The Ghent city brewery Gruut was founded by Annick De Splenter in April 2009 at the Grote Huidevettershoek in Ghent. From an early age she was initiated into the wonderful world of fermentation and beer. The love for brewing is clearly in Annick’s genes, because they were active in the brewing world on both mother and father’s side. Just think of the brand names: Young Pale Ale from Gistel and Dentergems Wit, Liefmans or Lucifer from Dentergem.

The exceptional property of four of our Ghent Gruuten consists in that they are brewed without hops (only the Inferno is brewed with hops). The research into alternatives to replace the hop herb was of course not without a struggle. After a course in biochemistry and several partnerships with various universities, the Ghent city beer saw the light of day. There are 5 different variations: Gentse Gruut White, Gentse Gruut Blond, Gentse Gruut Amber, Gentse Gruut Bruin and Gentse Gruut Inferno. A special “Maîtresse” beer is also brewed every few months. This beer is special because we experiment with different ingredients. Some examples of ingredients are: mango, lime, chili pepper…

The larger volumes, including for export to America, are brewed at the Bavik brewery in Bavikhove.