For
three of the past four years the May release in the Grand Teton Brewing Cellar Reserve
series has been a sour with 2012’s Snarling Badger Berliner Weisse, 2013’s OudBruin, and 2015’s Sour Grand Saison. This
year’s May release is, once again, a sour beer, a Gose. Gose, pronounced “Goes-uh” is in all respects
an ancient beer style that is believed to be over 1,000 years old. Only a few short years ago, the first Gose
most people would think of when, or if, they thought of Gose was most likely
Leipziger Gose, with its well-recognized bottle. The premise behind a Gose is simple, it’s brewed
with salted water, using light malts (pilsner or a light pale) and wheat, lightly
hopped, and coriander is added during the brewing process; Lactobacillus is then added either during the primary or secondary
fermentation to develop the style’s characteristic lemony tartness. The premise seems simple, but as with any
good beer style, there’s a vast difference between a delicious beer and a
poorly thought out mess. Heck, it wasn’t
too long ago that Thrillist trashed Gose and declared it the style that killed craft beer. Since then of course, the style has only
become more popular. I would say, “Take
that Thrillist!” but honestly, aside from seeing the article pop up in random
Facebook feeds, who cares, to each their own, drink what you like, and all
that.
Before
getting to a review, let’s meander through the long, storied history of Gose,
much of my discussion of which can be attributed to the wonderful German Beer Institute’s write-up on the style, because when in doubt, turn to the experts. The style was originally brewed in Goslar,
which lies on the river Gose, the river after which the style is named. By the mid-11th century, Goslar
had become one of the wealthiest and more important mining towns in the German
Empire, producing copper, lead, zinc, salt, and silver. The mineral rich runoff from the mines, and
the local, mineral rich aquifers from which the water was drawn to brew beer in
Goslar provided a rather saline rich water source. At the time, medieval alchemists debated the
health effects of the minerals and the “white salt crystals” that formed as the
water evaporated, referring to them as blanc de Goslar, or vitriolum zinci
Goslariense, literally the zinc salt of Goslar.
When the blanc de Goslar was dissolved in water, the resulting tincture
took on an astringent, sour flavor commonly referred to as “copper water”. The slightly salty water used to brew Gose
makes it entirely unlike any other style of beer, and can be directly
attributed (as is the case with many historic beer styles) to the local water
source in the region or town that first brewed the style. Water, as they say, is one of the most
important ingredients in beer, one which can have a drastic impact on the
finished product.
While
the town of Goslar had become one of the wealthiest towns in the German Empire
by the mid-11th century, the Gose style was celebrated by Emperor Otto
III who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 996 – 1002 AD. To already be a celebrated beverage by the
Emperor during his reign towards the end of the 10th century, it
would seem that the beer style was already relatively well established prior to
the 11th century, although who’s to say for sure. Heck, the Wikipedia page for the style claims
the beer wasn’t brewed until the 16th century, which can’t possibly
be true if the style was enjoyed by an Emperor who died in 1002 AD.
By
all accounts the town of Goslar produced its popular Gose well into the late Middle
Ages when the mines finally gave out.
The German Empire still needed its Gose however, and the style was
picked up in Liepzig, which became the largest market for the style. According to the German Beer Institute, the
oldest preserved license for brewing Gose was issued to an innkeeper named Giesecke
in 1738 by the Leipzig City Council. As
Gose took off in Leipzig, the brewers in Gosler no longer found Gose production
to be economically viable and the city abolished the brewing of Gose in 1826. Meanwhile in Leipzig, Gose had become the
most popular beer style with over 80 licensed breweries in the city by 1900. Production of Gose in Leipzig became so
prevellant that the style is often colloquially referred to a Leipziger-style
Gose when it’s brewed in the US.
Sadly,
as with many historic styles, Gose virtually disappeared in the 20th
century as a result of the two World Wars, and the rise of Communism (Leipzig
is in, what was Soviet East Germany).
Under communist rule, Eastern German beer styles began to disappear. For some reason the Communist regime in East
Germany decided that it was more important to devote the small amount of grain
that was grown to food production rather than using it to brew beer. So, unfortunately by the late 1950’s the last
pre-unification (of Germany) Gose was brewed in Leipzig.
