Province Saxony Anhalt Ale

For the third installment of our Province Ale Co. series we’re exploring the world of pre-Reinheitsgebot German ales. Despite the idea that all German ale is strictly brewed with malt, hops, water, and yeast, Germany actually has a rich history of spiced Gruit beers, made with unique spice mixtures often controlled and provided by the local Church. This ale from the Saxony-Anhalt region of Germany combines both that heritage and the more modern use of hops. Brewed with all German Vienna and English Amber malts, this ale is a rich amber color and has a strong toasty bite. Along with the earthy European hops, coriander, caraway, and Hartshorn were added in the boil. What’s Hartshorn you ask? Hartshorn is actually the antler from a deer! Our best guess is this would have been added as fining agent to help the natural clarification of the beer. Rendered down, hartshorn forms a gelatin, and gelatins are commonly used for this purpose. Our Hartshorn was harvested sustainably and was provided by one of our friends and former co-workers, Greg Catts, who hunts on his family's own local farm.