Juniper Gose
Barbarian Brewing

Draft at GC location. Hazy golden pour, fizzy head. Aroma is juniper followed closely by lime, very tart. Taste is lime, citrus, zesty, piney notes, lemon and the salt comes in light for a real party on the palate.

 

i have loved a lot of the barbarian beers so far, but i may love this one the most to date! its a beautiful gose as a base, fluffy feeling, wheaty, tart but not acidic, and with enough of the salt to really give it a briny edge. it also has high carbonation, a clean lacto profile, and some body, all of which i love in the style, and it would be righteous on its own, but they do it up here with lavender, juniper, lime, and some kind of bark they use in tonic, which really does give it a gin and tonic profile, and the flavors here arent subtle at all, its intensely flavored, which i often hate, especially in the kettle sours, but it works so well here, really this blew me away. the lavender adds a neat springy floral element without being perfume, and the aromatics of the juniper are really compatible with it, highlighted by it. the juniper is strong, thankfully the strongest of these added ingredients, but its not the only bold flavor. i get like a lime leaf vibe from the lime, past zest, pungent and sexy, so good with the juniper, and the salt dries it all up fast in the finish. just a little pucker at the end, a spruce note, some lemon from the lacto, and enough wheat to keep it beery. better carbonation than it shows in the glass too, refreshing almost for how flavorful this is. overall amazing gose, they nailed this, and i hope they keep it coming! this is way too good to be a one and done...