Carl Pause Das Grutbier: Biergenuss ohne Hopfen; Gruit beer, beer enjoyment without hops.

Carl Pause, Das Grutbier: Biergenuss ohne Hopfen. In: Carl Pause (Hrsg. ), Neuss und das Altbier. Neuss 2013, 33-38.
https://www.academia.edu/20439957/Carl_Pause_Das_Grutbier_Biergenuss_ohne_Hopfen._In_Carl_Pause_Hrsg._Neuss_und_das_Altbier._Neuss_2013_33-38?auto=download
Translated by Susan Verberg, 2017.
 
Gruit beer , beer enjoyment without hops.
In the Middle Ages on the Lower Rhine, they drank a herbal beer which was called grut, gruit, gruyt or Grüssing, after its spices addition and which was known in Neuss under the name Graut. It was brewed with the addition of leaves and fruits of the bog myrtle (gagel) and is therefore known today as gagelbeer. From the 14th century onwards grut beer was gradually displaced by hop beer. 

Grutbier played a considerable part not only for professional brewers, but also for the home brewing citizens in the cities and the country peasants. In the Middle Ages, no method was known to cool the wort during the manufacturing process. Therefore Grutbier was like today’s Altbier top fermented at fermentation temperatures around 18 ° C and brewed in summer. In a Neuss council decision of 1357, June is even referred to as "Bramant" – brew month. 

 

Grutbier is mentioned for the first time in a 974 AD privilege of Emperor Otto II (955-983) for the church of Liège.2 Presumably, grutbier is even older, as already in early medieval England a similar herbal beer was known.3 Medieval Bavaria knew a drink called "gräwzzing", "greuzenich", "gräussing" or "greissing" as well.4

The production of grut was a sovereign right, which was passed on or leased by the respective sovereign for payment to cities or private individuals. The seasoning additive was produced in special Gruthauses. In Neuss, the abbess of the Quirinus monastery was the owner of the grut courthouse. As early as 1283, a grove house and a gardener named Konrad were documented in writing. The Gruthaus was located on modern day’s Münsterplatz in the area of the monastery of St. Quirin. Supposedly it already existed in the time of Archbishop Anno II of Koln (1056-1075), but this reference comes from a document faked in the 13th century.5 

How the Neusser made their grut is unfortunately not known. After all, it seems to have been of such good quality that in 1408 the people of Koln dubbed it better than their own. However, information on the composition of Grut is available from other cities. They [these ingredients] are more or less valid for Neuss as well.

Photo: in the Lower Rhine bogs bog myrtle as well as peat was collected, which served in the preparation of the grut as a spice and as a fuel.

From 1272 grut right was in the hands of the city of Wesel. Because of this ingredients purchased for the production of grut are listed in the municipal accounting books.7 The main component of grut was thus "gagelkruyt", which in the sources also appears under the Latin name of "custum". The gagel, or bog myrtle, botanical name of Myrica gale, was bought mostly in the Netherlands, especially in Deventer, Zwolle, Dordrecht and Arnhem, but also directly supplied to the Wesel citizens. It was the most expensive part of the grut. In addition, resin, "siler montanus" and the berries of the laurel tree were added to the grut. These ingredients were mostly bought in Koln.

The term "siler montanus" refers to an alpine plant known as cumin, cumin or mountain laser herb (Laserpitium siler).8 Obviously, it is identical to the plant known in Dutch sources as the "Scherpetange", "Scharpe Tonge " or "serpents-tonghe" and, as can be seen from a contemporary description, possesses 9 long, slender, serpent-like leaves.10 Unusual purchases appear in the Weseler accounts: those for "pro cespitibus fodiendis"- literal translation : "To dig the lawn" are described. Likely the digging of peat is meant, which would not go into the grut, but was used as a fuel.11 Probably the grut mixture was heated a peat fire during the manufacturing process, from which it received a smokey flavor, as one still finds today in Scottish whiskey.

Photo: The Bergkümmel or laserwort (Laserpitium siler) needed for the grut had to be imported from the Alps.

