Vibes
Crop collector
We made a Multigrain IPA inspired by Medieval Dutch beer styles, with a new-age hoppy twist!
Inspired by Medieval Dutch beers, but with a new-age hoppy twist!
Brewed especially for our friends over in the UK from Beer52 after they asked us to try our hand at reviving a historical beer style. And revive old beer styles we did! Complete with a modern-day IPA makeover using a contemporary yeast strain and potent new world hops because that’s what we like!
We took our inspiration from the traditional Dutch beer styles Gruit and Kuit, two distinct styles of beer that were popular in the late Middle Ages in Holland. So, here’s a little history for you on these two beers that were all the rage in the 14th to mid-16th centuries.
Gruit beer, also known as grut or gruyt, is named after the herbal mixture that was used to season and bitter the beer. It was a type of ale that was brewed with neither hops nor barley, so local blends of herbs were used to flavor the beer. Interestingly the use of this ‘gruit’ herbal mixture was also a way for authorities to tax beer producers, as the production and sale of this herb mixture was strictly controlled by the state.
Kuit (also spelled koyt or kuyt) was similar to gruit beer, but was distinctly brewed with a blend of grains that included oats and barley, and commonly wheat also. Sometime in the late 14th century, there was a shift away from using gruit herbs in beer towards using this new thing called hops instead. As we now know, hops in beer is the way to go! Back then, it became popular very quickly, not only because people enjoyed the fresh taste of hops but also because it extended the expiration date of beer, and brewers no longer needed to use and pay taxes on gruit. Around this time, there was also something called ‘hoppenbier’ which was a heavy beer made with oats and wheat, but the lighter kuit beer was generally preferred. It wasn’t long before kuit beer took over and replaced gruit beer as the drink of choice throughout Holland, Belgium, Western Germany, and Northern France.
Now you know! We wanted to revive these beer styles with a chef’s touch, so we went all out with six different types of malt to create a nicely complicated malt bill in combination with two of our favorite types of hops. The result is this Multigrain IPA (5.5%) with barley, spelt, wheat, oats, rye, and maize, in addition to a generous serving of Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin hops. Wheat, oats, and spelt make for a rounded and smooth body, while maize and rye add a spicy, dry, and crisp touch. Whereas gruit and kuit were brewed exclusively with local ingredients, this wicked IPA was brewed with heaps of new world hops that infuse the beer with vivid flavors and intense aromas of citrus, grapefruit, and orange, leading to a balanced and clean bitter finish. Just like a scarecrow, it’s outstanding in its field.
As mentioned earlier, this super old-school beer revival was done exclusively for the British beer delivery service Beer52; however, we kept a limited number of CROP COLLECTOR – MULTIGRAIN IPA (5.5%) cans for our own webshop. You won’t find these anywhere else.
We took our inspiration from the traditional Dutch beer styles Gruit and Kuit, two distinct styles of beer that were popular in the late Middle Ages in Holland. So, here’s a little history for you on these two beers that were all the rage in the 14th to mid-16th centuries.
Gruit beer, also known as grut or gruyt, is named after the herbal mixture that was used to season and bitter the beer. It was a type of ale that was brewed with neither hops nor barley, so local blends of herbs were used to flavor the beer. Interestingly the use of this ‘gruit’ herbal mixture was also a way for authorities to tax beer producers, as the production and sale of this herb mixture was strictly controlled by the state.
Kuit (also spelled koyt or kuyt) was similar to gruit beer, but was distinctly brewed with a blend of grains that included oats and barley, and commonly wheat also. Sometime in the late 14th century, there was a shift away from using gruit herbs in beer towards using this new thing called hops instead. As we now know, hops in beer is the way to go! Back then, it became popular very quickly, not only because people enjoyed the fresh taste of hops but also because it extended the expiration date of beer, and brewers no longer needed to use and pay taxes on gruit. Around this time, there was also something called ‘hoppenbier’ which was a heavy beer made with oats and wheat, but the lighter kuit beer was generally preferred. It wasn’t long before kuit beer took over and replaced gruit beer as the drink of choice throughout Holland, Belgium, Western Germany, and Northern France.
Now you know! We wanted to revive these beer styles with a chef’s touch, so we went all out with six different types of malt to create a nicely complicated malt bill in combination with two of our favorite types of hops. The result is this Multigrain IPA (5.5%) with barley, spelt, wheat, oats, rye, and maize, in addition to a generous serving of Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin hops. Wheat, oats, and spelt make for a rounded and smooth body, while maize and rye add a spicy, dry, and crisp touch. Whereas gruit and kuit were brewed exclusively with local ingredients, this wicked IPA was brewed with heaps of new world hops that infuse the beer with vivid flavors and intense aromas of citrus, grapefruit, and orange, leading to a balanced and clean bitter finish. Just like a scarecrow, it’s outstanding in its field.
As mentioned earlier, this super old-school beer revival was done exclusively for the British beer delivery service Beer52; however, we kept a limited number of CROP COLLECTOR – MULTIGRAIN IPA (5.5%) cans for our own webshop. You won’t find these anywhere else.
Bestel 'm in onze webshop!