The Best Gose Beers From Coastal Brewers
A salted beer might sound like heresy. But Germany’s tart and lemony gose style (pronounced GO-zuh)—brewed with barley, wheat, coriander, and yes, salt—is the ultimate summer refresher. Not only does that hit of saline (think Gatorade) slake your thirst, it sings with seafood and other warm weather fare. And now that the sour craze has gone mainstream, there’s never been a better variety in your grocery aisle. Here, our 5 favorites from the coast.
1. Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose
Drink your dessert thanks to this South Carolina brewery that dared to blur the line between suds and sweets. Additions of vanilla, cinnamon, and lime to its everyday gose perfectly mimic the flavors of graham cracker and Key lime custard.
2. Carton Sakura Ale
Inspired by the Japanese tradition of spring-time cherry blossom (sakura) feasts, Jersey Shore standout Carton Brewing Company steeped a salted, sour pale ale with sushi rice and cherry blossoms preserved in plum vinegar and salt.
3. Dogfish Head Seaquench Ale
Craft icon Sam Calagione rebels against the 500- year-old Reinheitsgebot, aka the German Beer Purity Law, by mixing three beer styles into one: a classic German kolsch, a sour Berliner weisse, and a gose brewed with black limes and sea salt.
4. Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose
An early adopter in the current gose resurgence, Anderson Valley also helped elevate the style with adjuncts such as watermelon and blood orange, plus juniper and grains of paradise—flavors meant to emulate the taste of a gin and tonic.
Related: How to Make a Paloma Cocktail:
5. Rising Tide Pisces Gose
This Portland, Maine, outfit takes a locavore approach to the gose style by combining classic ingredients (such as coriander and lactobacillus bacteria) with some not-so-classic additions (seawater from nearby Cape Elizabeth in lieu of salt).
