Gose
Gose is a tart, lightly salty German wheat beer brewed with coriander. It is pale, hazy and refreshing, with a gentle sourness and a faint saltiness that makes it taste like a beer for the seaside.
Food pairings
- Oysters and shellfish
- Ceviche
- Salty snacks
Glassware and serving temperature
Tall cylindrical glass (Stange)39 to 45°F (4–7°C)
What it tastes like
Lemon and a clean lactic tartness, a light bready wheat base, a soft herbal note from coriander and a faint saltiness on the finish. There is almost no hop bitterness. The salt should be felt rather than tasted: it rounds out the sourness and makes the beer more refreshing.
Where it comes from
Gose takes its name from the Gose river, which runs through Goslar in Lower Saxony, where the beer was brewed in the Middle Ages. In the 1700s it moved to Leipzig and became the city's beer, served in dozens of Gose taverns. Commercial brewing stopped in 1966, and the style was revived in Leipzig in the 1980s. American craft brewers made it popular again in the 2010s, often adding fruit.
How to serve it
4–7°C in a tall cylindrical glass. In Leipzig it is sometimes served with a dash of cherry or caraway liqueur, but it needs nothing added.
What to eat with it
Oysters, shellfish, ceviche, fish tacos with lime and salty snacks. The salt and tartness cut through fried and fatty food.
