This Is My Blood: Himmel & Erde

Today's beer: This might be the first fruit and field beer I've had that emphasizes the "field" aspect over the "fruit." Root Sellers' Himmel & Erde bills itself as a Carrot and Apple Ale, and it's not lying about the carrot. The name derives from the traditional German/Dutch dish "himmel und erde," which translates to "heaven and earth." It's a dish consisting of apples (heaven apples, i.e. from up above, i.e. from a tree branch) and potatoes (German slang word for potatoes is literally "earth apples"). Wikipedia doesn't say anything about carrots in the dish traditionally, so maybe this was a bad name for this beer, but whatever.

 

Brewery: Root Sellers does not have a website, which is a shame, because it's a decent play on words. (There is a website linked on Beer Advocate, but it takes you to a spam website with tips on how to boost your libido.) The two other "beers" listed on Beer Advocate are "Pedal Hard," which is a hard ginger beer, and "Row Hard," which is a hard root beer. As fascinating as I found Himmel & Erde, I'm thinking that maybe this beer wasn't quite out of the wheelhouse for this microbrewer.

 

The Specifics: As you can see above, this beer was a bright orange (to anyone with any experience juicing, it was no surprise that the carrot's orange dominated). Very little head; it had the consistency of an orange soda. Aroma was earthy, in the same way a carrot smells. Very effervescent, which, combined with the lack of foam head, means that this isn't a very complex ale. The apple wasn't lost in the mix—it was definitely sweet—but the carrot definitely was front and forward (I guess you could say the carrot overpowered the palette and the palate). This was refreshing at the first sip, and tiring by the final sip.

Today's Lesson: There is literally no limit to what you can do with beer. Who would've thought that adding motherfucking carrot juice to a beer made something that was drinkable? There's value in brewers sticking to IPAs and doing that well, but on some days, I find it fascinating when a brewer takes a risk and creates something new and intriguing, even if the end product ends up being a long fly ball instead of a home run.

Winston Bit That the Beer Reminded Me Of:

NOTES

BEER: Himmel & Erde

STYLE: Fruit and Field Beer

ABV: 5.3%

BREWED BY: Root Sellers

LOCATION: Columbia, Missouri

PURCHASED AT: GAT Beer

PAIRED WITH: an episode of Jane the Virgin

GRADE: 2.5 pukes out of 5

 

BEER COUNT: 488