Around 50 years ago, a little girl living in the mountains eagerly awaited February, when her father would bring her some very special red fruits that she loved: sanguinelli oranges. As she ate these citrus fruits, she always wondered what the trees that produced them looked like, until one day she found these trees in Altea. But no one can describe what happened 50 years ago in detail like Juan V. Martín, her son-in-law:
"Heliodora waited anxiously at the end of the road. At the end of February, her father always brought her sanguinelli oranges from the market.
With the mountains covered in snow, in the depths of winter, those blood-red fruits seemed to announce the warm breeze of spring. And every year she wondered what the trees that grew such beautiful fruits looked like.
The history of orange trees is a long journey. They arrived in the Mediterranean from China a thousand years ago, when they bore a bitter fruit used as medicine and seasoning. They adapted so well to their new home that they spontaneously produced many new varieties until, in 1646, the Italian botanist Gian Battista Ferrari first described the red pigment in citrus fruits.
The different varieties of blood oranges traveled for centuries on sailing ships and became popular throughout Europe thanks to their resistance to long journeys. With the arrival of steamships, the navigation time was reduced so much that other different varieties could be exported, and little by little, blood oranges fell into oblivion.
But Heliodora never forgot them. The Mediterranean sun had reserved its gift for her in Altea, where she found the trees that had intrigued her since childhood. Now, every February, she goes to her century-old orchard with the excitement of a child to pick the sanguinelli oranges that are added to this Berliner Weisse.
A wheat beer, brewed according to the ancient recipe that was almost lost at the beginning of the 20th century. It is smooth, refreshing, and slightly acidic, with the touch of color and aroma provided by these very special citrus fruits.
Prussian tradition and Mediterranean character."
Heliodora is the first beer made with blood oranges and its name, it could not be otherwise, is the name of this girl who so longed to know these trees and who loved these oranges so much.
Heliodora is a Berliner Weisse, an acidic wheat beer, part of the so-called "Sour" beers, and made with the sanguinelli oranges produced in this century-old terraced field (1912) in the town of Altea.
Its aroma is markedly acidic and moderately fruity. Very refreshing, ideal for summer, with a dense white foam and always effervescent. A very pale, acidic, low-alcohol wheat ale.
Berliner Weisse is a regional specialty of Berlin, referred to by Napoleon's troops in 1809 as the "Champagne of the North" for its lively and elegant character. A style almost lost by brewers worldwide, maintained by only two or three mythical breweries in Germany.
This is the 3rd new beer that Althaia has launched in the last 6 months and adds to the 14 brands they produce regularly and are selling successfully in Spain and exporting to Northern Europe.