Sixpoint Mad Scientist Series #13: Gruitbeer

For hundreds of years in Europe, the pub drink was gruitbeer, a beer bittered and spiced with a mixture of herbs rather than hops. Rather suddenly, beginning in the 1600s, along with the rise of the Protestant Church, gruitbeer was phased out and hopped beer became the near-ubiquitous norm. But hopped beers weren’t preferred by the populace, who enjoyed the herbal brew and believed that hops caused drowsiness. Gruitbeers, on the other hand, were wildly popular and believed by many to provide a host of benefits— narcotic, antidotal, psychotropic and aphrodisiac effects were documented. With a small percentage of wheat and rye, along with a touch of smoked malt, our gruit’s grain bill is unique and muddled. Ancient brewers would not have access to 100% barley, and could not fire-malt their grain without leaving a touch of smoke. The result is a hearty ale with significant dimension. The final gruit mixture is made of heather tips, yarrow root, juniper berries and myrtle, resulting in a complex herbal bouquet and a lingering, light bitterness.