Beer drinkers tend to gravitate towards lighter beers during the hot, humid months. Lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, and pale ales just hit different in the summer heat. They’re refreshing, crushable, and thirst-quenching. Sometimes we even want to crank up the refreshment up even further — that’s when we crack open a Gose-style beer.
While we won’t get into a long, meandering story on the history of Gose-style beers, we’ll give you a simple refresher. Originating in Goslar, Germany (hence the name), the gose is a (usually) wheat-centric sour beer that’s known for its citrus (or other fruit) flavors and the addition of coriander and sea salt. The result is a tart, sweet, slightly salty, highly refreshing summer sipper.
Though you might already have your favorite gose, summer ’22 seems like a good time to broaden your horizons a bit. We asked a few notable craft beer experts, brewers, and beer professionals to tell us the best salty, sweet, crushable Gose-style beers to drink this summer. They didn’t disappoint with their picks — keep scrolling to see all the new beers you need to add to your shopping list.
Grimm Super Spruce
Kevin Beachem, head brewer at Taproot Brewing Company in Newport, Rhode Island
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $10.99 for a 22-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
One gose that’s a go-to for me on a hot summer day is Grimm Artisanal Ale’s Super Spruce. This beer has an awesome flavor of fresh pine needles and pine sap and this thirst-quenching nature due to the sea salt and subtle dry hop that make you want to drink more! I remember first drinking it at this rad craft beer bar in NYC called beer culture and being blown away at how complex of a beer it was for being such a low abv and so simple.
I often find the simplest beers can be so mind-blowing as there is so much room for failure and off-flavors that it really lets the nuances of that beer shine.
Avery El Gose
Eric Martens, founder and owner at Border Brewing Company in Kansas City
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $12.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
While I don’t go for a Gose often, I did recently have Avery’s El Gose and found it very enjoyable. It is made with lime and salt, so there’s a nice combination of flavors there along with a good balance of sour, acidic, sweet, and salty. It’s a very well-balanced summer crusher.
Westbrook Gose
Mike Kelly, senior brewer at Harpoon Brewery in Boston
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $12.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Westbrook Gose can’t be beaten. It’s a light-bodied and crushable Gose with a hint of spice. An approachable amount of salinity and acidity without being overpowering. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular gose-style beers you can buy.
Lost Nation Gose
Dan Lipke, head brewer at Clown Shoes Beer in Boston
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Lost Nation Gose was the first one I tried, and I think it’s still a great example of the style and an excellent beer. Light, effervescent, and tart with a kick of saline. It’s a great summer day chiller that you’ll go back to again and again.
Anderson Valley The Kimmie The Yink And The Holy Gose
Kyle Jackson, production at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis
ABV: 4.2%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Anderson Valley The Kimmie The Yink And The Holy Gose is my pick. It’s got the perfect amount of tartness. The low ABV and dry finish make this a perfect day drinker for the summer months. While Anderson Valley makes a few Gose-style beers, this one is the best, most thirst-quenching one.
Cigar City Paloma Gose
Kyle Park, director of marketing at Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. in Croydon, Pennsylvania
ABV: 4.2%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
It’s hard to say, but one that comes to mind is Cigar City’s Paloma Gose. I love a good Paloma and I love a good Gose. So having the two together naturally appeals to me. The tart grapefruit flavor is a great match for the sour base and that hit of salt makes every sip pop.
Two Evil Geyser Gose
Chris Elliott, chief brewing officer at Wild Leap Brew Co. in LaGrange, Georgia
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $5 for a 16-ounce can
Why This Beer?
My absolute favorite Gose is Two Evil Geyser Gose, a collaboration brew between Evil Twin and Two Roads. It is brewed with Icelandic Moss, smoked sea salt, rye, herbs, and sea kelp. The unusual ingredient list made me buy it, and I was incredibly surprised by how easy to drink and thirst-quenching it was. It was unique but so well balanced.
That was a daily drinker for me for months.
Ritterguts Original Gose
Douglas Hasker, head brewer at Puesto Cerveceria in San Diego
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $7 for a 16.9-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
Original Gose from Ritterguts. The longest-running commercially produced Gose, Ritterguts is the original standard. Unlike many bracingly sour contemporary craft Goses, Ritterguts is only modestly tart with a refreshing hint of salinity. For this classic brand, the emphasis is on drinkability more than anything else.
It’s imported, so pick it up as fresh as you can at your best local bottle shops.
Cigar City Margarita Gose
Marshall Hendrickson co-founder and head of operations at Veza Sur Brewing Co. in Miami
ABV: 4.2%
Average Price: $10.50 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Cigar City Margarita Gose is my go-to. Cigar City’s Margarita Gose is a perfect beer for a hot day. That’s because it’s refreshingly tart, and finishes with a little salty brininess, which is true to style. As the name suggests, it’s a beer that drinks like a Margarita. What’s not to love?
Big Dog’s Salty Dog
Chris Wittemann, area sales at Sprecher Brewing Company in Glendale, Wisconsin
ABV: 6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Salty Dog by Big Dog’s Brewhouse in Nevada is my favorite Gose. The fruity and citrusy provide a nice, clean, easy-drinking Gose without an overwhelming amount of tart flavors. This is also aged in tequila barrels which is a very welcome addition to the original flavors.
