What Separates A Sour From A Gose Beer?

The beer world is a labyrinthine mélange of terms, tastes, locations, brewing processes, and opinions. As if that weren't enough, this ubiquitous drink is split up into various categories, such as lagers, pilsners, Kölsch, bitters, pale ales, wheat beers, and more. One of the oldest types of beer is the sour, which can be traced back to 4,000 B.C. and is one of the most difficult to make well. Within the sour beer category, you'll find further subcategories like lambics, including Cantillon — one of the hardest beers to find in the U.S. –  gueuze (pronounced "gooz"), and Gose (pronounced "goze-uh") beers. But while Gose is technically a sour beer, a certain unique quality separates it from the rest.

Like lambic, the oldest style of beer in the world , and gueuze, Gose beers use spontaneous fermentation, where the wort (pre-fermented liquid) sits in open tanks where wild yeast can take hold and begin the fermentation process. This also includes a natural lacto-fermentation — from Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria — which adds sour notes. A traditional Gose beer must also be more than 50% malted wheat, typically stays a relatively light color, and is more carbonated than many other sours.

Gose beers go one step further to separate themselves from all other sour beers. Salt and coriander are added to the mash, introducing a thirst-quenching, spicy twist to this sour beer. In addition, lambics and gueuze beers are traditionally brewed in Belgium, whereas Gose is traditionally a German beer.

Gose beer was born over 1,000 years ago in the town of Goslar near the Gose River (from which the beer takes its name) in the northern state of Lower Saxony, Germany. The river, which is only about five miles long, has a natural brininess that comes from the minerals it collects as it flows through the Harz Mountains. It was this water that first gave Gose its unique salty flavor.

Gose beer became part of Leipzig drinking culture after it migrated to the Saxon town in 1738. Over the centuries, the beer has undergone fluctuations in popularity, with a cessation of many brewing operations in 1966 under East German rule. However, since the 1980s Gose beer has seen a resurgence in popularity.

Today's oldest Gose beer comes from Ritterguts brewery in Chemnitz, East Germany, which still uses the original recipe and brewing process established in 1824. The result has twice been named the "world's best Gose" at the World Beer Awards. A noted American Gose hails from South Carolina and Westbrook Brewery with Craft Beer & Brewing giving it 99 out of 100 for its light sweetness and sour, funky edge. Even though it originated from Germany a long, long time ago, ordering Westbrook's Gose would mean you'd still be buying a domestic beer.