Wild Oats Series No. 5 - Opa's Gose
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - clear bright golden, two fingers of soapy white head, plenty of rising carbonation aided in retention
S - mild yeasty funk, salt and pepper, raw grains, light leafy hint
T - citrus estery yeasty flavour up front, light grain and leafy hops, saltiness builds and lingers through the finish
M - very light and smooth, salty finish leaves me thirsty for more
O - an extremely easy drinking brew with enough flavour to keep it interesting, an interesting style that I hope to see more of

Bottle from the Masonville LCBO. Served in a mini-pint glass while visiting the in-laws. While I appreciate the attached salt packet, I did not use it.

A - Big white foam settles to a thick cap, thicker collar, and minimal lace. Hazy straw body.

S - Wheat, a bit of characteristic weizen yeast banana and clove, slightly tangy lactobacillus, some salt but not overly spiced otherwise.

T - The taste is heavier on the yeast and wheat character, with only a mild touch of lactic tanginess to it. There's a bit of lemon and no so much in the way of coriander or salt here. Not sure if I would have known it was a gose for taste alone.

M - Light, lower carbonation. Smooth and creamy body, with a only a bit of wheat graininess to it. Obviously, there's no alcohol.

D - Really easy to drink, but I think it could have used a bit more in the way of gose-ish flavors, ergo more spice and lactic acidity. Still, nice to see Ontario breweries branching out and trying new styles. Hopefully Beau's dials the recipe in over time.

 

Didn't add the salt.

A - Golden and bright pour. Strong carbonation. Two finger white head. One finger of retention and some spotty lace.

S - Lemon candy, some tartness, some minor saltiness.

T - Nice sweetness and Belgian sorta banana yeast. Pleasant tartness and some saltiness. A little lemon candy.

M - Strong carbonation, medium carbonation and an underripe fruit finish.

O/D - Not a bad Gose. It's only my second, but it was decent.

Bottle: Poured a pale yellow color ale with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of light wheat malt notes with some light coriander is a bit blander than I was expecting. Taste is a mix between some light coriander notes with some light wheat malt with subtle unrefined grainy finish. I didn’t add the salt bag but not sure it would have improved things greatly. Body is about average with good carbonation. Not bad but definitely a notch below some of the German example I tried before.

 

 

Opa's Gose has the colour of a September sun: golden but with a visibly fading brightness. The beer's natural haze makes it look tired, its highlights not so energetic. Still, the beer maintains a degree of clarity as well as resplendence and supports foam along its circumference.

Those unsure of what to expect from the style might find familiarities in this example to both Saisons and Witbiers. Its bouquet has an almost potpourri-level floralness as well as faint notes of dried herbs and a whole farm's worth of hay and raw cereal grain. The yeast imparts a distinct bready character as well as a backdrop of peppery spicing.

The brewery provided a little sachet of salt which seemed odd given that sea salt is listed as the fourth ingredient after water, malt and hops. But upon tasting it, one really wouldn't know of salt's inclusion if they weren't told (and may not be able to detect it even still). Gose typically offer more lactic 'tang' as well whereas this one is characterized by soft perfumy floral notes.

The flavour has an almost hefeweizen-like banana and clove personality as well as subtler coriander notes and a splash of orange-like fruitiness. It has plenty of graininess and a soft bready quality enlivened by peppery yeast spice. Overall, it's an awfully pleasant, agreeable ale but is more sweet than tart, which is disappointing for a beer that should be borderline sour.

Goses are still a rare sighting and I certainly won't claim to be any kind of expert on them, but it seems to me that Opa's Gose is not the best introduction to the style; it is more reminiscent of a Saison or Witbier owing to the lack of sour lactic acid. It's an approachable, flavourful, enjoyably drinkable ale but, on the whole, a fairly ordinary offering despite its unique recipe.

 

 

600ml Bottle from the Ottawa LCBO for $7

Appearance - Slightly hazy yellow colour with a small size fizzy/frothy white coloured head. There is a high amount of carbonation showing and there is some fairly decent lacing. The head lasted for around 3 minutes.

Smell - Breads/grains, coriander/clove, apples/bananas

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste breads, grains, and corn. There is also some clove/coriander and some fruity notes.

Overall – Not as tart/complex as other gose's I've tried, really more of a saison/wit beer? Still a tasty summer beer that is refreshing. Wouldn't buy again due to price point.