In Koln, the grut was produced in a similar way as in Wesel, but using additional spices.12 This can be seen from a purchase account from the year 1391 13 and a written down 1393 inventory from the Koln Gruthaus.14 In addition to bog myrtle, resin, laurel berries 15, Kümmel [caraway] 16,
Feldkümmel [also caraway] 17, anise, laserwort and ginger 18 were added. The latter was sold dried in sacks in Koln and also "green" (as a fresh root) in ceramic vessels.19 Furthermore, they noted "gegirde spryen", which the Koln Gruthaus sourced from millers and brewers.20

[translator: the 1391 and 1393 accounts from Koln do not list laserwort or its variants. While the identification of bog myrtle, resin, laurel berries, anise and juniper (not ginger) is conclusive, the identification of caraway is not confirmed, especially as here both kroun/karoem and koem/koempt are translated as one and the same, while the accounts note them as two separate herbs/entries]

Behind the "sprijen" or "spelschen sprijen" hides the fermented chaff of spelt (Triticum spelta) .21 Spelt belongs to the cereals. Its spikes are fragile and its kernels are firmly surrounded by husks. The spelt grains can therefore not be released by threshing, like those of other cereals. Rather, a so-called "Gerbgang" is necessary in which the grains are ground between two millstones in a wide grinding gap. As a by-product, the milling process produces "sprijen" containing flour dust and, on the outside of the husks, yeast cultures similar to grapes. When the husks are moistened, they begin to ferment.

The term grut probably derives from this spelt “sprij”, which is related to the words "Gries" and "Grütze": According to the Etymologicum Linguae Teutonicae, a dictionary published in Amsterdam in 1599 by Cornelius Kiliaan, "gruys-bier" or "gruysen beer" was a drink called "ex furfuribus cocta", it was thus cooked from bran, semolina or chaff.22

Photo: Until the 19th century, beer kegs were held together not by iron rings but by hazel rods.

In the Latin sources the word grut is translated as "fermentum", the grüter is called "fermentarius". Obviously, the grut was a fermented herbal mixture that also contained yeast. In the Gruthaus, the individual herbs were mixed together with the fermented husks to a pulp, which was then heated and dried. The preparation of the grut included a process that is described as "kro°ut ein heuft zo setzen" [set to rise]. This is probably the top fermentation of the herbal porridge, which was set in motion by the addition of the fermented spelt sprij. What the fermentation process lacked in detail, the brewing equipment used is another guess. In the Koln Gruthaus in 1391 the "ember" (bucket), "better" (broom) and a "schyf" (bushel) belonged to the equipment. Also used here were a sümmer (cereal mass), "zeymen" (sieves), a "schouppe" (scoop), a grut vat lid, a kettle, ropes, string, various "manden" (handled baskets) and a "meijscheijt" (mash separator). In addition, in 1420, a copper kettle was ordered and a stove was set.

Photo: Bierbrauer bei der Arbeit, after Jost Ammanns „Ständebuch“, 1568.

After drying, the ferment was ground in the Grutmühle, a horse mill. The resulting powder, a spice mixture with dry yeast, was sold to the Brauer, which then put it into the mash and set with it the fermentation of the wort in motion. Obviously, the grut did not last long because it was released in relatively small quantities. The herbs contained in it should have given the beer a sharp, slightly sweet taste with a bitter note.

In Koln, the grut was prepared according to different recipes: in 1420 Koln used only spelt chaff, bog myrtle, cumin and resin and a small amount of hops.26 In Duisburg also used cherries, probably sour cherries, in the grut.27
 

In the end, however, the production of grut was quite uniform, as the same ingredients were used in neighboring Westphalia and Lower Saxony as on the Lower Rhine. Thus, the Osnabrücker grut contained bog myrtle, spelt, "Scharpetangen", laurel and resin.28 In Westphalia, bog myrtle was sometimes referred to as Porst, which has caused some confusion among the historians, as it was also used for marsh rosemary (Ledum palustre L.).29

The written sources also provide information about the malt used for the Grutbier: in June of 1408, the city council of Koln had beer brewed in order to obtain insights into the costs and, above all, the profits of the Koln brewers. The brewer, commissioned by the council, made seven ohms of beer from two malter of barley malt. From each malter he won 3.5 ohms of beer. He used the "best barley malt" - in contrast to his Koln colleagues. These took "almost a third of oats and spelt and then brew almost an ohm of beer more", as one smugly noted.31
 

The 1408 brewed beer was a thin beer. A decree of the Koln City Council of 1429 showed that the brewers were obligated by oath to use for each type of beer a certain amount of malt, so as to ensure the quality of the Koln beer. From a malter malt therefore should be brewed three ohms of thin beer. On the other hand, the thick beer had twice the amount of original wort: each malter malt produced only 1.5 ohms of beer. The use of oats and "hollow" spelt (Spelzspreu) was forbidden in this process by the way.

