Gose. This is an oddity originally from Goslar in the north of Germany. Its current home is Leipzig and there are two breweries producing very good ones. It is a refreshing top-fermented beer made with some wheat like more prevalent Weizenbier. It has a sour and slightly salty flavor that really goes down on a hot day and is hence typically just below to 5%. I’d been there many years ago but a recent return was prompted by the style’s popularity in the US. To be honest, I’ve never had one in the US that tasted anything like the ones in Leipzig.
There is one small brewer in Franconia that is tapping into the American Craft Beer thing. Hertl Gurken Gose also taps into the German love of pickles. We stopped by the brewery and since my wife is one of those Germans who love pickles, we had to buy a few. If you love pickles, you will probably like it and my wife did. I found it refreshing and interesting. I also thought it was as good as any of the American ones I had and much less expensive. That said, it was nowhere near as good as the ones in Leipzig so head to Ohne Bedenken when there.
Next up Hefeweizen or back to Beer Styles.
