Cranberry Basil Gose
Collective Arts Brewing

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Purchased from the brewery at about $3.50 CDN per can. Canning date is October 7, 2017. Cool green can with a colorful bird, reminds me of Muskoka's legendary oddity bird although this is more vulture looking.

Appearance - An aggressive pour yielded a moderately hazy pink beer and three plus fingers of loose off-white head with a pink hue. Decent retention and minimal lacing left behind.

Smell - Certainly a bunch of cranberry initially with hints of leafy basil and some lemon. Minerally as well.

Taste - Salty and sour mostly with cranberry and a lesser extent basil leafiness shining through. Some other general leafy aspects and finishes with a touch of heat like lemon and white pepper. Wheat is hidden compared to most in the style. A general graininess appears as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, light bodied, not quite as creamy as some, possibly from less malted wheat. Carbonation is brisk and finishes with a peppery tingle on the tongue.

Overall - A pretty good gose with some additional flavors, fairly refreshing and well made, but not something I'd drink on the regular. Part of that is style, goses aren't a fave and part of that is the cranberry and basil, the sourness is a little more pronounced. Worth a try though for sure due to uniqueness.

 

 

Can poured into a stemless wine glass. Pinkish color with a very mild off white ring of head around the edge of the glass from the pour. Cranberry is not overpowering, but does a good job of keeping this from being overly salty. Very tart in the beginning but as the tongue gets used to it this is pretty smooth for what it is.

The score is not lower due to the fact that I'm anti Gose & while I would not likely drink this again, the fruit tampered the taste of the salt just enough to make this palatable. Probably a decent Gose for those who appreciate the style, but that's just not me.