Now it would be interesting to know how many liters are in a Koln ohm and malter in the 15th century. Unfortunately, there are only from Napoleonic times precise details, 33 which can not be easily transferred to the Middle Ages. Therefore, we have to make rough estimates here: assuming a size of 200 l for the ohm and a size of 150 l for the malter, 35 kg of malt were used to produce one hectolitre of lager beer, and about 17 kg were used for the thin beer. Today, for the production of one hectoliter of beer with an alcohol content of 4.7%, about 20 kg of brewing malt are needed. Since the malt yield is now much more efficient due to improved technology, the medieval Dickbier [thick beer] should have possessed a similar [Stammwürz = sugars in solution] and alcohol content as today's beer, while Dünnbier [thin beer] and the grut beer probably only contained 2-3% alcohol.

 

When grutbier finally disappeared along the Lower Rhine, one can not say for sure.  Although in the 16th century hop beer prevailed nationwide grut beer seems to have been brewed until the end of the Thirty Years War, because the "graut" is mentioned in 1649 in the official letter of the Neusser Brauer! As a niche product, grut beer probably was long lived in other places along the Lower Rhine, especially in the countryside, as the situation in present-day Lower Saxony suggests: the city council of Osnabrück took the decision in 1702 to henceforth prohibiting the use of bog myrtle in the production of beer, and in the city of Oldenburg bog myrtle was banned as late as 1724!

 ENDNOTES

_______________

1 F. Lau, Quellen zur Rechts- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte der rheinischen Städte. Kurkölnische Städte I: Neuss. Publikationen der Gesellschaft für rheinische Geschichtskunde 29 (Bonn 1911/Düsseldorf 1984), Nr. 55, S. 77.

2 A. Schulte, Vom Grutbiere. Eine Studie zur Wirtschafts- und Verfassungsgeschichte. In: Annalen des Historischen Vereins für den Niederrhein 85, 1908, S. 118-146, hier: S. 132; W. Herborn, Römerbier, Grutbier, Hopfenbier. Zur rheinischen Biergeschichte von den Anfängen bis zum Beginn der Neuzeit. In: F. Langensiepen (Hrsg.), Bierkultur an Rhein und Maas, (Bonn 1998) S. 195-218, hier: S. 207ff.

3 An Stelle des Hopfens gab man Gagel, Wermut, Beifuß, Mädesüß, Scharfgarbe und Gundermann in die Maische, wodurch das Bier einen würzigen, süßlichen Geschmack bekam. [In place of the hops, gagel, wormwood, mugwort, meadowsweet, Scharfgarbe and Gundermann were added to the mash, giving the beer a spicy, sweetish taste.] Vgl. A. Hagen, A Second Handbook of Anglos-Saxon food and Drink. Production and Distribution (Hockwold cum Wilton 1995) S. 209ff.

4 K. Hackel-Stehr, Das Brauwesen in Bayern vom 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert, insbesondere die Entstehung und Entwicklung des Reinheitsgebotes [in particular the emergence and development of the purity law] (1516) (Berlin 1987) S. 30 u. S. 367ff.

5 G. Fischer und W. Herborn, Geschichte des rhein cischen Brauwesens. In: Bierbrauen im Rheinland. Führer und Schriften des Rheinischen Freilichtmuseums und Landesmuseums für Volkskunde in Kommern 28 (Köln 1985) S. 9-118, hier: S. 34.     

6 H. von Loesch, Die Kölner Zunfturkunden nebst anderen Kölner Gewerbeurkunden bis zum Jahre 1500, Bd. 2 (Bonn 1907) Nr. 250, S. 64.

