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Sunday 12 March 2017

Here Gose...

A few weeks ago I took my Certified Cicerone exam.  While I wait with baited breath for my results (trying not to jump every time I get an email) I want to address a hole in my knowledge that the exam highlighted in great style, my knowledge of Gose.  Apart from the very basic sour and salty qualities and German heritage of this beer style it seems that I know next to nothing, which lead me to writing a two page love letter to Magic Rock Salty Kiss rather than the informative essay required.  To rectify this, and allow me to use my new favorite pun several times more than necessary, I am embarking on a Gose-based voyage of discovery so below you will find my short(ish) guide to this beer style, hopefully a helpful reference point for anyone in a similar Gose-knowledge-less predicament.  Here Gose...

First things first, pronunciation:


Gose - "Ger-za", "Goes-uh", "Grrr-za".  Definitely two syllables whichever way you slice it.


This will save me a lot of time and prevent me from having to say "The one that's "O.S.E" not "E.U.Z.E".


The official definition:


The Cicerone certification program uses the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines.  According to them Gose is...


"A highly-carbonated, tart and fruity wheat ale with a restrained coriander and salt character and low bitterness. Very refreshing, with bright flavors and high attenuation."


History:


Gose first originated in the middle ages (beer historians and writers quote years from 1000 - 1600 AD as a starting point) in the town of Goslar on the bank of the river Gose in Lower Saxony, about 115 miles south of Hamburg.  The style proved popular and the main brewing centre migrated from Goslar to Leipzig, the largest city in Saxony, about 90 miles south-east.  1900 there were at least 80 documented Gose houses or Gosenschenke in Leipzig.  From 1900 however the popularity of Gose took a major down turn, driven in a large part by the rise of lager beer styles until in 1945 the German government closed the Ritterguts Döllnitz brewery, the brewing bastion the style.  


All was not quite lost and in 1949 Friedrich Wurzler, a former Ritterguts Döllnitz employee restarted Gose production in Leipzip however Gose continued to struggle and brewing ceased with Wurzlers death in 1966.  Thankfully that wasn't the end of the story and in the mid 1980's a Leipzig bar owner decided to recreate a traditional Gosenschenke and commissioned a brewery in East Berlin to recreate this historic beer style.  Since then  the style has started to once again grow in popularity and several modern interpretations can now be found as well as more traditional beers from brewers in Saxony.  That being said it is still a relatively difficult style to get hold of in the UK, especially in comparison to more popular Berliner Weisse and sour Belgian sours, however many American brewers are now creating versions of this style.


Ingredients:


Modern brewers now use all sorts of adjuncts (that's swanky technical language for "extra fun stuff") however the traditional ingredients for Gose are:  Malted Barley, Malted Wheat (50% +), water, hops (for preservation rather than flavour), salt and coriander.


Originally Gose was spontaneously fermented using wild yeasts, often in the bar cellar rather than at the brewery.  Now a variety of yeasts are used with the addition of Lactobacillus to create the tart/sour flavour.


Tasting time:


It seems very little fun to spend time learning about a beer style without tasting it, to that end I have tried three differing interpretations of Gose.  Here Gose (sorry, thats the last time, I promise)...


Leipziger Gose - Bayerischer Banhof Gasthous & Gosebrauerie

4.6% ABV BB 20.05.2017



What the brewery say:  This original Leipzig beer specialty lends us the name for our brewery. Gose is a regional beer specialty that was brought to Saxony-Anhalt in the year 1738. Originally Gose comes from Goslar, a small town in Lower Saxony, and the river "Gose" in this town. This beer specialty has a refreshing, slightly sour taste and is ideal for quenching your thirst. Gose is brewed with the additional ingredients lactic acid, cilantro, and salt. 


Appearance: Pale gold, hazy, a light head which vanished quickly, a steady stream of tiny bubbles.

Aroma: Slightly farm yardy, tinned peaches, estuary air, like sniffing a warm, clean animal.  I know.  I'm worse than Jilly Goolden.
Taste: Tart and invigorating.  Refreshing.  Remarkably easy drinking, almost swiggy with flavours of under ripe citrus.  Light body with a dry finish.
Overall:  The most traditional of the beers I tried.  Light and easy going - I could imagining happily consuming several after a long, hot, day - exactly as designed I would imagine.

Salty Kiss Gooseberry Gose - Magic Rock Brewing

4.1% ABV BB 23.11.2017





Before I go any further I have to admit to having a very strong emotional attachment to this beer.  The first time I really got the attraction of sour beers was drinking Salty Kiss in the Sheffied Tap.  I can still remember my trepidation which bordered on fear, the hot sunlight on my back streaming through the large window, my excitement when I didn't hate the beer, how it made me curious and drew me in.  I haven't tried it in several years and so was slightly apprehensive that it wouldn't live up to my expectations.


What the brewery say: Originally brewed as a collaboration with Kissmeyer Beer, this is our take on a traditional German style Gose, flavoured with fruit, sea buckthorn and sea salt. Tart, lightly sour, fruity and refreshing with a defined saltiness makes this beer an excellent accompaniment to food.


Appearance:  Pale gold, hazy but not murky, very little head, small stream of bubbles.

Aroma: Turkish Delight, lychee, honeyed.  Made me say "phwoar" out loud.
Flavour:  Just so clean.  Tart but well rounded.  Less drying than the Leipziger.  Rose water.  Zingy. 
Overall:  Still awesome.  I bloody love this beer.

Gose to Hollywood - Gose ale brewed with oranges - To Ol

3.8% ABV BB 06/04/2017





What the brewery say:  To Ol got starstruck.  This is how we went to Hollywood.  Salty sour bright Gose brewed with the best fruits California can offer.  


Appearance:  Very slight haze, peachy gold colour, little to no head.

Aroma: Hops! Tropical fruits, slightly sickly sweet/candied orange.
Flavour: The most noticeably salty of the three, tart, slightly perfumed, almost pickle like.
Overall:  The only one of the three that I struggled with.  In fairness they recommend drinking it on warm summer days rather than rainy March ones.  The only beer with a noticeable hop character, this jarred for me slightly and I found the over all effect cloying rather than refreshing.  I'd like to try a fresher version. 

Full disclosure - some of the beers I tried probably weren't as fresh as they could have been - although I don't think this is as crucial as with a DIPA or similar hoppy style for the sake of transparency I have included BB dates.  Annoyingly short dates seem to be an increasing issue as beer suppliers struggle to supply every beer style known to man.  Anyway...


So there you have it, Gose in not quite a nut shell - maybe a coconut?  I would love to experiment with food matching and cooking with this beer style, maybe using it in a fruit jelly or a pickle, but I'm afraid that will have to wait for another day - mainly because I have finished all the beer.  If nothing else at least I can now answer a Gose based exam question with confidence, it's just a shame it's unlikely to be asked again for some time.


Cheers!


Sources - with grateful thanks:  So you want to be a beer expert? Jeff Evans (CAMRA); The complete beer course - Joshua M Bernstein; BJCP beer guidelines; Wikipedia - everyone's favourite source of slightly dubious "facts"; various other online sources to corroborate..