So I’ve been on a Gose kick. Gose, a long lost German style of beer, is currently the in thing (or one of the in things anyway) in craft beer. If you want to see what Gose is really all about, or should be all about, though, you need to try the original German versions. So that’s what I’ve been doing.

The very first Gose ever to pass my lips was the German Leipziger Gose, which I first sampled back in 2003. Recently, I’ve tried 3 more German Goses, and did an interesting comparison between the Leipziger Gose and Original Ritterguts Gose which I encourage you to read. Next up: Freigeist Geisterzug Spruced Traditional Gose.

This Gose is a bit different from the others I’ve tried, because it’s spiced with spruce in addition to the customary coriander and salt. From the label:

Freigeist is the experimental offshoot of Cologne’s revolutionary small brewery, Braustelle. Here we strive to break the chains of industrial brewing by reviving, and updating, Germany’s unique, historical beer styles.

A quirky version of the nearly-extinct traditional sour beer of Leipzig, “Geisterzug” (“Ghost Train”) spruced gose is unusually complex, funky, and full-bodied.

Freigeist Geisterzug Spruced Traditional Gose has an alcohol content of 5% by volume (a tad higher than normal for the style), and I paid $6 for a half liter bottle at Bruisin Ales in Asheville. That’s high for sure, but rare specialty brews from a small German brewer are few and far between, so I’ll allow a pass on the price.

Freigeist Geisterzug Spruced Traditional Gose pours to a pale yellow color with a very thick spritzy head a tart wheat and salt nose. Taking a sip, the beer is a bit more full bodied than most of the Goses I’ve tried with tart crackery wheat, spicy coriander and a delightful underlying saltiness. The salt comes out even more in the finish, but hey, what about the spruce? It’s very delicate my friends, but it definitely accents the beer in a unique and idiosyncratic fashion. An ever so gentle acidic tartness in the finish is not really sour and dries the beer nicely.

To me, the spruce comes out in the finish with a gentle pine needle aroma and flavor and helps leave an almost juniper like finish at the last. This is a 5 star beer for me, original and with a tasty twist done just right. Too much spruce would have drowned out the Gose notes, but thankfully that is not the case here. Certainly a beer worth a try and a rebuy in my book.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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