Vermont Organic Birch SyrupUSDA Organic

This was not what I was expecting. I had seen a TV show where some folks tapped the birch trees and harvested the syrup. It was light colorless and thin and looked yummy so I ordered this product. But this is dark and very strong flavored more like molasses. Not what I had in mind, but I’m not sure if maybe this bottle went bad or this is how it’s supposed to be. I don’t want to give it a bad review if this is how it’s supposed to be.

First, there is one reviewer here who confuses sap with syrup. Birch syrup is a 50:1 reduction of sap, the latter of which is clear and refreshing. Maple, by contrast, is a 25:1 reduction. Second, brewers would do best to use sap as your mash liquor. I am not sure the syrup will be an effective or economical addition. But the Birch notes work well in a French or Belgian saison.Third, this product is not as good as Alaska syrup in my opinion. My own is thicker when I am done reduction. This is thin, not viscous, and has a bit different flavor profile than I am used to. Nevertheless, it has the classic orange-like twang of Birch syrup. It is great on pancakes, french toast, and classic vanilla ice cream.

The syrup had a great, complex taste. It's a bit intense by itself, but has really nice, complex, birchy flavor. The bad part was the shipping - the seal on the container came loose during shipping, so I got a bag coated in about 1 oz of syrup. Not the end of the world, but frustrating when there's only 7 oz in the container.

It wasn't the lightly sweet taste of birch syrup I experienced in Alaska. Instead, it tastes like vinegar. Fortunately, I poured it on my plate instead of directly on my pancakes. I bought this as a gift and finally had an occasion to have it together so it's too late to send it back. :(

It just crossed my mind one day that there is a birch water (popular in Russia) and maple sirup in Americas, so there must be a birch sirup. I was surprised to find it on Amazon. It's, actually, very sweet so don't use on waffles, but add just a drop to the ice-cream - it tastes amazing! Hard to describe the taste, but I would say it reminds me of wooden smokiness, like the one you get on a smoked bacon.

A strong interesting flavor, best used to enhance other syrup or flavor baked items. A little bitter if used alone, but that can be said of most things used to enhance flavor. Experiment with this and be amazed at how it works.

to be fair, this is NOT maple syrup. it does not taste anything like maple. it is a very dark and intense flavor.

Use for cooking only. Not for pancakes. Used it to smoke salmon.