13th Century Grut Bier

Brewed by Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Style: Traditional Ale
Freising, Oberbayern, Germany

Rating alert: I actively seek out and try every traditional ale I can find. This could influence my rating. The appearance is yellow, like lemonade, thin white head. Very hazy. The aroma is a crazy jumble of spices, I would say rosemary most prominent among them, and maybe gentian. Some grainy, wheat, malty aromas as well. The flavor is citrusy, spicy (Ginger), some malty sweetness, tart. Lemony sweet/tart flavor is left on the palate, which tends to linger. Wierd. This is an interesting beer. It’s also a challenging beer. I recommend this, but mainly for beer connoisseurs. Not so much as a beer to drink just sitting around watching the game.

Cloudy light straw color, really looks like a white bier. Taller meringue head. Light malt and wheat aromas, masked by big herbal and spice scents. I catch many things from bay leaves, rosemary, ginger, anise and eucalyptus. Chai tea comes to mind. Dry start. Light herbal seem to touch the tastes first. A mild pale malt comes in mid swallow. Likely a bit cleaner than a true traditional ale, and more a complex spice ale, but I’m not complaining. Nice mix of herbal and spice.

<i>Half-liter bottle.</i> Definite herbal medicine smell when opened. As I pour, smell offers lots of ginger and some menthol. Hazy yellow with a few strings of bubbles and a head that’s gone quickly. Taste brings in that ginger, but then I also catch the anise (licorice), caraway and bay. That was with the list of spices on the to guide me, of course, I’m guessing that ’gentian’ is the source of the camphor note. In fact, it’s pretty good for my stuffy nose and sore throat that’s kept me off beer the past few days. A nicer herbal brew than anything from Celestial Seasonings, for sure. hopscotch is right: if this beer were around more often, I’d keep some handy.

Bottle… Murky, straw-colored ale. Spicy, yeasty, herbal nose. To me, the things that really stand out are lemon peel, ginger and something very sarsaparilla-like - probably a synergetic result of blending all those herbs. Light to medium-bodied with tingly carbonation. Mildly sweet, lightly acidic and not at all bitter, but very herbal. Crisp, herbal, refreshing finish. They went out and tried to create something traditional, tasty and wacky – and succeeded. A great change-of-pace beer. I’d drink this on a regular basis if it were more available to me.

Really enjoyed this one. It was reminiscent of some of the pumpkin-spice beers I’ve tried over the years. Didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. The kummel and anis seed are very noticeable in the flavor. The palate was a bit thin. Very pleasant, spicy aroma. Appearance a bit on the thin side--looks like a kristal-weisse, though not much of a head on this beer. Not sure I’d want to drink more than one of these at a time, but it was certainly worth a try, for the more adventurous.

Trying to be objective. Why do I buy these spiced ales when I know I hate them? Anyway, this was light and refreshing. The spices weren’t overdone (I still hated it though). If I liked spiced beers, I would probably have loved this one. Ginger was prominent in the flavor with other spices (I actually could taste the rosemary!). Unique and pretty good for the style, BUT...all this beer proves is that spices have been screwing things up for over 700 years now.

Bottle thanks to Blake! Poured hazy, paler golden with a short cap of white head. The aroma was all about the crazy spices.. bay leaves and rosemary led with plenty of mint in there as well.. some sweet backing, but it didn’t do a whole lot. The flavor was along those same lines with bay leaves taking over.. some other spices too, but it was hard to get past the bay leaves.. finished with about the same. Lighter-bodied and remarkably interesting, but I couldn’t take that much bay leaf.. weird.

And just like that we’re off to the 13th century, gruit-style! Appearance: Pours a cloudy, pale yellow body with a tall, white head. Smell: Anise and ginger are at the fore followed by various herbs and flowers and even a pinch of lemon peel. Taste: Touch of soft wheat, then it’s time for the spices and seasonings. Bay leaves, anise, and an assortment of herbs. Spicy ginger taste grows and accumulates on the tongue. Floral character throughout. Strong anise flavor as well. Lemony hints here and there. Finishes quite crisp and drying. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation. Drinkability: It’s different, it’s interesting, and it’s even refreshing. A fine way to revisit the oft overlooked 13th century. Now I look forward to a beer representing the Protestant Reformation of the 15th and 16th centuries.