While the trend of sour ales has swept through the craft industry, we’ve largely steered clear of brewing such unpredictable styles. Until now. Sort of.
Releasing this Friday in the taproom, taste the Gose (GOHS-uh), a historical sour style with the tartness you’ve been craving. Unlike sour ales that develop their mouth pucker in the fermentation tank, this German style uses sour wort to achieve a similar result. Lactobacillus is added to the wort while it’s in the brew kettle, and allowed to sit for a weekend or a similarly short period of time. The bacteria is killed via boiling and the beer goes on to be brewed and fermented like usual. This process allows for a clear souring note in the beer without risking the contamination that always looms when adding bacteria or wild yeast to a fermenter.
Named for the Gose River, this wheat ale originated in Goslar, Germany, though it’s most often associated with Liepzig, which eventually eclipsed Goslar’s gose production. The saline nature of the brew was likely derived from the mineral-rich water in the region. In modern times, we’re left to add the minerals ourselves to mimic the flavor.
Here at Zipline, we’ve taken the traditional salty style and added some lime, dethroning margaritas as the tart and lightly salted drink of choice. Gose is bound to go down easily, quenching your thirst and exciting your palate simultaneously. If you’ve tired of summer styles at this point in the season, Gose will certainly perk up your tastebuds once again.
Join us in the taproom starting Friday at 3pm to get your Gose on. Try a flight of tart styles, putting the Gose next to Motueka Saison and Hibiscus Saison (add the Barrel-Aged Hibiscus for good measure). Or sample a wide range of German styles with a flight including Pilsner, Copper Alt, Maibock, and Gose. Not sure what “wort” means or what a “brew kettle” looks like? Sign up for a brewery tour at 2pm or 3pm this Saturday and have all your questions answered.