Some days, it’s
just way too much fun being a beer geek. Today was one of them, as I
discovered a newly opened liquor store in Marietta, Georgia while Christmas
shopping with my beloved Barbara. The name of the place is Beverage
Resort, and as I browsed the large selections of singles and six-packs,
one beer in particular caught my eye: Leipziger Gose brewed by the
Bayrisher Bahnhof Brauerei und Gaststaettenbetrieb. Try saying that one
three times fast.
It’s always a grand thing indeed for a beer enthusiast to discover a new
beer. But to find a new style of beer, one never experienced before,
now that’s something special indeed. And so it was for me and gose. To be
sure, I’ve tasted more than a few beers in my day, belonging to a multitude
of styles. But true German gose has been elusive. That should not be
surprising. The style is native to a part of Germany that only recently
emerged from under the Iron Curtain.
In Germany, beer is often a local phenomenon. Cologne is famous for its dry,
fruity Kolsch beers. Dusseldorfers, meanwhile, boast of their lightly
fruity, hoppy altbiers. Bavarians will tell you weissbier is the best thing
ever, though in Berlin they brew theirs to much lower strength and with a
distinctly acidic finish.
In Leipzig, a city in the state of Sachsen, though, the local specialty is
called gose. A recent revival in the style that actually originated in
nearby Goslar has brought it back into the spotlight as a rare and unique
German beer style. A spiced wheat ale, Gose is most assuredly not
Reinheitsgebot compliant. The style can be traced back for roughly 1000
years.
Brewed with 60% wheat and 40% malted barley, this is an exceedingly
refreshing beer. A lactobaccilic fermentation adds additional tartness to
the finish. The beer is not filtered and is bottle conditioned. Often, it is
sold in bottles that resemble brew kettles. Mine, however, was packaged in a
typical half liter brown glass bottle. Leipziger Gose is imported by B.
United International.
So how is it?
Leipziger Gose pours to a deep russet-golden color with a thick rocky
head formation and a spicy tart nose. The palate is medium bodied with a
rich mouthfeel and a slightly fruity, toasty malt background. But the really
interesting thing here is the sharp saltiness that coats the tongue just
after sipping. That’s because gose is actually brewed with salt, along with
coriander. That may sound strange, but it works here, and works nicely.
The intriguing saline character permeates the brew right on into the finish,
where the coriander emerges along with a tart, slightly acidic character
that complements the spiciness nicely.
Salty snacks are often served as a companion to beer, but how about a salty
beer with your snacks? Gose matched perfectly with some lightly spiced
parsnip, sweet potato, yucca, taro, and batato Terra chips.
Update 8/27/2017: You thought Gose was something new? Jackson was drinking it when you were in kindergarten. Lightly salty, tart wheaty and spicy with coriander, Leipziger Gose is a classic example of the style that I learned about from the Beer Hunter. He is sorely missed 10 years from his passing.
From the label:
Leipziger Gose is bottle-conditioned. Its flavor and taste profile are quite complex with pleasant notes of coriander on the palate. The salt level is calculated to be present and tangible but just below the level at which humans can actually "taste" salt.
The Gose style is named after the town of "Goslar", the historic origin of the style. Likewise, Goslar is named after the river "Gose".
I paid $1.99 for my 11-ounce bottle at Whole Foods.
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