Leipziger Gose

Photo Credit: J.C. Edwards

The Brewers:
Brewmaster: Matthias Richter
Company: Bayerischer Banhof Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei
Location: Bayrischer Platz 1, Leipzig, Germany
Website: http://www.bayerischer-bahnhof.de/en/startseite/index.html

The Beer:
Style: Gose
ABV: 4.5%
Brewed with: Coriander, Salt and Lactic acid (Acidulated Malt perhaps?)
Served: On tap at Stanziato's Pizzeria (seriously, the best pizza you'll ever have, with some of the best beers to be found: http://stanziatos.com/)

The Drink:
Served in one of their weird 12 oz. Italian "tulip" glasses

Beer pours a cloudy, yellow-gold color with a thick, fluffy head that dissipates quickly, leaving little lace.  

Aromas of tart citrus and peppery spice.

Beer starts with a good carbonation and a tart citrus flavor.  Middle has a very sour and subtle salty flavor and mouthfeel; really more of a brackish character than outright saltiness, with some peppery coriander.  Finish is creamy with a traditional "floury" wheat flavor, characteristic of German and Belgian wheat beers.

Overall:
Gose has to be among my favorite beer styles, which is unfortunate given how hard they are to find.  Here comes the history lesson.  This style originated in Goslar, Germany (hence the name "Gose") in the 18th century, and was originally spontaneously fermented (think lambics).  After primary fermentation, the beer was placed in bottles with very long necks, and yeast plugged the neck as secondary fermentation proceeded.  The beer soon became very popular in it's home region of Leipzig, and was granted exemption from the Reinheitsgebot due to the fact that Gose was considered the regional specialty of Leipzig.  Once those good ol' Nazis took over Germany and nationalized everything, traditional Gose breweries were shut down, and most of their brewing equipment was scrapped for the war effort (many traditional, generations-old Belgian breweries met similar fates).  After WWII ended, Gose returned to Germany and slowly grew in popularity, though today the style is still very hard to find.  Sam Adams also brewed a Gose, called Verloren,  which I am a big fan of as well.

This beer is a fantastic example of a traditional Gose, and exhibits all the peppery, salty and sour character this beer is known for.  Incredibly flavorful, and even more refreshing, this beer combines everything about light beers with the flavor and body of unfiltered wheat beers, all balanced by an intriguing and subtle saltiness.  I would recommend this beer to anyone, and I'd even go so far as to say you should actively hunt this one down.