Lemon Cucumber Gose
Westbrook Brewing Co.

 

Brief Review:

O: Just had the base Gose for the first time last night, up next is the Lemon Cucumber variant. Sour as hell still, but now countered with a nice ripe cucumber and splash of extra lemon sweetness. Not as much as a pleasant crusher as the original, but it's a nice mix-up nonetheless.

Recommendation: Not as great as the original, but worth trying if you like the style.

Brief flash of a white head that quickly disappears into an opaque light gold body. Aroma is strange. More like a tarragon cucumber salad with balsamic dressing than a refreshing cucumber drink. Drinking it is a lot better in terms of refreshing cucumber lemon drink though it has a lot of savory type notes. Lactic, feta, cold cucumber salad characteristics but not in a bad way, just different. They say beer is food, and here we have a beer that isn't as much bread as it is a zesty salad. I actually like it, though the aroma might be the weakest link in that it's less haute culinary and more earthy vegetable matter.

 

 

4% abv sour wheat ale with lemon and cucumber... This is fantastic - shoulda bought the whole four-pack! The cucumber takes some of the sharpness off the lemon and salt, rounds the beer off - adds some smoothness to the zest...

 

 

 

 

Cloudy lemon with no visible carbonation and a finger of white head.

Smells of cucumber, lemon and malt.

Tastes of balance of sour, brine, lemon and cucumber.

Medium smooth, foamy body.

Got in NC, drinking near Canton, June 23, 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's really no more of a refreshing course as there is with lemon, cucumber and sourness. A proven winner in the cocktail industry, the brewers of Westbrook take these cues and roll them into a loose German styled sour ale interpretation for a summery beer that claims the best of all worlds.

Pale gold and glowing through a diffused fog of wheat, the light creamy froth that adorns the rim drifts across the nose with a brisk citrus scent and the perfumy fragrance of fresh cut basil, bright vegetation and melon. Underneath a gentle waft of sea air lies a taste that's timidly sweet with saltwater taffy, lemon tart and honeysuckle.

As the influence of malt and grain lift away, the sourness of the ale underneath graces the middle palate with lime, lemon, green apple, white grape, gooseberry and kiwi. Refreshing unto its own, the layers of cucumber seems more fruity than vegetal with a juiciness of honeydew before a minty, basil-like, tea-like finish.

Low in bitterness a slim vegetal bite adds to the salad impressions as a lemon dressed arugula comes to mind. Light, crisp and highly refreshing, Lemon Cucumber Gose is an absolute crowd pleaser for the warmer weather sans those adverse to cucumber. It's an adventurous but effortless taste with a quick finish of sourdough and tonic.