7 Ch. Kraus, Entwicklung des Weseler Stadthaushaltes von 1342-1390 dargestellt auf Grund der Stadtrechnungen. Studien und Quellen zur Geschichte von Wesel II (Wesel 1907) S. 10, 79f.

8 Vgl. Schulte (Anm. 2): „Der Roßkümmel, des -s, plur. inus. eine dem Kümmel sehr ähnliche Art des Laserkrautes, welche in dem mittägigen Deutschland wohnet, und dessen Samen in den Apotheken gebraucht wird. Laserpitium Siler L. In andern Gegenden führet der Silan oder Bärwurz, Peucedanum Silaus L. diesen Nahmen, und in noch andern der Schierling.“ [The Roßkümmel, the -s, plur. inus. a type of laser herb very similar to caraway, which lives in modern day Germany, and whose seeds are used in pharmacies. Laserpitium Siler L. in other regions the silane or bearwort, Peucedanum silaus L., carries this name, and in still others the hemlock]; J. C. Adelung, Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der hochdeutschen Mundart, mit beständiger Vergleichung der übrigen Mundarten, besonders aber der Oberdeutschen von Johann Christoph Adelung. Mit D. W. Soltau’s Beyträgen revidirt und berichtiget von Franz Xaver Schönberger (Wien 1811), Spalte 1166. <http://lexika.digitale-sammlungen.de/adelung/lemma/bsb00009133_6_1_1822> [Zugriff am: 5.11.2012].

9 „serpents-tonghe: Sagitta, sagittalis, sagittaria: herba foliis longioribus, & angustioribus serpentis linguam, siue alatae sagittae cuspidem referens“: C. Kiliaan, Etymologicum Teutonicae Linguae (1599). <http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/kili001etym01_01/kili001etym01_01_0027.php#27480> [Zugriff am 5.11.2012].

10 Der Archäobotaniker Ernst Behre glaubt die Pflanze, die auch Serpentin oder „zwaercruyt“ genannt wird, mit dem hierzulande als Blauer Heinrich oder Natternkopf {(Echium vulgare L.)} bekannten Kraut gleichsetzen zu können, doch ist dies unwahrscheinlich, da sich der Gewöhnliche Natternkopf zwar als Salatpflanze,

nicht aber als Gewürz eignet. [The archaeobotanist Ernst Behre believes that the plant, which is also called serpentine or "zwaercruyt", can be equated with the herb known in this country as the Blue Henry or Adder's Head (Echium vulgare L.), but this is unlikely since the Common Adderhead is a salad plant, not a spice.] E. Behre, Zur Geschiche des Bieres und der Bierwürze in Mitteleuropa. In: Gerstensaft und Hirsebier. 5000 Jahre Biergenuß. Sonderausstellungen. Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde und Vorgeschichte Oldenburg vom 04. Juli bis 13. September 1998. Schloßmuseum Jever vom 05. Juli bis 1. Oktober 1998 (Oldenburg 1998) S. 49-88.

11 Vgl. Schulte (Anm. 2).

12 F. Irsigler, Hermann von Goch als Kölner Grutpächter. In: E. Ennen und D. Höroldt (Hrsg.), Aus Geschichte und Volkskunde von Stadt und Raum Bonn. Festschrift Josef Dietz zum 80. Geburtstag am 8. April 1973. (Bonn 1973) S. 79-88.

13 L. Ennen (Hrsg.), Quellen zur Geschichte der Stadt Köln 6 (Köln 1878) Nr. 29, S. 55ff.

14 L. Ennen (Anm. 13) Nr. 111, S. 189f.

15 „bacheller“, „backgeler“: L. Ennen (Anm. 13) Nr. 29, S. 55ff u. Nr. 111, S. 189. Vgl. „Baeckelaer, lauwer besie: Bacca lauri.“: C. Kiliaan, Etymologicum Teutonicae Linguae (1599) <http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/kili001etym01_01/kili001etym01_01_0011.php> [Zugriff am 27.09.2012].

16 „kroun“, „karoun“, „karoen“, L. Ennen (Anm. 13) Nr. 29, S. 55ff u. Nr. 111, S. 189f. Vgl. „KARBE, f. carum carvi, der gemeine kümmel, feldkümmel“: Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm XI (Leipzig 1854-1960; Quellenverzeichnis 1971) 207.

