Cannonball Lime Gose with Sea Salt
Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant

 

 

I didn't have an appropriate beer for #WatermelonWednesday but I still wanted to #BumptheHump with something fruity, but not sweet. It helped that this one came along in furtherance of The CANQuest (tm), so it ain't all bad.

From the CAN: "The Place Where We Drink"; "Drink Local"; "Cannonball is a bright and thirst-quenching sour wheat ale based on the top-fermented beers originally brewed in Goslar, Germany. Unlike the traditional version, we've added bright and intense limes to balance the briny and savory notes from the sea salt."

I will cop to agitating the CAN before Crack!ing open its vent. It was identified as "unfiltered" & since a Gose CAN have haziness to cloudiness, I was not wrong in so doing. I also went with an inverted Glug just to ensure that things were fully in suspension. It worked out well as I got two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head that stuck around briefly & became mere wisps. Man, the nose was evident from the outset - loads of lime, plenty of salt & a slight funk. Phew! Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more tart than sour, but the saltiness was definitely present as was the lime citrusiness. My lips were puckering and smacking in response. Mmm. Like tone77, Gose is not my go-to style, but this was quite pleasant to drink. Finish was very dry, quite salty and with the lime addition, it just made me ready for a beer (or a glass of water). Phew!

A thanks to the founding father of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong of limes. Taste is limes, a bit sour, light salt. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall, I'm not a fan of this style, but this one ain't bad.

 

Manayunk Brewing Co. "Cannon Ball"
12 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating
$1.83 @ Weis Market, Conshohocken, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: Hazy golden and amber body with a bit of a brass sheen beneath a short head of bright white that drops quickly, although that's entirely expected for the style, so all OK there. The aroma clearly exhibits lime, and it's salty as well... or did Jimmy Buffet just walk by? Kidding. It's quite pleasant and makes you want to take a sip. The flavor follows and it's not nearly as tart as some versions, which in my mind is much more of what a Gosebier is supposed to be, or at least was. There's some lightly wheaty malt to it as well, which is something that's also often misplaced in the production of a modern day Gosebier. The salt remains, and gives it another component although it's still very much a one-trick pony. It's actually fairly salty too, whereas in some versions it can be quite faint. So what else to say? Refreshing. Medium-light in body and moderately crisp. What's the alcohol on this? 4.1? Yeah, I could drink a few of these given a lot of idle time while on a camping trip or day out fishing - and ha!, could there be a better lawnmower beer?! One of the better designed American Gosebiers I've had. Nicely done!