Destihl "Wild Sour" Series: Piña Colada Gose

First - what a gose? (pronounced go-suh). It's a traditional beer style that originated in Goslar, Germany. It's a sour ale that is brewed with at least 50% wheat.  It technically does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law, because salt and coriander are usually added, but is granted an exemption since it is a traditional regional specialty. Originally goses were spontaneously fermented, i.e. with no added yeast, but it generally is brewed using top fermenting yeast and lactic acid bacteria. 

Since a gose is a variety of sour ale, Piña Colada Gose is naturally...well...sour! The sea salt adds an unusual kick, the coriander is subtle and understated and the pineapple and coconut (the piña and the colada of the name) both assert themselves and balance nicely. The underlying taste of the gose, once you get past the added flavors, is still apparent - a tart citrus. I'd pair this with something spicy, like chorizo or pizza with hot peppers. Great summer beer.

Mikeller Passion Pool Gose with Passion Fruit

Surely I don't need to rehash for you IGB fans what a Gose is, but it's a sour style that originated in Goslar, Germany. It doesn't conform to the  Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity laws since coriander and sea salt are added. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the Gose style has become my favorite. Passion Pool pours a pale hazy golden hue, with a barely visible white head. It's pretty tart, maybe an 8 on the IGB Sour Scale. The passion fruit is upfront, with some lemon as well. There's a bit of green apple in there as a special guest. Recommended as a summer ale, would go great with spicy tacos or BBQ pork. 
 

Odell's Brombeere Blackberry Gose

Let's start with what a "Gose" is. A Gose is a regional beer style originating in Goslar Germany; it is a sour ale made from at least 50% malted wheat with coriander and salt added. While this technically outs it outside the traditional German beer purity standards, an exception is made due to it being a regional specialty. They also tend to be low in alcohol content, making them nicely sessionable. Brombeere poured a pale violet, with a small head into a bar pint glass. The aroma of blackberries was evident, but not overwhelming. True to the style, there was little hop bitterness. I didn't detect any of the coriander which was part of the mix, nor any particular saltiness. This was a very drinkable, light offering that I would definitely try again. I'm not usually one for fruit-flaovred beers, but Brombeere may have converted me.

Double Down Gose IPA by Fort Collins Brewery

This is a fusion of two styles: India Pale Ale (yes, yes, everything is an IPA these days) and a Gose. The Gose style (pronounced Gō-sah) originated in Goslar Germany, but was also popular in Leipzig. It's made with 50% wheat, and has salt and coriander added. It's moderately sour.
Double Down is light and refreshing, pouring a golden hue with a thin white head. You can definitely taste the salt and coriander, with lemon peel notes. I'm not sure why it's an IPA, I'm not detecting much hoppiness. I just read that Fort Collins Brewery sold out & will be closing its doors, so you'll likely not see this beer around for much longer.

Beer Styles: Sour Ales

A sour ale is a beer that is intentionally acidic or tart. At one time most beers were tart to some degree. Before it was fully understood how fermentation worked, wild yeasts strains did the heavy lifting rather than the cultured strains used today. Yeast cultures from one batch became the starter for the next batch. Not being done in a sterile environment, wild yeast often intruded. Certain types of wild yeast are acid-producing, which, in the presence of oxygen result in an sour or tart edge. There are several traditional styles of sour beer, some of which have been imitated by modern brewers. Lambic is a well-known style, which will have its own post. Berliner Weisse, also known as Berliner White is a traditional style originating in Hamburg Germany. Berliner's tend to be light, highly carbonated. A Gose (pronounced Goe-suh) is brewed with at least 50% malted wheat, it gets its name from the city where it originated, Goslar. A gose has salt and coriander added, which means it does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot (German beer purity law) but it was granted an exception as a regional specialty. There is also a style, which I have never tried, called Flanders Red Ale, it is a cousin to the porter, but utilizes lactic acid to give it a sour edge and is aged in oak barrels. Ill-Gotten Booty himself is a big fan of the sours, and am frequently warned that they are sours!

