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The Vikings knew all about Sweet gale, they used to drink a brew before going into berserk battle with their customary frenzy.
They believed the brew gave them extra strength and the madness in battle,
but we think it's likely it was other substances they took that put them into this reckless but happy state of mind.
The small leaves were often used in Scottish cooking in olden times,
and some high class restaurants prepare fish and chicken dishes particualrly when it's young and in season, or dried at other times,
though its culinary uses are now sadly quite rare.
It is used in traditional gruit ales, where it is a replacement for hops as a bittering agent.
There are breweries that use it to make a sweet heather ale,
and some home or small brewers do the same according to their own handed down recipe,
though unless they have sweet gale growing nearby they find it difficult to buy dried, and probably impossible to buy fresh.
It's got a very pleasant and different taste to regular ales, even real ales, and if you're lucky
you'll find a heather ale on your supermarket shelves, as well as on tap in a surprising number of pubs in Scotland.
With the growth of craft ales, brewers are increasingly using sweet gale. Some distilleries use it in gin, and even whisky.
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