Stadsbrouwerij Gruut (Ghent City Brewery), Ghent

Ghent City Brewery (Stadsbrouwerij Gruut), located in the heart of Ghent on Rembert Dodoensdreef, is a unique brewery known for using a traditional spice mixture called "gruut" instead of hops, distinguishing its beers with unique flavors and characteristics. Founded in 2009 by brewing engineer Annick De Splenter, a descendant of the brewing family that owned the Riva brewery in Dentergem, the brewery combines modern brewing technology with ancient brewing traditions.

The brewery houses a small brewing installation, fermentation tanks, and lager tanks within the same building as its brasserie. This setup allows them to brew 5 hectoliters of Gruut, sufficient to supply the brewery's brasserie and a few local cafes in Ghent. Larger production volumes, including those intended for export to America, are brewed and bottled at the Bavik brewery in Bavikhove.

Ghent City Brewery is more than just a brewery; it also functions as a day and night café, creating a vibrant and multi-purpose space. The brewery offers five distinct beer varieties: wheat beer, blonde, amber, brown, and Inferno. Each beer label features a "gruut" coin, a local currency used during the reign of Emperor Charles V, symbolizing the historical tax payments in medieval Ghent.

Adding to its unique charm, the brewery's beer coasters feature anamorphosis—a Renaissance technique where distorted images appear realistic only from a specific angle or with an optical device. When two coasters are puzzled together, they reveal a hidden drawing, reflecting the historical use of this technique for secretive and often slightly erotic imagery.

Ghent City Brewery thus not only offers distinctive beers rooted in Ghent’s rich brewing heritage but also provides an immersive cultural experience through its innovative use of historical and artistic elements.