What is "spruce beer"

Spruce \Spruce\ (spr[udd]s), n. [OE. Spruce or Pruse, Prussia, Prussian. So named because it was first known as a native of Prussia, or because its sprouts were used for making, spruce beer. Cf. Spruce beer, below, Spruce, a.]

1. (Bot.) Any coniferous tree of the genus Picea, as the Norway spruce ( P. excelsa), and the white and black spruces of America ( P. alba and P. nigra), besides several others in the far Northwest. See Picea.

2. The wood or timber of the spruce tree.

3. Prussia leather; pruce. [Obs.]

   Spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for Prussia leather.
   --E. Phillips.

   Douglas spruce (Bot.), a valuable timber tree ( Pseudotsuga Douglasii) of Northwestern America.

   Essence of spruce, a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the young branches of spruce.

   Hemlock spruce (Bot.), a graceful coniferous tree ( Tsuga Canadensis) of North America. Its timber is valuable, and the bark is largely used in tanning leather.

   Spruce beer. [G. sprossenbier; sprosse sprout, shoot (akin to E. sprout, n.) + bier beer. The word was changed into spruce beer because the beer came from Prussia (OE. Spruce), or because it was made from the sprouts of the spruce. See Sprout, n., Beer, and cf. Spruce, n.] A kind of beer which is tinctured or flavored with spruce, either by means of the extract or by decoction.

   Spruce grouse. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Spruce partridge, below.

   Spruce leather. See Spruce, n., 3.

   Spruce partridge (Zo["o]l.), a handsome American grouse ( Dendragapus Canadensis) found in Canada and the Northern United States; -- called also Canada grouse.

n. A kind of beer which is tinctured or flavoured with spruce, either by means of the extract or by decoction.

n. a brew made by fermenting molasses and other sugars with the sap of spruce trees (sometimes with malt)

Spruce beer is a beverage flavored with the buds, needles, or essence of spruce trees. Spruce beer can refer to either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.

A number of flavors are associated with spruce-flavored beverages, ranging from floral, citrusy, and fruity to cola-like flavors to resinous and piney. This diversity in flavor likely comes from the choice of spruce species, the season in which the needles are harvested, and the manner of preparation.

Using evergreen needles to create beverages originated with the Indigenous peoples of North America who used the drink as a cure for scurvy during the winter months when fresh fruits were not available. It may also have been brewed in Scandinavia prior to European contact with the Americas, but French and British explorers were ignorant of its use as a treatment for scurvy when they arrived in North America. The fresh shoots of many spruces and pines are a natural source of vitamin C. European sailors adopted the practice and spread it across the world.