12 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a small white head. Aroma is roasted malty with a light hops note. Subdued sweet note in the flavour. Mild spiced and hoppy flavoured. Malty and subdued bitter finish.

Bottled. An amber beer with an off-white head. The aroma has notes of malt and caramel as well as light notes of hops. The flavor is sweet with notes of caramel, malt, and a bit of hops, leading to a bitter finish. Quite drinkable, but nothing exciting.

Sample in the Alaskan tap room. This brew pours a hazy, ruddy amber color with a medium thin light beige head that diminishes steadily. Stringy lacing. Aroma of pine, hops and fruit. Medium-bodied with a piney/spruce (prevents scurvy!) character, along with fresh fruit, hops and malt flavors. Touches of spice are present too. The finish is hoppy and malty with a fruit and spice aftertaste. Decent overall.

12 oz. bottle from John Bryan, who received it directly from the Alaskan brewers when they visited Boulevard brewery. Pour is clear straw gold with a big off white head. Pretty pour. Aroma of some sweet maltiness and some bright, earthy hoppiness. Taste is interesting, fair amount of sweet caramel malt, with the piney (spruce tip) essence. This taste is really varied, I taste amber ale, lager, Marzen all kinds of stuff going on. Nice, silky palate, nice bitterness to the finish. Thanks again for this one John.

Bottled at City Beer, San Francisco. Lightly hazy deep golden, no head. Blackberry aroma. Medium sweet with clean mouthfeel and medium body. Lightly buttery with intersting notes of pine needles, juniper berries and blackberries. Salty finish.

This one is a winner, and that might be because it appears to be a clone of another winner, Alba Scot ale. Spiced aroma. Flavor has lots of pine and medium sweet malt, but not perceivable hops and that is OK. Alcohol seems low for an old ale, maybe a spiced beer instead.

Bottle. Poured red with foamy white head. Malty aroma. Full body, with malt and raspberry notes, Tiny bit of spruciness. Lingering raspberry finish with a hoppy tang. Because of the spruce, I had’nt expected to like this. Surprisingly I do

Bottle from Ralphs, Palm Springs, CA; Nose of spices, pine, and some malt; orange with a small off-white head; flavor of spicy cinnamon, caramel malt, pine, and cream in the medium body.

2006 Bottle...Many thanks to Milla ..:)....and this beer is dedicated to my Bougie...so the aroma is pretty mild..i get a malty smell and a bit of caramel... and the smell that I couldn’t place at first is the spruce tips...color is a deep amber...the texture is silky and thick...I have never tasted spruce tips in a beer before...its pretty interesting like nibbling on a tree branch and washing it down with a beer...:)...Aroma=5...Appearance=4...Flavor=5...Palate=4...Overall=14

----->2007 Bottle, enjoyed 6/2008.....A nutty pine aroma...light copper-amber body with a beige head...creamy on first sip--smooth...syrupy aromas and mouth feel...watered down tree sap (in a good way)...add some sugar, and poof Alaskan winter...a medicinal herbaceous quality to it...its good, I wish I had a bomber of it...Interesting, unique, and tasty...Rating reflects 2007 Bottling

A nice ale with hints of citrus, malts, caramels, and something that was bittersweet. Could have been the spruce, but not quite sure. The orange/amber color is a bit deceiving, it tastes darker. Decent brew, but not outstanding.