Bomber of the Month: October
Almanac Brewing Co. - Golden Gate Gose
By: Steve .
Published: 10/16/2014
Regular Price:
$6.99
Sale Price:
$5.99
Sale End:
10/31/2014
ABV:
5%
Beer Advocate:
84
Rate Beer:
90
First brewed about 1000 years ago the Gose style, pronounced “Gose-uh”, contains more than 50% malted wheat with the rest of the grain bill being comprised of malted barley. The beer style is most closely related to the town of Leipzig, Germany, and went through a resurgence in the late 1980s. What makes this ale an interesting one is the addition of a slightly salted water base. On top of that it is fermented with lactic bacteria as well as the brewery’s choice of yeast strain. Most are then flavored with some sort of combination of coriander, hops, or colored syrups.
Almanac Beer Company is among the many U.S. breweries helping to bring this style to the masses. Golden Gate Gose is brewed with salt, lemon verbena, and coriander. Almost all of their ingredients for this beer were produced locally in California. One interesting twist Almanac decided to do with this beer is to ferment it with their house Saison yeast instead of the typical German Hefeweizen strain. The change of yeast will produce different esters than the traditional beers have.
On to the Tasting Notes:
The beer pours a slightly cloudy golden hue with a two finger head that quickly dissipates to a nice white lacing. Coriander and lemon verbena dominate the aroma with hints of wheat, brine, and spice in the background. On the palate is a continual tart, not sour, characteristic that is surrounded by notes of wheat, coriander, lemon, lime, and salt. This is a beautiful marriage between all of these complementary spices. The Golden Gate Gose is another marvelous beer by Almanac who is putting themselves, in just four short years, on the list of great new breweries in the Country.
Food Pairing:
The first food pairing that comes to mind when drinking this beer is fresh seafood. The Gose lends itself well to this cuisine because of the light, crisp, tart characteristics it imparts, and heck, it is brewed with sea salt. Smoked salmon with black pepper, lemon juice, thyme, and other spices of choice will really bring out the best of both food and drink. Another great pairing for this Gose would be a grilled halibut with fresh lemon and rosemary. The Gose lends itself to pairing numerous dishes because of its balanced acidity and saltiness.