Gose is a unique German beer style that’s seen a couple near-extinctions throughout its history. Even today, though the style has flourished to a popularity it hasn’t seen in over half a century, it’s still a pretty rare find with 3 breweries in Germany brewing it and only a handful in the rest of the world. For their own reasons, Driftwood has decided to be among those breweries. Gose is a sour wheat beer, related to the more-familiar Berliner weisse.
Gose uses the addition of coriander and salt beyond the standard four ingredients, which is unusual for a German beer due their purity laws. The ingredient It’s general tart or a bit sour, salty, and lemon citrusy. Historically it was also contained in oddly shaped bottles as illustrated on the label of Driftwood’s Gose-uh.
I have not had a gose before, which I imagine comes as no surprise. So I can’t compare it to any ‘standard’ of the style, but here’s my feelings on the stuff. It’s very light – yellow-gold and clear. It smells very nice – banana and apple, brisk quality perhaps from the lemon-quality or the yeasts. Spicy as well, like a saison. Actually, it really smells very much just like a saison, but with a little bit of a Belgian quality as well. Taste-wise it’s still not far off a saison, but there is a few unique things going on. There is some lemon citrusness, definitely some Belgian blonde qualities (though not overly strong), the coriander is present and quite pleasant as well as the saltiness. There is a strong mineral quality to it as well, maybe it’s the salt. Very refreshing.
It’s a lighthearted beer for sure, but it’s enjoyable – moreso than I expected actually; not sure why I had expected less since Driftwood always impresses me.
Beer Scout 