I’ve recently been getting in to beer mixology, experimenting with adding various bitter herbs to my beer, being inspired by Gruit, the herbed, pre-hops style of medieval ale.
My most recent Belgian Saison homebrew was a little bit “meh,” so I thought “why not spice things up?” These days I’m pretty much always keeping a jug of massively sour beer in the fridge that I blend to taste with other beer. This sour beer was the result of a Berliner Weiße experiment gone overboard. Too tart to enjoy on its own. A little splash of this adds some complexity to my Saison.
To take it to that next level, though, I hunted around for some cocktail bitters. Not having any, I grabbed the next closest thing I could think of — Chartreuse Liqueur.
This heavenly green liqueur adds a delicious herbal earthiness to the beverage. No more than a half capful per glass. The flavor and aroma are challenging to describe, as Chartreuse is unique to the senses.
I dub this my Pseudo-Gruit.
Cheers!