Beer Style Guide: Get to Know Gose
Gose is a beer style that has essentially died in its native country only to become popular in the American craft brewing space. A gose is a very unique sour German ale style that is perfect for hot days although many are made as year-round refreshers. I love them during hot summers and find joy when at a BBQ, there are gose cans sprinkled amongst other beer styles.
How Gose Is Made
Gose comes from the region around the German town of Goslar and was perhaps brewed over 1000 years ago. The beer had its heyday in the 19th century, it was the height of popularity with Leipzig, a German city in the Eastern part of the country where gose gets the most attention. Traditional goses were served in bottles with long thin necks which were stopped naturally by the yeast as it rose up and dried, allowing for no cork or cap to be needed. Made with coriander and sea salt, German goses are grandfathered into the Reinheitsgebot German purity law as they came before that law became federally mandated during German unification.
Leipziger goses are less tart than their “contemporary” American and craft options but the grain formulation is essentially the same. The base is a blend of 60% malted wheat and 40% pilsner malt, making the beer very pale. Spices are usually added towards the end of the boil. In American craft brewing, most goses are “kettle soured” meaning before they are boiled, they are heated to about 110F with lactic acid added for about 24 hours. The beer uses regular ale yeast in its fermentation.
Tasting Notes & Pairing
Goses are utterly refreshing, with notes of tart lemon/apple, salt, spices and fresh bread dough. Their ABV is relatively low making it sessionable, usually 4.2% to 4.8% ABV. In America, goses are a great base for fruit flavors. Many fruit goses are made in America to mimic the flavors of a margarita as it already has salt in it. This yields delicious results. Check out your local brewpub to see if they make this version as it’s quite popular.
With foods, all I think about is picnic and alfresco dining during hot summer months. Foods like fresh salads, oysters, salmon, and delicious cheeses like brie are great pairings for this beer that for me, exemplifies summer.
Beers to Try
Bayerischer Bahnhof Leipziger Gose
Bayerischer Bahnhof Leipziger Gose
This brewery brought back the gose style to the city of Leipzig in 2000. It’s more subtle than contemporary goses made in America with less tartness.
Anderson Valley Brewing Company Briney Melon Gose
An easy to find option and one of the first canned goses I can think of, California based Anderson Valley has a line of goses from blood orange to watermelon that go down smooth.
Lost Nation Gose
Lost Nation Brewing Gose
Vermont based Lost Nation brews a classic contemporary gose in a 16 oz. can for maximum refreshment. One of my favorite American made goses on the market and a must buy come summer.