17 „koem“, „kuemp“: L. Ennen (Anm. 13) Nr. 29, S. 55ff u. Nr. 111, S. 189f.

18 „genver“: L. Ennen (Anm. 13) Nr. 29, S. 55ff u. Nr. 111, S. 189f.

19 B. Kuske (Hrsg.), Quellen zur Geschichte des Kölner Handels und Verkehrs im Mittelalter 1: 12. Jahrhundert bis 1449. Publikationen der Gesellschaft für rheinische Geschichtskunde 33. (Bonn 1923/Düsseldorf 1978) S. 60, Nr.174 u. S. 87, Nr. 243.

20 Irsigler (Anm. 12) S. 79-88.

21 Noch heute werden im Luxemburgischen die Grannen der Kornähren als Spreien bezeichnet: [Even today in Luxembourgish the awns of the ears of corn are called spree:] „Spreien, pl., (écon. rur.), der Bart, die langen Granen an den Kornähren,[ the beard, the long grains on the ears of corn,] les barbes des épis [the beards of the ears ]“: J. F. Gangler, Lexicon 38 der Luxemburger Umgangssprache 8 Luxemburg 18479. <http://engelmann.uni.lu:8080/portal/WBB2009/

LLU/wbgui_py?lemid=US00679> [Zugriff am 5.11.2012].

22 <http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/kili001etym01_01/kili001etym01_01_0016.php#9832> [Zugriff am 27.09.2012].

23 Irsigler (Anm. 12) S. 84ff.

24 L. Ennen (Anm. 13) Nr. 29, S. 55.

25 Irsigler (Anm. 12) S. 84ff.

26 Irsigler (Anm. 12) S. 87.

27 Schulte (Anm. 2) S. 130.

28 H. Rothert, Geschichte der Stadt Osnabrück im Mittelalter 2. Osnabrücker Mitteilungen 58, 1938 (Osnabrück 1962) S. 93.

29 H. Kaiser, Der große Durst. Von Biernot und Branntweinfeinden – rotem Bordeaux und schwarzem Kaffee. Trinken und Getränke zwischen Weser und Ems im 18./19. Jahrhundert. Materialien und Studien zur Alltagsgeschichte und Volkskultur Niedersachsens 23 (Cloppenburg 1995) S. 43f; Schulte (Anm. 2) S. 126, Anm. 2, zitiert eine Beschreibung des Grüssing genannten Tecklenburger Grutbieres in dem „Liber de cerevisia“ betitelten Werk des Martinus Schoockius, das 1661 in Groningen erschienen ist: „Silentio quoque praeteriri non bebet cervisia, quae in comitatu Tecklenburgensi coquitur et vulgo Gruising dicitur, haberique meretur cervisia ex parte medicatat: parum lupuli eam ingreditur, sed eius loco myrtus Sylvestris (Brabanticae non absimilis) ab incolis porsse dicta, a Belgis gagel, cui odoratae admodum, molis peculiaribus semen excutiunt: item baccae lauri et herba, quam vocant Scharpe tonge: haec simul contunduntur et fermentationem procurant. Ipse vero potus potissimum refert et odore et sapore myrtum sylvestrem, atque cito inebriant illos, que ei non assueverunt.“

30 Loesch (Anm. 6) Nr. 250, S. 63f.

31 Loesch (Anm. 6) Nr. 250, S. 63f.

32 Loesch (Anm. 6) Nr. 256, S. 67f.

33 J. J. Meyer, Vollständige Vergleichungs-Tabellen der ehemals im Ruhr-Departement und noch in den angränzenden Ländern gebräuchlichen Münzen, Maaßen und Gewichte (Cöln 1804); vgl. hierzu E. Wisplinghoff, Geschichte der Stadt Neuss 1: Von den mittelalterlichen Anfängen bis zum Jahre 1794 (Neuss 1975) S. 728.

34 Heutige Braugerste hat – je nach Körnungsgröße – eine Dichte von 680-750 kg/m³.

35 Lau (Anm. 1) Nr. 191, S. 274 u. Nr. 226, S. 308.