There are certain beers that feel like they can only be imbibed at a certain time of year. A barrel-aged stout is the perfect example of this. It’s perfectly boozy and warming for a cold, dark winter night, but it just wouldn’t have the same appeal on a humid, sunny summer day. Can you imagine finishing an afternoon of mowing the lawn under a cloudless summer sky, and you crack open a barrel-aged stout to refresh you?
On the flip side, a hoppy, piney, aggressively bitter West Coast IPA is best enjoyed on a hot day while you overlook a large body of water. It doesn’t taste as good as you’re swaddled in a giant blanket in front of a wintry fireplace. It’s just the way it is.
There are some beers, however, that are well-suited for any day of the year, regardless of the weather outside your window. One of our favorites is the timeless Gose style. Salty, sweet, refreshing, and perfect 365 (or one more during a leap year) days per year.
I’ve tried many different beer styles in my two decades of writing about beer. There are very few beer styles that have immediately grabbed my attention (and held it forever) like the Gose beer.
What is Gose beer?
For those unfamiliar with the Gose style, it’s been around for much longer than you have. In fact, it’s older than most (if not all) of your favorite beer styles. This is because its history can be traced back longer than 1,000 years to the city of Goslar in Germany.
This German wheat beer is known for its tart, salty, thirst-quenching flavor profile, thanks to the addition of salt and coriander (and kettle souring with lactobacillus). The best part? It’s a very sessionable brew with an ABV range of 4-5%.
The most interesting thing about the Gose beer style is that it wasn’t originally made with salt. Originally, it was made with water from the neighboring river, which was known for its abnormal salinity.
What does it taste like?
You probably won’t be surprised by this beer’s flavor profile when you realize it was brewed with wheat, salt, coriander, and soured with lactobacillus. The result is a hazy, salty, tart wheat beer that needs to be tasted to be believed. On top of that, many brewers turn the beer up to eleven by adding fruits like blood orange, peach, raspberry, lime, and more.
The best Gose beers to drink any time
Now that you’ve learned a little about the history and appeal of Gose beers, it’s time to find some to add to your refrigerator for this and all seasons. Below, you’ll find some of my favorites.
How do I choose my favorite Gose beers?
Like with any beer, when selecting my list of Gose beers, I looked for a well-balanced, refreshing, memorable beer that I’d drink again and again. Some are classic Gose-style beers, and others are flavored. All are worth adding to your must-try list.
Westbrook Gose
If you’re only going to purchase one beer on this list, make it Westbrook Gose. The first Gose-style beer that many of us ever drank, this 4% ABV wheat beer is the brewery’s take on the traditional Gose. Brewed with acidulated, pale, and wheat malt, American ale yeast, and CTZ hops, it gets its memorable tart, sour, salty flavor profile from the addition of coriander and grey sea salt. This epic thirst-quencher should have a spot in your refrigerator in perpetuity.
Creature Comforts Tritonia Gose
No Gose beer list is complete without my all-time favorite from the folks at Creature Comforts. Available from February through April, this 4.5% ABV Gose-style beer is a wheat beer that gets its fresh, tart, citrus, and saline flavors from the addition of cucumber, lime, sea salt, coriander, and a proprietary house blend of lactobacillus. house blend of lactobacillus. This is a refreshing, crisp, balanced beer that should find a permanent spot in your fridge.
Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose
You can’t go wrong with any of the fruited Gose beers produced by California’s Anderson Valley Brewing. But the best of the bunch is Anderson Vallet Briny Melon Gose. This 4.2% ABV beer is brewed with Pale two-row malt, malted white wheat, rice hulls, and house yeast. It gets its hoppy aroma and flavor from Chinook hops and its ripe, juicy fruit flavor from watermelon. Sea salt adds a gentle salinity to a very flavorful beer.
Grimm Ales Super Spruce
If you really want to get wild with it when picking your new Gose beer, I suggest Grimm Ales ‘ Super Spruce. This unique beer is flavored with spruce tips and Chinook hops. It gets its added salinity from sea salt. The result is a refreshing, tart, salty, piney beer that needs to be tasted to be completely understood. This is a can’t-miss beer if you can find it.
