Thoughts on Gose

I am in the same boat with the Westbrook. First real crack at gose. I liked the taste a whole lot better than the smell. Unfortunately the smell comes first. Anything past a pale ale or basic stout is acquired. I thought BBA was completely an overrate joke. Now I'm hooked after a year of dedication.

 

Just like with every other beer, there are good ones and there are bad ones. I am always down to try a new one though.

 

So many great points made in this thread. My issue was that I started with Gozu (thanks to generosity of @northstar23 with his extras) and Gose Gone Wild thanks to a bottleshare that happened to have Brian Strumpke there, who brought his own beer to the party (which blew my mind, just because it is basically like him bringing his homebrew, that just happens to be sold int stores). I'd already met him once or twice at Max's, but it was definitely an interesting bottleshare.

Just had it now for the first time. I definitely prefer them as they were more tart and piquant, with more interesting and complex notes in there. It's a great gose and definitely a great base to build upon. I definitely think that gose are something that you have to be in the mood for (as some have mentioned, like hot days).

 

Martin House's The Salty Lady is possibly my favorite beer on the more sour side of the spectrum. And Real Ale's 18th ale (gose with coriander and lime) was pretty taste, albeit it tasted like a good Bud Light Lime.

I'm not a big sour fan ... every Jester King beer I've tried for the most part tastes exactly the same, and I don't like it. That brewery is a craft beer sensation here in Texas, but I'd bet most people can't stand their stuff.

The Salty Lady, however, had a ton of grain taste along with the tart/sour notes, and I loved it. Based on my limited experience, I'd say gose is kind of a sour light -- not really that sour compared to the hardcore farmhouse ale crowd.

 

I believe that originally you weren’t supposed to taste anything salt at all in a Gose, the salt should give a mild mineral but not salty flavour in the end product. Salty Goses are an American invention as far as I can tell.

 

FWIW, Michael Jackson states: “The taste of salt is evident, but not overwhelming.”

It is my understanding that the above comment relates to German brewed Gose beers.

http://beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000844.html

 

Love it! Just hard to come by in these parts...

 

Give Off Color's Troublesome a go, less salty, but enough to notice. I for one love the style the tartness and salt, if it wasn't so pricey id drink it all day.

 

I'd rather session Miller light.

 

Try Harborside by Night Shift. Excellent Gose made with oysters.

 

Haven't had Westbrook yet, but Anderson Valley's was more sour than Lost Nation, Leipziger or Rittergutts. Lost Nation's is still the best IMO for the one's I've sampled. Just dialed in perfectly on a hint of sour and hint of saltiness, but in the end its so chuggably good on a hot day.

 

I tried a couple of Gose style beers and I learned that sour is not a flavor characteristic I am looking for in a beer. I like stouts, barley wines, strong ales, IPA, and pale ales, sour in my beer no thanks.

 

I have yet to find a gose I like. I like sours,but Westbrook Gose and Boulevard Hibiscus Gose were not easy to finish. That won't stop me from trying new ones. I don't really like many wheatwines,but kept trying new ones. Eventually I tried Founders Sweet Repute and I realized I could find some I could like.

 

You may want to try Schell's Goosetown, it won't blow you away but it's a nice summer brew. very different than the Holy Gose i finally got to try yesterday, which reminded me of a salty berliner. Weird, but awesome.

 

It seems like some other people beat me to the response, but you should try a Gose that isn't an over-the-top version of the original style. Not bashing Westbrook's Gose, it's one of my favorite shower and porch beers, but there are tamer versions out there for those that don't enjoy a sucker punch of sour/saltiness.

 

I absolutely love a good Gose, most of my friends do not though. Just preference.

 

Westbrook isn't really a Gose. Try a real Gose (Ritterguts, Leipziger) if you want to judge the style.

 

This is a very polarizing style for sure. At first sip of a Westbrook Gose I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. By the end of the can I was a fan. Last night I had King Gose Home by Hoppin Frog. Not as in your face salty as Westbrook and a little sweeter I'd say. You might want to try that one or Snorkel by Jester King. Both are kind of Gose light IMO. Good Luck.

 

I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like 'em...at least the ones that aren't spiked with fruit flavors and such.
I've had all of the major ones and while I don't hate them, I don't know if I have any desire to revisit them either.
I'd rather have an Americanized Berliner over any of them.

 

I forget to add that Union makes a great one, called Old Pro Gose. During the summer, they had the option to put in fruit-specific simple syrups, like Georgia Peach or Strawberry. If they ever start canning it, I see it being up there with Westbrook's Gose.