Geisterzug Gose Rhubarb
Freigeist Bierkultur

 

On tap at The Brass Tap, Cedar Falls, IA; served in a 5-ounce snifter. Clear golden amber, with a thin ring of white foam. Light crackery malt, pleasantly tart, with flavors of rhubarb, notes of spruce, and a hint of salinity. Light bodied, with a crisp and exquisitely dry finish. There is a white-wine quality to this that makes it a great pairing with lighter table fare. All in all, not much to complain about with this one.

Geisterzug rhubarb gose with spruce needles

This pours a light golden tan. Generous foam follows. What I find so intriguing isn’t the rhubarb but the spruce notes that are whispered on the palate and linger long after the sip finishes.

 

I don't even remember where I picked this up, but it was consumed in May 2020. I'm a sucker to pay inflated prices for German gose or berliner. I member I paid like $5 for this, which isn't terrible.

Pours a golden to amber color that has a little rhubarb influence methinks color wise. 1/3" white head. Spritzy carbonation appearance. Aroma of rhubarb, salt, smells lively.

Taste is impressive, has all the traditional hallmarks of a German gose, the crisp carbonation meets black sea salt, but with a moderate rhubarb bite that contributes a hit of bitterness beyond the vegatal aspect itself. They didn't amp up the sourness or acidity like many wild ales calling themselves goses tend to do in parts of the US. Light wheat body actually floats plenty going on here like a champ. Still perceive a light golden wave of grain. Nice mineral character to it. All in all, this does everything quite well. Now to wish for more beers like this produced domestically instead of sour power dick measuring contests.

 

this is being canned now, and brewed in the united states, at upland of all places if i remember the can right, wow, didnt know they had any kind of relationship, kind of cool that they do, although i do miss their iconic bottles and labels, i guess if it means fresher beer at better prices i am for it, although im not sure freshness is a defining factor of a gose like this, but what do i know. no color here really at all from the rhubarb, and aside from a slightly vinous and mildly astringent pucker, i dont get a ton of rhubarb, like a lot of its essence is in whatever sugar has long been fermented out, but thankfully that doesnt mean this is devoid of rhubarb character, its just more ethereal. the gose is classic, light pine and high salinity, clean tartness but still an old world vibe to it. for how iconic their base gose is, its cool they do so much playing around with it, really a genre defining base beer for me (and probably many other americans who learned the style from these guys and a very small handful of others). tangy, citric, oceanic even, and delicious, light wheaty sweetness, soft baked sugar cookie character, clean tartness, lemon and orange, acidic rhubarb, high summer vibes, and unfortunately just a bit too light on the carbonation to really sing. still, this was a treat, although i wonder how different it is in a domestic can from an imported bottle, i hope to find out! cant get enough of their beers right now!

 

 

On tap at Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a clear straw yellow color, with a small fluffy head, and not much lacing.

There's a clean and herbal sour rhubarb aroma, with lemon rind, slight salinity, wheat, and citrus.

This works quite well. The rhubarb is done judiciously here, and adds an intriguing herbal funk, with sour candy, pine, lemon rind, salt, and some funky and wheaty flavors. There's a grassiness that's almost pilsner-like on the back end.

This is light bodied, crisp, really clean, and only very mildly sour.

This is quite subtle and carefully brewed. It's an excellent beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost completely opaque lemon-yellow brew with orange highlights. Head production is OK, fading relatively quickly - not unexpected for the style.

Nose is pleasantly tart, slightly musty and milky, with a nice, citrus-like fruitiness - possibly from the rhubarb, although I am not familiar with this veggie.

Very, very tart up front! After the initial wave of white wine vinegar-like sourness, there's a nice, organic fruity tartness. There's the expected salty kick to the finish, cleansing your palate, along with a slightly sweet, wheat-like malt tone that slowly fades.

A little more syrupy than most in the style, but it's exceptionally lively, and the salty finish quickly readies you for another sip.