Why it works: Ginger and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,620 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Spruce Beer
Ingredients
Directions
Brew the wort
Boil a handful of hops and twice as much of the chippings of sassafras root in ten gallons of water, then strain it.
While hot, pour in one gallon of molasses, two spoonfuls of the essence of spruce, two spoonfuls of powdered ginger, and one spoonful of pounded allspice.
Put it in a cask.
Ferment and bottle
When sufficiently cold, add half a pint of good yeast and stir it well.
Stop it closed.
When fermented and clear, bottle and cork it tight.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Hop | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,620 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + allspicetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,508 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Hops + gingertop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Molasses + hopstop 41% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides sweetness and sugars that the yeast ferments into alcohol and carbonation.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sugars, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide that make the beer lively.
- Hops
- Adds bitterness and aroma that balance the sweetness of the molasses.
- Essence of spruce
- Contributes the resinous, aromatic flavour that defines this spruce beer.
- Powdered ginger
- Adds warm, spicy aroma and a slight bite to the brew.
The step that matters
When sufficiently cold, add the yeast. Hot liquid kills or stalls yeast, so the wort must cool before yeast is added. Adding yeast too early can stop fermentation and leave the beer sweet and flat.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, hops, ginger):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Clovefits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, hops, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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