Eir

In the halls of Asgard, where battles are fought and festivities are held, one deity is indispensable: Eir. She is considered the best of physicians and is the guardian of the healing arts. As a close confidante and servant of the mother of the gods Frigg – the wife of Odin – it was Eir’s sacred duty to watch over the well-being of the Aesir. When the queen of the gods fell ill or an Aesir warrior returned home injured, it was Eir’s immense knowledge of herbs and medicine that brought relief.

But Eir did not keep her gifts only for the immortals. She is considered the teacher of mortal women. She descended to instruct them in the art of wound care and to show them which roots and leaves promise healing. Every piece of herbal knowledge we possess today traces back to her gentle influence in mythology.

The Beer

For the goddess of medicine, it couldn’t be an ordinary beer. Our recipe for the Herb Ale is a time travel to the pharmacies of the 18th century.

The basis is formed by the “Head-strengthening beer”, a historical recipe from the textbook of the London physician and chemist William Lewis (1708–1781). His work, based on the London and Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia, was the standard reference for pharmaceutical practice in Europe at the time. However, we have modernized this “medicinal brew”: We have, of course, omitted the Virginian snakeroot contained in the original – once used against snakebites, now known to be toxic.

What remains is a fascinating blend of sage, mustard seeds, and valerian root. This combination gives the Eir beer an unmistakable, intense herbal scent on the nose that immediately brings old apothecary cabinets to mind. In the drink, however, the intensity transforms into a mild, surprisingly pleasant harmony. A beer that breathes history and proves that the art of brewing and the art of healing were once inextricably linked.

Tell me, how can I get well? Eir, the goddess of healing. She knows the secret powers of plants and herbs, they say she can even revive the dead. She will help you!