Featured Beer: De Proef Gageleer

Featured Beer: De Proef Gageleer

Up until recently, I had a serious problem: I was simply not getting enough bog myrtle in my diet.

Thankfully, all that ended this week when we brought in bottles of the delicious Belgian beer known as Gageleer. This cloudy yellow beverage is flavored with bog myrtle (aka Myrica gale), and the effect is magical.

As unappetizing as it sounds, bog myrtle actually has a long relationship with beer. Prior to the adoption of hops as the key preservative and flavoring agent in beer, much of the world used a spice mixture known as gruit. Gruit commonly contained bog myrtle for its tasty flavor and antiseptic properties.

Lochristi, Belgium’s De Proefbrouwerij has embraced that history by creating this delicious beer. Full-bodied and rich, the beer has a heavily spiced, herbaceous aroma akin to anise, orange and myrrh. Slightly bitter and decidedly sweet, this complex sipper is sure to satisfy on its own, but try pairing it with our scallops or brick chicken dishes. Now available on the Monk’s Kettle bottle list!