Judge’s Review: 82 Rating – Green Mountain Boys Spruce Run Ale by Glennbrook Brewery

Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer | Limited Release | USA

By Richard Wong

Judges Rating: 82.00
Aroma: 23.00
Appearance: 5.00
Flavor: 30.00
Mouthfeel: 9.00
Overall Impression: 15.00

Green Mountain Boys Spruce Run Ale by Glennbrook Brewery was judged as a Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (BJCP #30), because it has the addition of spruce tips in the recipe.
The pour revealed a medium caramel hue that had great carbonation with a bit of chill haze. The aroma of this beer had fruity esters and a malt sweetness. I did not get any hint of spruce tips in the aroma. The hop aroma was negligible, which is okay for this beer style. The initial taste of this beer had light flavors of malt and hops. I didn’t really taste any spruce tips in the flavor of the beer even though it is listed as one of the ingredients. The mouthfeel and body of this beer is light overall with, again, great carbonation. 
The overall impression of this beer is that it could use a little more malt for backbone to make it a bit more flavorful, and I thought the hop bittering was fine for the style. Perhaps a few more spruce tips in the recipe would help it stand out more.