Gruut Belgian Amber Ale
Gentse Gruut Brouwerij
- From:
- Gentse Gruut Brouwerij
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Ale
Ranked #42 - ABV:
- 6.6%
- Score:
- 82
Ranked #34,698 - Avg:
- 3.59 | pDev: 12.26%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 36
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 21, 2026
- Added:
- Jul 20, 2008
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 8
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey
3.77/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery in Gent. Pours dark amber with off white head. Body is medium and crisp. Taste is of caramel malt, herbs, dark fruit. Long dry finish. Good brew.
May 21, 2026
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England
3.57/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.57/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I've just realised this might be my first gruit-beer, where herbs and spices are used instead of hops. Seems gruit goes back c1000 years and pre-dates the use of hops as the prevailing form.
L- Dark ruby-chestnut, clear (zero sediment left in bottle either), pours with 1Cm ultra-fine bubble mid-tan head, that's holding extremely well (+ does right through for 20mins, impressive)
S- Mild, a subtle and very fleeting sour fruity smell, hmmm not sure.
T- There is a 'bouquet' of aromatic herbs in the taste, and they even seem to leave a light hop-like zing on my tongue. There is also a touch of sour-cherry. The interesting thing is I can't ID specific herbs or spices (and I will only read the lable *after* writing this), they blend in a very subtle way and the unexpected thing is if you did not know, well I'm thinking blind-tasted you might not even notice this beer contains zero hops!
F- Very much like beer (ie with hops) just with a touch more herb/spice than typical in a beer. It's subtle though, and yet has a hop-like bitterness. It also has some richness bringing balance.
O- Excellent beer to blind-taste on a friend or family member; it might be fascinating to hear their thoughts without them even knowing it's a gruit. I thoroughly enjoyed trying that. Another interesting thing, my wife enjoys good beer but has the common Asian 'bitter gene'; strong bitter tastes (like a Pilsener), over over-hopped 'hipster' beer really are unpalatable for her. But here she did not register the alt-hopping as like the bitterness of hops at all.
330ml bottle. 5.8% ABV (instead of the 6.6% in the Description^). BB: 07/08/2021.
Bought online from: BelgiumInABox for import/home delivery to the UK.
The main lable is entirely redesigned, now a lot more subtle and trad-style. A subtle 1/2-tone grey pen+ink sketch of a cathedral approach/forecourt, and restrained text description which curiously (for a direct personal import from Belgium) are ALL in English. Back lable is brief but multi-lingual and lists ingredients, and notably 'herbs' but not which ones.
Apr 10, 2020L- Dark ruby-chestnut, clear (zero sediment left in bottle either), pours with 1Cm ultra-fine bubble mid-tan head, that's holding extremely well (+ does right through for 20mins, impressive)
S- Mild, a subtle and very fleeting sour fruity smell, hmmm not sure.
T- There is a 'bouquet' of aromatic herbs in the taste, and they even seem to leave a light hop-like zing on my tongue. There is also a touch of sour-cherry. The interesting thing is I can't ID specific herbs or spices (and I will only read the lable *after* writing this), they blend in a very subtle way and the unexpected thing is if you did not know, well I'm thinking blind-tasted you might not even notice this beer contains zero hops!
F- Very much like beer (ie with hops) just with a touch more herb/spice than typical in a beer. It's subtle though, and yet has a hop-like bitterness. It also has some richness bringing balance.
O- Excellent beer to blind-taste on a friend or family member; it might be fascinating to hear their thoughts without them even knowing it's a gruit. I thoroughly enjoyed trying that. Another interesting thing, my wife enjoys good beer but has the common Asian 'bitter gene'; strong bitter tastes (like a Pilsener), over over-hopped 'hipster' beer really are unpalatable for her. But here she did not register the alt-hopping as like the bitterness of hops at all.
330ml bottle. 5.8% ABV (instead of the 6.6% in the Description^). BB: 07/08/2021.
Bought online from: BelgiumInABox for import/home delivery to the UK.
The main lable is entirely redesigned, now a lot more subtle and trad-style. A subtle 1/2-tone grey pen+ink sketch of a cathedral approach/forecourt, and restrained text description which curiously (for a direct personal import from Belgium) are ALL in English. Back lable is brief but multi-lingual and lists ingredients, and notably 'herbs' but not which ones.
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain
3.3/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.3/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
From Belgiuminabox. In Teku glass. Playing Heaven Island. Usual profile of ambers I dont use to like combined with herbal notes that make it more affordable. i dont miss the hops
Sep 11, 2017
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