northern Brewer, Cascade
o IBU: 26
o ABV: 6.5%
o Suggested serving temperature: 12-14°C
o Recommended glass: English pint, dimpled mug
o Suggested food pairing: Asiago or Manchego cheese, pesto pasta, cedar plank salmon, Greek roasted lamb