Sierra Nevada Otra VezGose (pronounced go-zuh), a style of beer originating in Goslar, Germany, is taking the craft beer world – especially here in the U.S. – by storm. Made with at least 51 percent malted wheat and brewed with salt and coriander, its semi-sour taste is similar to that of a Berliner Weisse, says Jordan McCay, beer manager at Riverside Wine & Spirits. “They use a sour yeast strain that makes it really tart and turns your mouth inside-out,” he explains.
The style of brew almost went extinct 500 or so years ago due to the oversaturation of the market, but is now making its comeback. Leipziger Gose, available at Riverside, is the original and the best gose beer, says McCay, and one of the few gose-style beers available in the states before the style’s recent resurgence in popularity.
Now many American breweries are jumping on the gose train, including Terrapin, which has a new watermelon gose. McCay says one of the reasons he thinks the style is gaining traction in the states is its low alcohol content, which allows those who consume it to drink good craft beer – which is available mainly in high-gravity alcohol concentrations – for longer periods of time.
“I think most people get it because of its simplicity and drinkability, but it’s not lacking in flavor,” he says. “American breweries are taking the classic method and putting their own spin on it.” For example, Otra Vez gose-style ale from Sierra Nevada is brewed with cactus for a creamy mouthfeel and grapefruit for a different sort of tartness.