Gose
A tart, lightly salted German wheat beer seasoned with coriander, refreshing and low in alcohol.
About the Gose style
The gose is an old sour wheat beer from the German town of Goslar, later associated with Leipzig. It is unusual for being brewed with added salt and coriander, and soured with lactic bacteria.
It nearly died out entirely in the 20th century before being revived, and it became popular again through the modern sour-beer movement. The result is a light, tart, faintly saline and refreshing beer.
Gose is a warm fermented beer that is usually brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat, fruit syrups, such as lemon and coriander, and salt, either added or as a component of the water used. It acquires its characteristic sourness through inoculation with Lactobacillus bacteria, which is not a hop-tolerant bacteria and which provides only a light acidity. Gose beers typically have very little hop aroma or bitterness, limited malt flavour, and a relatively low alcohol content of 4 to 5% alcohol by volume.
Grain, hops and yeast
Malt and grain: Pale barley malt and a large proportion of malted wheat for a soft, hazy body.
Hop character: Very low; the seasoning is salt and coriander, not hops.
Yeast and fermentation: A clean ale yeast plus a lactic souring, from Lactobacillus, that gives the tart edge.
A typical Gose runs 4 to 5% alcohol by volume, with a bitterness of about 5 to 12 IBU and a colour of 3 to 4 SRM. It is traditionally served in a tumbler or cylindrical gose glass. These figures describe the usual range for the style; a given example may sit a little outside them.
Yeast and fermentation notes
A gose is soured with Lactobacillus, either by kettle souring the wort before the boil or by a mixed fermentation, then fermented out with a clean ale yeast. Keep the souring controlled and the clean fermentation cool so the tartness stays refreshing rather than harsh.
Serving in brief
Serve a gose cold, around 4 to 6 degrees Celsius, with a lively carbonation. Its tart, saline, refreshing character is at its best cold and fresh, so serve it young on a well-carbonated keg.
Classic examples
Well-known commercial examples of the style include Ritterguts Gose, Westbrook Gose and Anderson Valley The Kimmie. Tasting a benchmark example is the best way to understand what a style should be before brewing your own.
| Vital statistic | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Origin | Germany |
| Strength (ABV) | 4 to 5% |
| Bitterness (IBU) | 5 to 12 |
| Colour (SRM) | 3 to 4 |
| Traditional glass | Tumbler or cylindrical gose glass |
Typical published ranges. Individual examples vary.
Pick the yeast for a Gose
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Sources: BJCP Beer Style Guidelines ยท Wikipedia