Gruit(or sometimes grut) is an old fashioned pre-hops herb mixture used for bittering and flavoring the beer. It was "primarily a combination of 3 mildly to moderately narcotic herbs: sweet gale(Myrica gale), also called bog myrtle, yarrow(achillea millefolium), and wild rosemary(Ledum palustre). Gruit varied somewhat, each gruit producer adding additional herbs to produce unique tastes, flavors, and effects. Other adjunct herbs were juniper berries, ginger, caraway seed, anise seed, nutmeg, and cinnamon(most themselves having psychotropic properties)."
The effects the gruit beer were way different than a hopped beer. It doesn't give you that sleepy, dull, depressed feeling that hopped beer does and it's stimulating, mildly hallucinogenic(more of a silly body feeling than a heavy visual high) and highly intoxicating. It's was very mentally stimulating.
For 5 Gallons 7 1/2 pounds of 70% wheat, and 30% barley malt extract 1/2 pound 30L crystal malt 6 1/2 grams Myrica gale 6 1/2 grams Ledum palustre 6 1/2 grams Yarrow White Labs american hefewiezen yeast Put the herbs in for a full hour wort boil
good