Skip to main content

Anderson Valley Brewing’s Year of Gose Beer

Boonville, California brewery is releasing a diverse group of tart brews for 2017.

A few years ago, the beer style known as Gose almost went extinct. There are many different reasons for a beer style to fall out of favor. Whether it’s changing palates, availability of ingredients or simply lack of interest, the presence of beer styles on store shelves depends on the ever-changing tastes of the buyer. Goses aren’t for everyone and the style’s specificity is most likely what led to its temporary disappearance.

The Gose beer style is identified by relatively low alcohol by volume, at least fifty percent wheat malt, and typically a bit of coriander spicing. All good so far. The kicker that makes Goses a different breed is a sharp tartness from lactic acid and the jolting addition of salt. But in the growing and diversifying world of craft beer, it seems there is a place for everyone, even the divisive Gose.

Boonville, California’s Anderson Valley Brewing Company has devoted a large section of its line to Gose variations. The brewery spreads the beers out through the year, but June is peak Gose time, as several labels are now available for purchase.

Briney Melon Gose was released in cans in March and ends its availability this month. Perfect for anyone that salivates at the thought of salting a slice of watermelon, the fruity, thirst quenching brew is a perfect relief for hot summer afternoons. G&T Gose, shorthand for Gin and Tonic, is a 22oz bottle release and also leaves stores in June. Juniper and lemon peel prop up the beer’s crisp tart sour and salt and pepper finish.

Newly available in cans this June is the return of The Kimmie, The Yink and The Holy Gose which will remain through August. This is the most traditional Gose in Anderson Valley’s quiver and brings a refreshing lemon-infused brininess to the collection.

You’ll need to wait a bit longer for Blood Orange Gose, which will be back in stores September through March. The addition of (you guessed it) blood oranges to the fermentation creates an intense salty and sour beer with added deep citrus notes.

If you’re on the fence about Goses, Anderson Valley has a variety of beer cocktail recipes available on its website which may serve as a nice entry point to the style. The Sifter Goserita is the brewery’s take on a watermelon margarita utilizing The Kimmie the Yink and the Holy Gose, lime juice, simple syrup, fresh fruit and your favorite Tequila.

Anderson Valley Brewing is widely distributed throughout the United States, including the west coast, most of the Eastern seaboard, the southeast and southwest. Use the brewery’s beer locator to find a distributor near you.

Editors' Recommendations

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
Athletic Brewing Scores Big with Non-Alcoholic Beers that Actually Taste Good
Athletic Brewing beer glass

Alcohol doesn’t fit into Bill Shufelt’s life, but the ultramarathoner and former finance professional didn’t want to be left out. With less than stellar non-alcoholic beers on the market, though, he couldn't find anything appealing to drink.

So rather than remain on the sidelines, he found a longtime brewer, John Walker, and together they started Connecticut-based Athletic Brewing Co., a beer company focused on making flavorful non-alcoholic beers.

Read more
26.2 Brew is a Beer Developed By Runners, For Runners (and for Everyone Else)
26 2 brew marathon runner craft beer product photo

I know what you're probably thinking: a sport beer? Hasn't that been done already? Don't we already have low-calorie, low-carb beers featured in commercials with people cycling, jogging, running up lots of stairs, leaning down onto their knees while they sweat and pant a lot, and then later cheering their incredibly fit friends with a round of low-alcohol, low-taste brews?

Yes, there are already a few beers out there marketed toward the fitness-minded among us. What sets 26.2 Brew apart from the pack is the fact that this beer wasn't just brewed for the athlete, but was developed by bona fide athletes. And by a bona fide master brewer. Who also happens to a be a marathon runner. Maybe that's why this beer has low-carb, low-calorie stats similar to other "sport beers" out there but tastes like something you'll enjoy as much while grilling, sitting at the beach, after mowing the lawn, or after running 26.2 miles.

Read more
Sufferfest Beer Company is Brewing Up a Better-for-You Kind of Superfood Beer
sufferfest superfood beer repeat kolsch company

Throw out your adult vitamin gummies and drink a beer instead. (Kidding, but only sort of.) A new Kölsch beer from Sufferfest Beer Company out of San Francisco is creating beer with superfoods, meaning you can slow clap back at wine-drinking haters who say beer isn’t good for you.

The super ingredient in Sufferfest’s Repeat Kolsch is bee pollen, which has been proven to act as an antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and overall immune-system boosting food. Repeat Kolsch is also low-calorie, low-carb, and low-alcohol at 3.5% alcohol by volume, and was created by the fit-minded Sufferfest as a response to low-cal summer beers that are nutrient duds.

Read more