The
collapse of the Soviet Union and fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989
led to the style making a comeback as breweries in and around Leipzif started
to brew it again. Leading the
revitalization of the style was Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof which opened its doors in 2000.
More recently American craft breweries have done their part to
revitalize the style with many embracing the style and increasing its
popularity with an American craft beer crowd that is always on the lookout for
the newest style to tantalize its taste buds.
Gose is certainly a unique beer, and one which stands removed from the
vast majority of craft beers and even the vast majority of sour beers in that
it is brewed with salted water. Perhaps
the best way for craftbeer to move forward is to go backwards, exploring
traditional styles that have fallen by the wayside for one reason or
another. If for no other reason, it will
provide a new and unique beverage to a movement that is constantly searching
for the next big beer style.
On
to the review:
They Say:
Grand
Teton Gose is a light-bodied but flavorful quencher perfect for summer
refreshment and wonderful with food. As is traditional, it was brewed with
slightly salty water, soured with Lactobacillus, and spiced with coriander.
Brettanomyces adds an additional layer of fruity complexity and ensures this
beer will age gracefully for years to come.
Our
brewery water is Teton Mountain glacial runoff—clean, pure and slightly sweet.
We’ve added Yellowstone Salt, naturally produced and hand-harvested from Salt
Creek just outside the National Park, to provide a pleasant saltiness and
rounded mouthfeel, while accentuating the other flavors in the beer and
complementing most accompanying foods. Southern Idaho 2-Row Pale Malt
contributes crisp, clean maltiness while German Pale Wheat Malt brings citric
acidity and an attractive golden haze. The traditional addition of coriander
completes the beer with an herbal lemony-citrus aroma and flavor.
Gose
enhances almost any meal. We particularly like it with full-flavored fish like
salmon or trout, as the Gose supplies the lemon. Paired with roast beef or
hamburger, Gose brings flavors reminiscent of the Western New York specialty
sandwich Beef on Weck with its salt-crystal and caraway seed bun. Gose’s lactic
acidity pairs well with pickled ginger or lemon custard.
Original Gravity (Plato):
15.0º
International Bitterness Units: 9
Alcohol by Volume: 6.5%
Color (Lovibond): 2.8º
International Bitterness Units: 9
Alcohol by Volume: 6.5%
Color (Lovibond): 2.8º
Grand Teton Gose will be available
May 15th, 2016 in bottle-conditioned 6/750 mL cases and 1/6 and 1/2 bbl kegs
I Say:
Grand
Teton Gose pours a crystal clear golden straw with a thin, small bubbled white
head that holds low retention (less than 30 seconds) before fading to a thin
collar that leaves very little lacing behind in the glass. Subtle salty lemons lead in the aroma with herbal
notes adding slight complexity. As the
beer warms, the aroma takes on notes of rising sourdough, and the saltiness fades
as the lemon notes become more prominent.
The
first sip is led by tart/sour lemons with an underlying saltiness. The initial sip was thirst quenching, and
quite refreshing, with a very subtle breadiness. The lemon notes transition into a slightly
puckering acidity that lingers into the finish.
The aftertaste takes on slightly herbal and salty notes with a hint of
lemon. With a medium-light body and a
moderately high level of carbonation, there is still some room for the Lactobacillus to eat the more of the
remaining sugars without Gose becoming too light bodied.
Grand
Teton Gose is a very good beer that should age well. The combination of Lactobacillus and Brettnomyces
should allow this beer to age well, becoming considerably tarter and more
lemony as time goes by. The Brettanomyces, depending on the strain,
could add tropical fruit notes or add funky flavors to the beer, but the only
way to find out is to sit on this bottle for at least a year or two to give the
flavors time to develop.
The
Gose style is not for everyone, but it is definitely a style everyone should
try at least once. After all, even
though Thrillist famously hates the style, it is still a great summer beer, one
which I enjoy. The only way to find out
whether Gose is the style for you is to try it yourself. If you enjoy a salted rim margarita, you just
might find you love the style. I’ll leave
that up to you, but I wish I had another bottle or two to add to my cellar for
later in the summer when I need access to a great, thirst quenching beer on a
hot summer day.
That’s
all for tonight, check back soon for another review!
Happy
Drinking!
A thousand years of brewing! Now this is fascinating. Your rushessay service was really demonstrative! I never knew s.th like Gose was out there!
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