Gruit (Pronounced ɡɹaɪt key)(alternately grut or gruyt) is a herb mixture used for bittering and flavouring beer, popular before the extensive use of hops. The terms gruit and grut ale may also refer to the beverage produced using gruit. Today, however, gruit is a colloquial term applied to a beer seasoned with gruit-like herbs.
The word "gruit" stems from an area now in the Netherlands, Belgium, and northwestern Germany. The word refers to the herb mixture originally used to enhance the flavour of beers before the general use of hops. The earliest reference to gruit dates from the late 10th century. During the 11th century, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV awarded monopoly privileges of the production and sale of gruit (Grutgerechtigkeit, or "grut licence") to different local authorities, and as such imposed a de facto tax on beer. The control of gruit restricted entry to local beer markets—brewers in a diocese were not allowed to sell beer brewed without the local gruit, and imports were similarly restricted. The gruit licensing system also exerted control over brewers within a city, as the holder of a Grutgerechtigkeit could calculate how much beer each brewer could make based on how much gruit was sold to them.[1] Outside the area where the gruit monopoly applied, other countries and regions produced ales containing spices, but they were not called gruit. For instance, some traditional types of unhopped beer such as sahti in Finland, which is spiced with juniper sprigs, have survived the advent of hops.[2] [3]
Specific gruit recipes were often guarded secrets. In 1420, the town council of Cologne "...directed a knowledgeable woman to teach a certain brewer, and no one else, how to make [gruit]..."[4] Although largely replaced by hops in the 14th and 15th centuries, gruit flavored beer was locally produced in Westphalia until at least the 17th century.
In both the area where gruit existed and outside it, the traditional spices were gradually replaced by hops, in a slow sweep across Europe occurring between the 11th century (in the south and east of the Holy Roman Empire) and the late 16th century (Great Britain). In 16th-century Britain, a distinction was made between "ale" (which was unhopped), and the "beer" brought in by Dutch merchants, that was hopped. In more recent centuries, however, the words "beer" and "ale" have been synonymous, as is still largely the case in British English, although recently there has been an increase in the use where "ale" means beer other than lager beer.
The main factor for the replacement of spices by hops is that hops were cheaper (especially in the gruit area, where the price of beer flavouring spices was artificially kept high) and were better at rendering the beer more stable. This preservative effect is thought to have had a large impact on the early movement to switch over, although other plants commonly used in gruit mixes, for example sage, rosemary, or bog myrtle, also have antiseptic properties likely to extend the shelf life of beer. Spruce tips as a local food ingredient have a practical aspect as well; it is a plentiful resource in northern latitudes such as Finland and Alaska, while in Alaska hops must be imported from the lower 48 United States.
Gruit is a combination of herbs, commonly including:
Gruit recipes varied somewhat; each gruit producer included different herbs to produce unique flavors and effects. Other adjunct herbs include juniper berries, ginger, caraway seed, aniseed, nutmeg, cinnamon, mint, and occasionally hops in variable proportions (although gruit today is often sought out specifically for its lack of hops).
The 1990s microbrewery movement in North America and Europe renewed interest in unhopped beers, and several have tried reviving ales brewed with gruits, or plants that once were used in it. Commercial examples include:
| Beer name | Gruit ingredients | Brewery | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gruut Blond, Gruut Wit, Gruut Amber, Gruut Bruin, Gruut Inferno | Gentse Stadsbrouwerij Gruut | data-sort-value="Belgium, Ghent" | Ghent, Belgium | |
| Beann Gulban | Heather | White Hag | data-sort-value="Ireland, Sligo" | Sligo, Ireland |
| Wolf & Gruit | Mint, cinnamon, ginger, verbena, sage | Brokreacja | data-sort-value="Poland, Zator" | Zator, Poland |
| Golden State of Mind | Chamomile, coriander, and orange peel | Ale Industries | data-sort-value="United States, California, Oakland" | Oakland, CA, US |
| Fraoch | Heather flowers, sweet gale and ginger | data-sort-value="United Kingdom, Scotland, Alloa" | Alloa, Scotland | |
| Alba | Pine twigs and spruce buds | data-sort-value="United Kingdom, Scotland, Alloa" | Alloa, Scotland, UK | |
| Myrica | Sweet gale | Hanlons | data-sort-value="United Kingdom, England, Devon" | Devon, England, UK |
| Gageleer | Sweet gale | data-sort-value="Belgium, Lochristi" | Lochristi, Belgium | |
| Cervoise | Heather flowers, spices, hops | Lancelot | data-sort-value="France, Brittany" | Brittany, France |
| Artemis | Mugwort and wild bergamot (Also known as bee balm or horsemint) | data-sort-value="United States, California, Santa Rosa" | Santa Rosa, CA, USA | |
