What is Sproose Joose II IPA?

A Black Husky Brewing IPA brewed with high alpha hops and locally harvested spruce tips; the brewery's copy describes it as a double IPA with an aggressive biting flavor and a pungent yet citrusy aroma.

Black Husky Brewing, a small nano-brewery in Pembine, Wisconsin, with head brewer Tim Eichinger. At the time of this October 2012 post it was expanding distribution across Wisconsin.

How did Sproose Joose II IPA score?

BeerAdvocate 89; RateBeer 86 overall and 36 for style.

What does Sproose Joose II IPA taste like?

Slightly hazy gold with a thick, creamy white head and remarkable retention. A massive spruce aroma with sweet caramel malt and grapefruit; the flavor leads with spruce, caramel malts, grapefruit, resin, and hints of juniper. Creamy and smooth, medium to full bodied with moderate to high carbonation.

Was there an Imperial version?

Yes. Head brewer Tim Eichinger rolled out an Imperial version of Sproose Joose called Sparkly Eyes the Friday before this October 2012 review.

Where is Black Husky based?

Black Husky is a small nano-brewery in Pembine, Wisconsin that, by the time of this post, had expanded its presence in the Milwaukee area and all across Wisconsin.

Why does the bitterness seem to fade as the beer warms?

The author suspects the high carbonation causes a bit of carbonic bite, since carbonic acid enhances the perception of bitterness, which would fade as the carbonation level drops in the glass.

Should you trust RateBeer scores when buying beer?

The author called the 36 for style a rock bottom score and cautioned that ratings-site scores should never drive beer buying or drinking decisions.

Sproose Joose II IPA - Black Husky Brewing

Tasted and published in 2012. Recipes and availability change.

Black Husky Brewing, for those of you who remember from my earlier review of their Hefe Weiss, is a small nano-brewery in Pembine, Wisconsin that produces a variety of well-brewed beers. In fact, since I posted my previous Black Husky review, they have expanded their presence in the Milwaukee area, and all over Wisconsin for that matter. So now, if you live in Wisconsin, you should be able to find a selection of Black Husky beers at a bar near you!

One of their most popular ales is the Sproose Joose II IPA, brewed with high alpha hops and local spruce tips. In fact, it was so popular that Tim Eichinger, the head brewer, rolled out an “Imperial” version of Sproose Joose this past Friday (I will have a review up on it this Wednesday).

So, a beer popular enough to inspire an Imperial version of itself must be good, right? The spruce tips in it sound like an interesting addition to push the envelope a little, while remaining in the IPA and Double IPA wheelhouse. So, without further ado, on to the review.

On Beeradvocate, Sproose Joose has an 89. Over at ratebeer it has an 86 overall and a 36 for style. As usual, ratebeer comes in a little low and offers a rock bottom 36 for style. As always, the scores at the beer rating sites should be taken with a grain of salt and should never drive your beer buying or beer drinking decisions.

They say:

A Black Husky innovation, this double IPA is brewed with high alpha hops and locally harvested spruce tips. Like Lothar the Biter, this beer has an aggressive biting flavor with a pungent yet citrusy aroma.

I say:

Sproose Joose pours a slightly hazy gold with a thick, creamy, white head that holds remarkable retention, throughout the entire glass. The aroma is a massive spruce bomb, with equal parts sweet caramel malt, and grapefruit hop notes blended throughout. The caramel notes fade as the beer warms, and the grapefruit becomes more prominent, almost but not quite dominating the spruce.

The flavor begins with tons of spruce up front, with sweet caramel malts and a great backdrop of grapefruit, resin and hints of juniper hoppiness. As with the aroma, the caramel notes fade as it warms allowing the spruce, resin, grapefruit and juniper to pop.

Sproose Joose is very creamy and smooth with a slightly bitter finish that fades as it warms, which seems odd since the hop flavors become more prominent as the bitterness fades. It is medium to full bodied with a moderate to high level of carbonation. Perhaps the high level of carbonation leads to a bit of carbonic bite, which could explain why the perceived bitterness seems to fade as the carbonation level decreased in the glass (carbonic acid enhances the perception of bitterness).

Well, that’s all today. Check back on Wednesday for a review of the Imperial version of Sproose Joose, Sparkly Eyes!

Happy Drinking!

Key takeaways

Black Husky Brewing is a small nano-brewery in Pembine, Wisconsin, and had expanded its Milwaukee-area and statewide presence since the author's earlier Hefe Weiss review.
Sproose Joose II IPA is brewed with high alpha hops and locally harvested spruce tips.
The brewery's copy calls it a double IPA with an aggressive biting flavor and a pungent yet citrusy aroma.
It scored 89 on BeerAdvocate and 86 overall with 36 for style on RateBeer.
Poured slightly hazy gold with a thick, creamy white head and remarkable retention, carrying a massive spruce aroma with sweet caramel malt and grapefruit.
The Imperial version, Sparkly Eyes, had just rolled out the Friday before this post, with the author's review planned for that Wednesday.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sproose Joose II IPA?: A Black Husky Brewing IPA brewed with high alpha hops and locally harvested spruce tips; the brewery's copy describes it as a double IPA with an aggressive biting flavor and a pungent yet citrusy aroma.
Who brews it?: Black Husky Brewing, a small nano-brewery in Pembine, Wisconsin, with head brewer Tim Eichinger. At the time of this October 2012 post it was expanding distribution across Wisconsin.
How did Sproose Joose II IPA score?: BeerAdvocate 89; RateBeer 86 overall and 36 for style.
What does Sproose Joose II IPA taste like?: Slightly hazy gold with a thick, creamy white head and remarkable retention. A massive spruce aroma with sweet caramel malt and grapefruit; the flavor leads with spruce, caramel malts, grapefruit, resin, and hints of juniper. Creamy and smooth, medium to full bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Was there an Imperial version?: Yes. Head brewer Tim Eichinger rolled out an Imperial version of Sproose Joose called Sparkly Eyes the Friday before this October 2012 review.
Where is Black Husky based?: Black Husky is a small nano-brewery in Pembine, Wisconsin that, by the time of this post, had expanded its presence in the Milwaukee area and all across Wisconsin.
Why does the bitterness seem to fade as the beer warms?: The author suspects the high carbonation causes a bit of carbonic bite, since carbonic acid enhances the perception of bitterness, which would fade as the carbonation level drops in the glass.
Should you trust RateBeer scores when buying beer?: The author called the 36 for style a rock bottom score and cautioned that ratings-site scores should never drive beer buying or drinking decisions.

Sources

Black Husky Brewing, brewery site
Sproose Joose II page, source of the "They Say" copy
BeerAdvocate listing for the beer

Editorial note: grammar and clarity of the original 2012 review were lightly corrected in 2026. Facts, opinions, and ratings are the author's own.