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What is a Gose Beer?

Gose beer is a type of beer brewed in Germany since the 16th century.

It’s a top-fermented beer with a distinct sourness, which comes from a combination of malted barley, wheat, and rye.

It’s often flavored with coriander, salt, and occasionally other herbs.

In recent years it has been gaining in popularity around the world as craft breweries began to make their own versions of it.

Gose beer has a long and varied history starting in Germany centuries ago and spreading across the globe today. Gose beer is a top-fermenting style of beer with a distinctive sour taste.

It’s made with malted barley, wheat, and rye along with coriander, salt, and sometimes other spices.

Drinkers tend to love its refreshing taste and complex flavor profile that can include hints of lemony fruitiness or even hints of melon or peaches depending on what type you’re drinking.

Overview Of Gose Beer

Gose is an ancient German style of ale that includes wheat as one of its main ingredients. Its unique blend of flavors results from the special combination of malted barley, wheat, salt & spice additions during fermentation. These beers are typically light in color and have a pleasantly tart finish.

Goses are known for their low bitterness when compared to other ales due to the use of unmalted grains for sweetness rather than hop bitterness for balance & flavor profiles.

History Of Gose Beers

  • Originated in Goslar, Germany sometime during the 16th century
  • Became one of Germany’s most popular beers during the 19th century
  • Production declined due to economic hardship after World War I
  • Was almost extinct by World War II

Today there has been a resurgence in production thanks to craft breweries around the world taking an interest in this old-world style & bringing it back into popularity with modern twists on traditional recipes.

Varieties Of Gose Beers

  • Berliner Weisse: Mildly sour & slightly effervescent like champagne
  • Lambic: A variety often flavored with fruits such as raspberry or peach
  • Fruit Lambic: A variation with added fruits such as banana or apple brandy
  • Framboise Lambic: Flavored with raspberries & cherry juice
  • Kriek Lambic: Flavored with cherries or cherry juice
  • Saison: A versatile Belgian style that can be fruity or spicy depending upon the ingredients used

Each variety adds its own unique flavor & character to gose beers & allows brewers to create new recipes every time!

Taste And Characteristics

Goses have a tartness that makes them refreshing and easy to drink on hot days – yet still complex enough to please even experienced craft beer drinkers!

They tend to be light-bodied while having just enough bitterness from hops to balance out any sweetness from malts without overwhelming it.

Additionally, they often feature subtle notes of citrusy fruitiness like a lemon peel or lime zest alongside herbal notes due to their characteristic spicing additions like coriander or even pink pepper!

This gives them an extra layer of complexity over traditional ales which makes every sip enjoyable yet never boring!

Advantages Of Gose Beers

  • Refreshing taste is perfect for summer days
  • Crisp finish without being too sweet
  • Light body but still full-flavored
  • Herbal spicing adds complexity
  • Citrusy fruitiness keeps things interesting

Disadvantages Of Gose Beers

  • May not always be easy to find locally
  • Tartness can be intense for some palates
  • Varieties may not always be easily distinguishable from one another (unless you’re already familiar) ​

Conclusion

Goses are great summer “session” beers – light-bodied yet full-flavored creations that offer plenty of refreshment combined with complexity thanks to their intricate spicing schemes & characteristic citrusy notes!

They may take some getting used to if your palate isn’t used to sour ales but once you get past this initial hurdle you’ll find plenty of rewarding flavors inside each sip!

So don’t be afraid – grab yourself some gose beer next time you’re out shopping & prepare yourself for an enjoyable journey through some centuries-old brewing traditions!

Author Image Fabian
I’m Fabian, homebrewer and beer taster. I’m also the editor of Beer100. I love travelling the world and trying out new handcraft beer and different beer styles. I’m not an expert in brewing beer, but I know a few things about beer, which I share on this blog. If you need help or have a question, please comment below.

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