Try?
OK, you may be
wondering. What the hell is gruit? Does it taste good? Will it hurt me? And
why should I drink it? Well, to answer your questions oh true believer,
gruit is beer seasoned with fruit and spices in lieu of or in addition to
hops, it does taste good, it won’t hurt you if taken in moderation, and you
should drink it for the same reason people climb Mount Everest: because it’s
there.
Most people are aware that hops are an important ingredient when making beer. But it hasn’t always been that way. Indeed, there was a time when using hops in your ale in England could get you in big, big trouble. For the longest time, fruits, herbs, dates, honey, nuts, figs, and even chickens (I kid you not) went into beer.
The Dutch called such spiced ale gruit, and they still do. Today, the Netherlands is more famous for it’s pilsner lagers like Heineken, Grolsch, and Brand. But some brewers still make gruit, and one of them is the Jopen brewery of Haarlem. They say their gruits are based on classic local recipes. Adriaan is named for an old windmill in Haarlem, and the brewery states that some of the profits from the sale of the beer go towards restoring it.
Make no mistake, this is a delicious beer. But it’s not really all that
exotic, at least not if you’ve tasted a Belgian wit before. Because that’s
exactly what Adriaan tastes like. Likely some hops are uses here, though
there isn’t a pronounced hop signature. All the same, this is a delicious,
complex, and very flavorful brew. It’s bottle conditioned and something that
beer hunters will definitely want to seek out.
Adriaan Gruit Witbier pours to a cloudy orange-white color with a thick and creamy head formation and an orange and berry nose. A generous amount of Brussels lace follows the liquid down the glass. The palate is tart from the wheat with strong notes of coriander, orange peel, blueberry, and a tart, creamy finish. Not a bitter beer by any means, this is a refreshing and tasty brew with a lingering herbal dryness and a touch of sourness in the finish. As a wit, it’s a very good one, ranking right up there with Hoegaarden, I think.
Most people are aware that hops are an important ingredient when making beer. But it hasn’t always been that way. Indeed, there was a time when using hops in your ale in England could get you in big, big trouble. For the longest time, fruits, herbs, dates, honey, nuts, figs, and even chickens (I kid you not) went into beer.
The Dutch called such spiced ale gruit, and they still do. Today, the Netherlands is more famous for it’s pilsner lagers like Heineken, Grolsch, and Brand. But some brewers still make gruit, and one of them is the Jopen brewery of Haarlem. They say their gruits are based on classic local recipes. Adriaan is named for an old windmill in Haarlem, and the brewery states that some of the profits from the sale of the beer go towards restoring it.
Make no mistake, this is a delicious beer. But it’s not really all that
exotic, at least not if you’ve tasted a Belgian wit before. Because that’s
exactly what Adriaan tastes like. Likely some hops are uses here, though
there isn’t a pronounced hop signature. All the same, this is a delicious,
complex, and very flavorful brew. It’s bottle conditioned and something that
beer hunters will definitely want to seek out. Adriaan Gruit Witbier pours to a cloudy orange-white color with a thick and creamy head formation and an orange and berry nose. A generous amount of Brussels lace follows the liquid down the glass. The palate is tart from the wheat with strong notes of coriander, orange peel, blueberry, and a tart, creamy finish. Not a bitter beer by any means, this is a refreshing and tasty brew with a lingering herbal dryness and a touch of sourness in the finish. As a wit, it’s a very good one, ranking right up there with Hoegaarden, I think.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