| Alaskan Winter Ale | Young Sitka spruce tips | data-sort-value="United States, Alaska" | Alaska, USA | |
| Our Special Ale | Young Sitka spruce tips | data-sort-value="United States, California, San Francisco" | San Francisco, CA, USA | |
| Spruce Tip Ale | Young Sitka spruce tips | Haines Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Alaska" | Alaska, USA |
| Spruce Tip Gruit | Young Sitka spruce tips | Wolf Tree Brewery | data-sort-value="United States, Oregon, Seal Rock" | Seal Rock, OR, USA |
| Island Trails Spruce Tip Wheat Wine | Young Sitka spruce tips | Kodiak Island Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Alaska" | Alaska, USA |
| Sitka Spruce Tip Ale | Young Sitka spruce tips | Baranof Island Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Alaska" | Alaska, USA |
| Bog Water | Myrica gale (bog myrtle) | data-sort-value="Canada, Ontario, Vankleek Hill" | Vanleek Hill, Ontario, Canada | |
| Spring Fever Gruit | Organic barley, heather, and spices | Salt Spring Island Brewery | data-sort-value="Canada, British Columbia" | British Columbia, Canada |
| Various Weekly Offerings | Locally foraged herbs, flowers, roots, and berries as well as classic gruit ingredients | Earth Eagle Brewings | data-sort-value="United States, New Hampshire, Portsmouth" | Portsmouth, NH, USA |
| Posca Rustica | Recipe based on archeological research at The Archeosite D'Aubechies - Sweet woodruff (wild baby's breath) and bog myrtle are just two of a dozen different spices used. | data-sort-value="Belgium, Wallonia" | Wallonia, Belgium | |
| Namastale | Juniper and rosemary | Church Key Brewing | data-sort-value="Canada, Ontario, Campbellford" | Campbellford, ON, Canada |
| Dunes | Wormwood, mugwort, turmeric, lemongrass, and sage | Solarc Brewing | data-sort-value="United States, California, Los Angeles" | Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| Session Gruit | Chamomile and elderberries | Solarc Brewing | data-sort-value="United States, California, Los Angeles" | Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| Earl | Earl Grey Tea, lemon verbena, and foraged rosemary | Solarc Brewing | data-sort-value="United States, California, Los Angeles" | Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| Wine Trash | Granache grape must and Yarrow Flower | Solarc Brewing | data-sort-value="United States, California, Los Angeles" | Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| Sun Eater | Rosemary and dried lemon peel | 4th Tap Brewing Co-op | data-sort-value="United States, Texas, Austin" | Austin, TX, USA |
| Jopen Koyt | Sweet gale and other herbs | data-sort-value="Netherlands, Haarlem" | Haarlem, Netherlands | |
| A River Runs Gruit | Lavender, chamomile, rose hips, and elderberry | Rock Art Brewery | data-sort-value="United States, Vermont, Morrisville" | Morrisville, VT, USA |
| Spruce Stout | Spruce Tips | Rock Art Brewery | data-sort-value="United States, Vermont, Morrisville" | Morrisville, VT, USA |
| Zingiberene Ginger Gruit | Ginger | Schmohz Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Michigan, Grand Rapids" | Grand Rapids, MI, USA |
| Ancient Gruit Ale | Wormwood, Grains of Paradise, Hand-picked Wild Yarrow | The Beer Diviner | data-sort-value="United States, New York, Cherry Plain" | Cherry Plain, NY, USA |
| Stop Trying to Make Gruit Happen | Barrel aged (6.5%) | Denizen's Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Maryland, Silver Spring" | Silver Spring, MD, USA |
| Irish Gruit | Gruit Heather tips, Rose hips (5.7%) | Dunagan Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Washington, Gig Harbor" | Gig Harbor, WA, USA |
| Gruit | Yarrow, sweet gale, and Labrador tea | Proper Brewing Company | data-sort-value="United States, Utah, Salt Lake City" | Salt Lake City, UT, USA |
| Earthbound Gruit | Missouri Cedar branches, heather tips, basswood honey | Dangerous Man Brewing Co. | data-sort-value="United States, Minnesota, Minneapolis" | Minneapolis, MN, USA |
| Nursia | Star Anise, caraway, ginger, and spruce | Avery Brewing Co. | data-sort-value="United States, Colorado, Bolder" | Boulder, CO, USA |
| Special Herbs | Lemongrass, hyssop, Sichuan peppercorns, and orange peel | Upright Brewery | data-sort-value="United States, Oregon, Portland" | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| groot | Clove, juniper berry, rainbow peppercorn, and caraway seed | Oliphant Brewing | data-sort-value="United States, Wisconsin, Somerset" | Somerset, WI, USA |
| Witchcraft Gruit Ale | Dandelion, ginger, coriander, lavender, orange Peel | LyonSmith Brewing | Keuka Park, NY, USA | |
| Acqua Passata | Thyme, rhubarb, mugwort | Retorto | data-sort-value="Italy, Piacenza" | Podenzano, Piacenza, Italy |
| Palisade | Oak bark, myrica gale | Jelling Bryghus ApS | Jelling, Denmark |
Since 2013, craft brewers with an interest in making gruit flavored ales have banded together to mark 1 February as International Gruit Day. The day is intended to raise awareness of and pay homage to the historical traditions of brewing with botanicals.