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 124: May 4, 2015
Diary entry:
Today we embarked on our three day fam trip of the La Selva (The Forest) region of Costa Brava.
We started off with an early breakfast to say goodbye to some of the other bloggers who were leaving on their on fam trips, and then off to the meeting point to find our tour.
We finally met up with our group, and started off first on a walk / hike along the Costa Brava coastal path along the shore of Lloret de Mar, taking in some of the sights and coastal views.
After an hour and a half or so on the coast, we hopped on our bus — a full tour bus, even though there were only four of us on the trip! — and headed off to Hostalric for a show cooking demonstration and lunch by La Cuina a Sils at Domus Sent Soví.
Worked off some of the incredible lunch by taking a private tour walk up to the Hostalric Fortress, and then we hopped back onto the bus for the trip to Arbúcies, where we had to transfer over to cars for the rest of the ride to our lodging for the night at Ca Nan Villa in the Montseny Natural Park.
I even got to do a little fishing and caught the two fish that were prepared as part of our dinner!
The Beer:
Name: Rossa
Style: English Pale Ale
Producer: La Selvaseria
Alcohol content: 5.6%
Bottle size: 0.33l
Purchased from: Provided to us by the brewer at Domus Sent Soví in Hostalric, Spain
Imagine my surprise when we walked into Domus Sent Soví, and one of the first people I see is someone I’ve already met! Part of our lunch apparently included a beer tasting from the local La Selvaseria brewery, whose Fosca Dry Stout was one of my favorite beers from Birrasana the day before. And I had met Jordi Pomar from La Selvaseria at the festival. Talk about coincidence!
Jordi was pouring all three of the beers currently brewed by La Selvaseria — La Rossa, their English Pale Ale, Bruna, their American Pale Ale, and Fosca, their Dry Stout.
The Rossa I found to be a very nice, clean pale ale. Not too bitter or malty. Very drinkable. This was actually the favorite for Erin of the three beers (I myself am still more a fan of the Fosca).
Commercial Description:
Pale Ale with simple, soft bitterness, predominance of malt and a slightly herbaceous finish.
A non-complex malt beer, golden yellow color, highly transparent, with average head and fine bubbles. Light malt aroma. Cereal flavors with an herbaceous finish. Middle bitterness. Medium body. Low carbonation. It is a beer that is based on high quality malts. Pairs well with light salads and white meat stews.
Recommended Dishes
Mixed salad of green vegetables (can’t miss with endive leaves) with toasted pine nuts and coarse salt, parmesan cheese and a mustard vinaigrette.
Rabbit stew casserole with potatoes and assorted seasonal vegetables.
