Professor Fritz Briem 13th Century Grut Bier - Professor Fritz Briem

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased at Friar Tuck's in Savoy, IL.
No bottled on date.
Poured into a standard US pint glass.

Amazing aroma, definitely herbal in character, with notable rosemary, ginger, sage mint, and vague flowers. There's a mild wheat malt base that adds a bit of sweetness and acts as the glue between this wild variety of scents.

Tasting opens with slight sweetness and mild lemon flavor, which quickly fades into herbs. Of particular note are ginger, mint, rosemary, sage. Finishes with a bit of sweetness, then, tartness, probably from the wheat malt and yeast used.

Enjoyably light on the palate (not sure a heavier version of this would be appealing) with sparkling levels of carbonation, similar to champagne. Crisp, refreshing, and very drinkable with a dry finish.

At first I thought this might be like drinking soup base, but I was pleasantly surprised by the aromatic and gustatory aspects of this beer. I repeatedly thought how easily drinkable this was, and what an excellent apertif or dinner beer this would make. So it's not an over-the-top RIS or IPA; this is still delicious and a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 05:24:16 | More by falloutsnow

draheim

Washington

4.06/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

500mL into a weizen glass. Pours a cloudy pale yellow w/ a narrow white head that dissipates to a thin film.

Aroma is big on herbal and floral scents, many of which I'm only vaguely familiar with. Rosemary and ginger, and then some floral tea-like aromas. It's certainly unique and not objectionable.

Taste leads off with wheat malt and lemon zest, then white pepper and other spices as well as floral/herbal notes. Lots of citrusy acidity gives it a refeshing zing.

Mouthfeel is soft but lively, crisp and clean. The lemony quality gives it a refreshing finish.

Overall this is probably the first or second Gruit beer I've ever had, and I enjoyed it. Not an everyday kind of beer but one that certainly deepens my appreciation for beer's long history and wide variety. It's also a well-made beer in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 23:12:26 | More by draheim

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

4.48/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

P: Bright cloudy yellow lemonade body with a fast disappearing white head.

S: Crazy aroma. Caraway, rosemary, bay leaves, ginger, mustard seed, subtle fennel, tart citrus kissed wheat and spicy barley. Weird but amazing. Timid grapefruit in the back.

T/M: Taste comes off as a super spiced up summer wheat ale. The bay leaves really bring a bitter earthy profile along with the caraway and rosemary. Like drinking a brine solution mixed with wheat beer and tart yeast. Light zesty body that is nice and refreshing. Grapefruit in the finish.

O: I wasn't sure what to expect but I gotta say its superb. The spices really work as weird as they seem. A great easy drinking summer beer. I will definitely grab more of this. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 22:36:51 | More by Hopswagger

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

04-24-2013 15:57:37 | More by Jason1337

Beer21

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%

04-24-2013 05:23:39 | More by Beer21

sbanacho

California

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%

04-21-2013 15:11:51 | More by sbanacho

merc7186

New York

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Crabapples in Cheektowaga NY, poured into a pint glass.

A: Hazy Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head, Decent Lacing

S: Rosemary, Chardomum, Grassy

T: Rosemary, Grassy, Hay

M: Decent Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mildly Drying

Overall, so freaking earthy with the different combination of spices, great beer....especially for $3.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2013 01:58:05 | More by merc7186

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

A: really cloudy, yellow....bright white head, spongy - a nice amount, good rise, just doesn't want to stick around....it looks like a Berliner Weisse, or Absinthe

S: herbal - pasta sauce?! (but this goes away)...I'd like to think the rosemary and ginger comes out most predominantly....sniffed, for reference, all the herbs/spices listed on the label (with the exception of gentian, though I did have Angostura on hand...)....wasn't detecting any caraway and the anise was thankfully just enough to balance, bay leaves perhaps the same...with the green herbs and the ginger was a wonderful citrus blend of an aroma....the whole spice bill was so well balanced and edged toward accessibility

