Strawberry Watermelon Gose
Odd Side Ales

 

Getting away from the distraction of pastry, milkshake or smoothie ale, Odd Side Ales gets back to basics with their take on tradition by making a standard German-styled, salted, coriander sour ale. But instead of the standard syrup sweeteners, they steer toward strawberry and watermelon for a warm weather release that couldn't be any more summer.

Watermelon Strawberry Gose pours with a mostly golden but lightly hued pinkish tinge. As a frothy white cap builds on the beer, the light doughy scent of sourdough carries those aromatic fruity scents of berry and melon along with a citrusy, cidery and nearly winey perfume. Lightly musty with hints of burlap, the scent soon leads to a soft and bread sweet taste of sourdough, taffy and honey.

As the sweetness dissolves on the middle palate, the sourness of the underlying ale provides a crisp and refreshingly brisk taste of lemon, lime, green apple, white grape and gooseberry before the watermelon shows up with a juicy and fresh taste. While the tanginess of strawberry show itself fairly late in taste, the session finishes fruity, pleasantly sour and with a slight salinity to provide a rounded and smoother late palate.

Medium bodied for sour ale but quite refreshing, crisp and off-clean, the session closes with a brisk finish of red berry, burlap and sourdough in a brief series of echoes.