This post is a part of the 2015 New Beer Every Day Beer Diary Challenge, #ottbeerdiary. Over the course of 2015, I will be trying a new beer every day. Please read the background in the link above, and enjoy reading about the most recently tasted beers below. If you’d like to join the challenge as well, let me know in the comments below, and be sure to check out Grown-up Travel Guide and his #grownupbeerdiary, where Andy Higgs came up with the diary format in use below. You can catch up on all of our posts as part of the challenge under the tag ottbeerdiary.
Day 80: March 21, 2015
Diary entry:
Woke up much earlier than expected today, and saw a number of articles to edit in my inbox, so decided to get an early start. It’s a pretty good feeling when you finish all your work for the weekend-day and see that it’s only 9:30 in the morning!
Unfortunately, the weather was not a cooperative as I would have preferred for a bike ride, so I decided to go for a drive. Just picked a direction, and decided to drive that way, making the appropriate diversions to keep the car pointed in the general direction. Today’s direction was Northeast.
I wound by way past ‘s-Hertogenbosch through Rosmalen, Oss, and into Nijmegen. From there I continued on into Germany, and found the town of Kleve. Spur of the moment, I found a giant supermarket (E Deka) and stopped in, and was thrilled to see that they had a decent selection of German craft beers available, in single bottles even! Stocked up a few for the challenge that I’ll break into to spell the Belgian and Dutch beers over the next months.
The Beer:
Name: Ratsherrn Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
Producer: Ratsherrn Brauerei
Alcohol content: 5.6%
Bottle size: 0.33l
Purchased from: EDEKA om Kleve, Germany
Today’s beer is the Ratsherrn Pale Ale from Hamburg, Germany. The first beer from today’s road trip to Germany. Golden color with a hoppy, malty aroma. Fruity, hoppy bitterness with as little sweet malt in the flavor.
Commercial Description: Intensive hop-aromatic and bitter, top-fermented beer. Hops from the American Pacific coast and typical ale malts produce a Ratsherrn Pale Ale with a wonderfully malty aroma, reminiscent of dry berries and fresh citrus fruit.
Food Pairing: Enjoy as an aperitif in curved glasses. The intense hop-aromatic and bitter “Vollbier” (beer with high original wort) is excellent accompaniment for highly seasoned salads, spicy soups, Asian dishes, as well as steaks and venison. Fruity sweet desserts, blue-veined cheese, Stilton or mountain cheese taste just as good with pale ale.