T: up front, a nasty, funky mystery (but this goes away)....the aftertaste very much mirrors the smell....I suppose that's the gentian that's prevalent here....fruity, mildly tart, some vague sweetness - herbs and spices are so well balanced and mellow enough....ginger/bay-leaf bite very late, but still fairly subdued....a sort of herbal/floral and certainly bright citrus flavors are the core here

M: sort of thinnish, a little dry....spritzy (or is that the citrusy/herbal bite?) - enhances the thinness....later, there's actually a pleasant, yet soft, filling sensation, yet it washes away somewhat clean, though a little residual stickiness remains on the palate....the lighter body works to its advantage here though

O: in my mind, this is the best of the more readily available gruit ales on the market....something that truly stands out, and it's so drinkable!...and only a German or (better) British yeast seems appropriate for this style (Belgian "gruit" is a waste/joke)...the yeast must have some hand in the flavor here, but it still allows the flavorings to come through....definitely try this if you haven't!

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 07:32:14 | More by Bouleboubier

Zach136

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.9%

04-03-2013 23:12:17 | More by Zach136

Keith_R

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

04-03-2013 23:11:24 | More by Keith_R

rm9679

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%

03-26-2013 00:29:04 | More by rm9679

drgonzo2k2

California

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

03-25-2013 00:56:45 | More by drgonzo2k2

waiting4lunch

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +23.4%

03-24-2013 17:25:34 | More by waiting4lunch

aeyust

Alabama

5/5  rDev +29.9%

03-24-2013 03:48:35 | More by aeyust

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.9%

03-11-2013 04:22:08 | More by spycow

MarkyMOD

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

03-10-2013 05:09:52 | More by MarkyMOD

olfolxholme

California

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

03-08-2013 03:44:08 | More by olfolxholme

Flashy

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

03-04-2013 22:56:54 | More by Flashy

Braz

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bought from Tacoma Boys. Pours a hazy pale gold with a lot of sediments floating around. Smells fantastic. Tons of spices, cinnamon, rosemary, fruit and zest. Taste is slightly tart, with some ginger and rosemary notes. Pretty good dose of carbonation compared to the appearance. Very light body with an abrupt finish and absolutely no bitterness. Not bad and I love this style of beer. Always interesting and the history is intriguing as well.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:40:39 | More by Braz

BrownNut

Florida

2.23/5  rDev -42.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

I can't fathom how other reviewers are giving this beer praise. It's awful. Well, I take that back. It's awful unless you like the taste of a lady's bathroom. It smelled strongly of powder and some kind of pungent flower, like one of those seashell-shaped compressed powder things that your mom or grandma would crumble up in the bath back before "bath salts" meant drugs. My dining companions agreed. Four sips was too many.

I looked at its ingredient list and everything in there except one thing checked out just fine - flavors you've had in other applications and have liked just fine (bay leaves, ginger, caraway, anise, rosemary). But gentian flower seems to be the culprit that grandma-izes it. It's the only one I'd never knowingly smelled and has to be the reason this is awful. There's nothing wrong with the smell of powder or perfumey flowers or bath products, but they don't belong in my beer. The powder and flower smells dominated anything else that may have been happening in the background.

It looked fine in the glass and felt fine in the mouth, I'll give it that.

I am excited by the concept of gruits and the wild flexibility and variability they offer - the ability to flavor beer with just about anything and to get away from hops as the main character note. But this one went to a bad place. I'm a little discouraged because the Bros said in their review that this was one of the very best gruits they'd ever tried.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2013 16:35:36 | More by BrownNut

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

1.25/5  rDev -67.5%

02-10-2013 02:07:07 | More by mportnoy

Rusty_Pabst

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +3.9%

01-30-2013 04:47:31 | More by Rusty_Pabst

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

4/5  rDev +3.9%

01-23-2013 09:05:22 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

LeeG

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%

01-23-2013 02:41:43 | More by LeeG

westcoastbeerlvr

California

2.5/5  rDev -35.1%

01-14-2013 18:44:27 | More by westcoastbeerlvr