Nature restoration and gale

Here, as part of nature restoration, the banks of the stream were chamfered and a pool was dug.

In the vicinity of the stream there is also a relict population of gale. Gale was, because of the bitter substance one of the main components of gruut, the spice mixture that beer had to help preserve before the hop cones were widely used for it. In 1200, the lords of Gruuthuse were granted the gruutrecht by Count Baldwin IX. This meant that the Gruuthuses had a monopoly on the sale of gruut to the brewers. Later, the gruutrecht also meant that they could levy taxes on the brewed beer itself. With this, the Gruuthuses had managed to acquire wealth, status and influence, symbolized by the Gruuthuse palace, which they had built in Bruges.

Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos