If you’ve paid attention to the American craft beer scene over the past decade, you’ve surely witnessed the explosion of sour beers. While various styles have popped up or grown in popularity in recent years, one of the most prevalent and most hyped is Gose. But while this slightly tart (thanks to the addition of lactobacillus bacteria) and subtly salty beer has gained mainstream craft success in these last few years, it’s been around a lot longer. In fact, its roots can be traced back to 13th century Germany.
Originating in the city of Goslar, Germany, the Gose-style is known for its wheat base, citrus sharpness, subtly bitter hops, low alcohol, and slight salinity. It’s been brewed the same way for centuries in Germany using coriander and sea salt as a flavoring agent. In recent years, American craft brewers have carried on these old-world traditions while adding their own flavors like blood oranges, blueberries, Key limes, and even passion fruit.
The rise in Gose beers overall — meaning featuring the fruity flavors American brewers like to dabble in — means that you have a lot of choices when you start looking for American-made Gose-style brews. To help you navigate your plethora of choices, we’re going to make sure you pick the right six-pack this summer. Below you’ll find eight of our favorite fruity, citrusy, salty, Goses to drink all summer long.
Want to give them a try? Just click on the prices!
Victory Kirsch Gose
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $9.99 (four-pack)
The Beer:
This is truly a unique beer, but one you’ll return to again and again. Featuring fresh cherry juice, coriander, and sea salt, this American take on the German classic is a nice mix of juicy, ripe, tart fruit, spice, and pleasing salt. If you prefer your Gose to be a little different from the norm, this beer is for you.
Tasting Notes:
Right away, you’ll be struck by the aromas of sweet wheat, citrus zest, and tart cherries. The palate is slightly tart, but there’s a good mix of sweetness to temper it. It’s dry, refreshing, and filled with cherries, subtle spices, and a nice salinity at the very end.
Bottom Line:
Some beer drinkers might be turned off at the notion of a fruited, cherry-flavored beer. This is the beer that will change your mind. Victory strikes a perfect chord between sour and sweet.
Creature Comforts Tritonia
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $14 (six-pack)
The Beer:
The Athens, Georgia-based brewery does nothing but crank out winners. Its Tritonia is no different. This fruited Gose features lime, sea salt, coriander, and its house lactobacillus blend. But it’s the addition of cucumber that makes this one of the best, thirst-quenching summer sippers you’ll ever find.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer. After an initial nosing, you’ll be met with what smells like actual fresh, ripe cucumbers. This is paired with bright lime and spicy wheat. The flavor is tart, crisp, and loaded with notes of cucumber, citrus zest, coriander, and a nice, pleasing salty finish.
Bottom Line:
Even on this list, you’ll have a tough time finding a better summer refresher than Creature Comforts Tritonia. That is if you enjoy the flavor of cucumbers. Otherwise, stick to citrus-centric Goses.
Modern Times Fruitlands Tropical Gose
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $14 (four-pack)
The Beer:
Sometimes Gose beers can be a little salty and tart. But this tropical take on the style is fruity, subtly tart, and totally refreshing. On top of the usual Gose ingredients, Modern Times adds guava and passion fruit to complete the tropical, sweet flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in the scents of funky yeast, sweet wheat, and tropical fruit. The flavor is like biting into a tropical fruit salad with notes of guava, mango, and passion fruit. This is paired with subtle spices and a nice salinity that adds an extra element to all of the included flavors. Low acidity and sweet, tart flavor notes make this a truly memorable summer sipper.
Bottom Line:
This is a great gateway Gose for fans of fruited beers. It has a great combination of tropical sweetness and spicy salt. It’s refreshing, tart, salty, and magical.
Cigar City Margarita Gose
ABV: 4.2%
Average Price: $10.99 (six-pack)
The Beer:
We love beer and we love margaritas. It only makes sense that we’d enjoy the salty, lime cocktail in beer form. Cigar City made our dreams come true by making a Gose in the traditional German style and ramped it up by adding orange peel, lime essence, and sea salt. The result is a tart, citrus-filled beer perfectly suited for warm weather drinking.
Tasting Notes:
Before taking your first sip, take a moment to breathe in the aromas of citrus zest, orange peels, ripe tangerines, and a subtle salty backbone. The flavor is all margarita (minus the agave flavor). It’s like taking a sip of the classic cocktail with notes of lime and orange and featuring a salty finish similar to a salted cocktail rim.
Bottom Line:
Instead of spending your whole summer mixing up triple sec, lime juice, and tequila (and spending extra minutes salting the rim), grab a bottle of this margarita/beer hybrid and relax.
Avery El Gose
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $9.99 (six-pack)
The Beer:
There’s a Mexican tradition of adding salt to beer. It makes for a refreshing, salty sipper perfect for the beach. Avery’s version is like Mexico meets Germany with this tart Gose made with lactobacillus, lime, and sea salt. The result is a hazy, wheat-filled, salty, tart brew well-suited for your day at the beach.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a little lighter than many popular Gose-style beers and that’s not such a bad thing. There are scents of citrus zest, subtle spice, sweet wheat, and tart yeasty notes. The palate is swirling with funky yeast, sweet, caramel malts, bright lime, and black pepper. This fascinating brew has a subtly bitter, salty finish that brings it all together in a symphony of flavor.
Bottom Line:
This is a great beer for IPA fans looking to get into the world of sour beers. It has more hop bitterness than some of the other beers on this list and should definitely appeal to West Coast IPA lovers, in particular.
Westbrook Gose
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $12.99 (six-pack)
The Beer:
This is the beer that started the American Gose craze. Brewed with CTZ hops, American ale yeast, Acidulated, and Pale malts, and wheat, it’s rounded out by the addition of sea salt and coriander. This beer doesn’t have fruit added like some of the other Goses and it doesn’t need it. It’s crisp, salty, and effortlessly refreshing.
Tasting Notes:
Even without the addition of any citrus fruits, the aroma is all lime, lemon, and grapefruit. This is paired with a nice salinity and tart, funky yeast. The palate starts with the expected lactic tart flavor that evolves into hints of citrus zest and sweet wheat. It all ends in a crescendo of salt and citrus.
Bottom Line:
This crisp, light, tart, highly crushable citrus-filled beer just might be the perfect summer beer. It pairs well with yard games, grilled meats (or veggies), and sunny days.
Grimm Super Going Gose
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $12 (22-ounce bottle)
The Beer:
This beer is a little different from the others on this list. On top of having the base of a classic, German-style Gose, it’s dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria and Huell Melon hops. This results in a citrusy and salty beer that’s balanced out with bright floral hops.
Tasting Notes:
The aroma is all citrus with hints of orange peel, lemon zest, and the addition of highly floral hops. On the palate, you’ll find a nice dry, subtly tart flavor swirling with notes of ripe tangerines, tart lemons, and just a hint of sea salt. The finish is fairly light and ends with a nice combination of sweet, tart citrus and salt.
Bottom Line:
Hop heads will enjoy the dry-hopped aroma and flavor. But this citrus and salt combo should still appeal to fans of Goses. All in all, this is a great June brew.
Two Roads Clementine Gose
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $13 (four-pack, 16-oz. cans)
The Beer:
There are few snacks easier to grab and enjoy on the go than Clementines. These tiny citrus fruits are juicy, delicious, and convenient. They’re also the base for this Gose from Two Roads. Specifically, the Moroccan Clementines the brewery sources from a local juicer. The addition of salt rounds out the flavors well.
Tasting Notes:
The nose showcases the tart aromas Gose drinkers expect. There are also notes of juicy clementines, sweet wheat, and sea salt. The flavor is full of hints of lime zest, orange peels, sweet malts, and a gentle salinity that highlights all of the various flavors.
Bottom Line:
This is the beer equivalent of biting into a ripe clementine that’s been dusted with sea salt. It’s juicy, sweet, tart, salty, and delicious. It’s also well-suited for hot weather drinking.
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