In America, we celebrate the important holidays—Groundhog Day (winter is stll hanging on this year because our furry weatherman saw his shadow), Valentine’s Day (an annual excuse to overcharge for roses), and our favorite: International Gruit Day, which takes place on February 1 and celebrates the gruit ale (obviously).

But what is a gruit ale, anyway?

Once a staple across much of Northern Europe, gruit has become one of the rarest categories on modern tap lists—and in today’s hop-saturated beer world, it may be the rarest.

The Basics

The story of gruit begins long before hops became synonymous with beer. From roughly the 11th to the 15th centuries, brewers in regions now part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and parts of Britain flavored their ales with a proprietary blend of herbs and spices known as gruit (also spelled grut, gruut, or gruyt—from the old Germanic word for “herb”).

This mixture typically included bog myrtle (Myrica gale, also called sweet gale), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and wild rosemary (Ledum palustre), though regional variations incorporated heather, juniper, mugwort, ground ivy, meadowsweet, wormwood, and other local botanicals. These herbs provided bitterness, aroma, and preservation in place of hops, creating earthy, floral, spicy, and sometimes medicinal or tart flavor profiles.

What made gruit especially unique—and politically charged—was its regulation. In many areas, local lords or municipalities held a monopoly on the gruit blend. Brewers were required to purchase it from official sources, generating significant tax revenue. The system ensured that every batch carried the stamp of authority, but it also stifled innovation until hopped beer began spreading from regions like Bavaria.

By the 15th and 16th centuries, hops proved more efficient. They offered better bitterness, longer shelf life, and greater resistance to spoilage. The 1516 Reinheitsgebot (German beer purity law) eventually codified hops as the standard bittering agent, and gruit faded into obscurity. For centuries, the style was all but extinct outside of historical reenactments and homebrewing experiments.

What Does Gruit Taste Like?

Modern interpretations vary widely because “gruit” refers more to the use of a herbal blend than to rigid style guidelines.

Traditional recreations—when you can find them—lean herbal and tea-like, with notes of green herbs, pine, earth, subtle florals, and mild tartness or spice. Without hops, bitterness comes from tannins and plant compounds, often resulting in a softer, more rounded bite. ABV typically falls in the 4–6% range, and the beers can feel rustic, almost medicinal. Some tasters describe older versions as evoking “forest floor” or “herbal tea with a kick.”

How common are Gruit Ales Today and Do they Really matter?

The short answer: not very—and not much, especially in the United States.

We did run into a number of interesting gruit ales being brewed by cutting-edge brewers in Oakland, California, but they were primarily small-batch, one-off experiments.

Belgium remains a central hub, with dedicated facilities like Gentse Stadsbrouwerij Gruut in Ghent, which exclusively produces gruit-based varieties. Historic breweries like Jopen in the Netherlands continue the tradition with beers such as Jopen Koyt, which uses a traditional blend of herbs including sweet gale.

Small-scale production also persists in France and Scotland, notably by Williams Brothers, which produces heather- and pine-based ales.

Bottom Line

Just as video was once credited with killing the radio star, the advent of hops derailed gruit ales.

Once hops became the primary bittering agent and preservative among brewers in the Western world—and were later enshrined in law with the Reinheitsgebot—the die was pretty much cast.

So celebrate all you want on International Gruit Day. But good luck finding a gruit ale at your local taproom, because chances are good that you won’t.

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