Two/Evil Geyser Gose

Let's start with "What's a Gose?" (Go-suh)

It's an old German beer style that originated in Leipzig, brought back to life in recent years. Like a hefweizen, it's made with at least 50% malted wheat. It's generally crisp and dry, with some low hop bitterness and slight sourness. Coriander and salt are usually added. Two/Evil, a collaboration between Two Roads and Evil Twin breweries, adds Icelandic moss, sea kelp and birch smoked sea salt as flavorings. The result is a cloudy golden brew with a two-finer head, and a tart lemony character. There are also hints of pear and Granny Smith apple. Overall, pretty light and refreshing, with just enough tartness to elicit a "Sir, did you know that's a sour beer?" from the bartenders at Yia-Yia's!

Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale

Dogfish Head is one of those breweries that just can't get it wrong! I've had this sour mash-up a half dozen times on tap, but this is the first time I've been able to sit down & do a review.

SeaQuench is a combination of three ale styles: The lager-ale hybrid, Kölsch; Gose (both of which I've reviewed recently) and Berliner Weisse, a sour wheat beer that originated in Berlin. It's flavored with sea salt (as befits a gose), lime and black lime (dried lime). Two of the three components are sours, so SeaQuench is quite tart, but balanced by the smoothness of the Kölsch. In addition to the main flavors there's a hint of coriander and white pepper. If you're a sour beer fan, this is one that I'd recommend. 8.5/10 on the IGB Sour Scale.

Sierra Nevada Otra Vez

I have been fascinated with sour beers over the last year and have tried a few over at Yia-Yia's and reviewed one here at IGB:

http://ill-gottenbooty.blogspot.com/search?q=Gose

A gose is an unfiltered wheat, with 50-60% wheat, tending to a low IBU count and usually with some fruit flavorings. I would tag this style as a summer beer, it being so light and refreshing, but winter can't be all about dark and moody stouts and porters.

Otra Vez pours a super-light golden yellow and a towering white, four-finger head. The aroma of prickly pear and grapefruit comes through right away. There's sourness, but not too much. Despite its summerness, I'd drink some more of these this winter.

Empyrean Peachy Keen Sour Ale

Sour beers are an acquired taste. I have acquired it.

Often when I go to Yia-Yia's for some "fancy" beer, I order some kind of sour beer - a gose, a lambic or a berliner weisse, the bartender always says to me, in a conspiratorial tone "You know that's a sour beer, don't you?" I started enjoying sour beers a few years ago when I was offered some samples of Goose Island's sour Belgian, Lolita and some of her sisters. Peachy Keen was originally a win barrel-aged beer, available only on draft. The bottled version does not seem to be barrel aged however. It pours a hazy golden hue with ruby highlights, minimal head, and a very low hop profile (21 IBU). Very light; it would serve equally well as a summer beer or an autumn ale in place of a Märzen. The peach flavor predominates, but it goes very well with the sour edge. If you're a fan of the sours, this is one that you would enjoy. 9/10 on the IGB Scale.

Schell's Goosetown

Schell's version of a beer style that I had not previously heard of, a Gose (pronounced Goh-suh).

Here's what Beer Advocate says of the style:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/16

Kind of an odd one, a little bit salty, characteristic wheat taste. Some lemon and spice as well. Not sure what to make of it.

Odell Sippin' Pretty Fruited Sour

When I used to frequent Yia-Yia's a few years ago I would receive a warning whenever I ordered a sour beer: "That's a sour, you know!" I always knew.

Whenever I'm asked what my favorite beer styles are I can never narrow it down. Some styles I favor in the Winter months - winter warmers, stouts and porters, quads and bourbon barrel-aged ales of all descriptions; in the Spring I pick up some bocks and IPAs; in the Autumn I start looking for Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales; Summer is for Kölsches, Altbiers, shandies and sours. 

There are various styles of sours, some mildly tangy while others are super sour. The traditional method of brewing sour beers involved months-long processes, including the use of "wild" yeast; kettle brewing is a speeded up method, ostensibly to meet the demand, presumably without the use of wild yeast. Sippin' Pretty is a kettle brewed sour with açaí, guava and elderberry added for extra flavor. It pours a grapefruit pink with a pale pink head. All of the advertised flavors are there. Two of them anyway - I really don't know what elderberry tastes like! The tartness level is around a 4 on a scale of 10. Not much else to say, other than they claim to include Himalayan sea salt (although I don't believe that the Himalayas are near he sea), but I really can't detect any saltiness. (Note - the Gose style of sours contains sea salt). All in all, a refreshing brew, but there are better sours out there,