spruce beer

American  

noun

1. a fermented beverage made with spruce leaves and twigs, or an extract from them.

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spruce beer British  

noun

1. an alcoholic drink made of fermented molasses flavoured with spruce twigs and cones

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Etymology

Origin of spruce beer

First recorded in 1490–1500

Example Sentences

Native Americans brewed spruce beer long before Europeans arrived on the scene.

From Washington Times • Apr. 29, 2015

A hurricane of energy, built like a barrel of spruce beer, Putnam quickly won the rank of general during the disorganized fighting before Washington took command.

From Time Magazine Archive

At once all the anti-scorbutics were put into requisition, such as lime-juice, pickles, spruce beer; a quantity of mustard and cress had also been raised from mould placed over the stove-pipe, which rapidly grew.

From Notable Voyagers From Columbus to Nordenskiold by Kingston, William Henry Giles

We ate our luncheons with good appetites, and William brought our two stone bottles of spruce beer from the deep place in the brook where he had left them to cool.

From The Queen's Twin and Other Stories by Jewett, Sarah Orne

I can give you a comfortable lodging, and wholesome good fresh provisions, excellent fish and good spruce beer, the growth and manufacture of our own Province.

From The Loyalists of Massachusetts And the Other Side of the American Revolution by Stark, James H.