Burnsed Issue: May/Jun 2011
Gose is a top-fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. It is brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat.
Dominant flavours in Gose include a lemon tartness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (the result of either local water sources or added salt). Gose beers typically do not have prominent hop bitterness, flavours, or aroma. The beers typically have a moderate alcohol content of 4 to 5% ABV.
Because of the use of coriander and salt, Gose does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot. It is allowed an exemption on the grounds of being a regional specialty. It acquires its characteristic sourness through inoculation with lactic acid bacteria after the boil.
Gose belongs to the same family of sour wheat beers which were once brewed across Northern Germany and the Low Countries. Other beers of this family are Belgian Witbier, Berliner Weisse, Broyhan, Grätzer.
Dominant flavours in Gose include a lemon tartness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (the result of either local water sources or added salt). Gose beers typically do not have prominent hop bitterness, flavours, or aroma. The beers typically have a moderate alcohol content of 4 to 5% ABV.
Because of the use of coriander and salt, Gose does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot. It is allowed an exemption on the grounds of being a regional specialty. It acquires its characteristic sourness through inoculation with lactic acid bacteria after the boil.
Gose belongs to the same family of sour wheat beers which were once brewed across Northern Germany and the Low Countries. Other beers of this family are Belgian Witbier, Berliner Weisse, Broyhan, Grätzer.
Gose was delivered, still fermenting quite vigorously, in barrels to the Schänke. It was stored in the cellar with the tap bung closed but the shive hole left open, so that the still-active yeast could escape. Only when the fermentation had slowed to a point where no yeast was emerging from the shive hole, was the Gose ready to bottle. The barrel was emptied into a tank, from whence it was filled into the characteristic long-necked bottles. These were not closed with a cap or cork, but with a plug of yeast (Flor) which naturally rose up the neck as the secondary fermentation continued.
| 16th Century | Gose was first brewed in the early 16th century in the town of Goslar, from which its name derives. It became so popular in Leipzig that local breweries started to make it themselves. |
| 1800s | Gose was considered to be the local style of Leipzig and there were countless Gosenschänke in the city. |
| 1939 | Rittergutsbrauerei Döllnitz was the last brewery producing Gose |
| 1945 | Gose disappeared with the closing of the brwery |
| 1949 | Gose reappears when the tiny Friedrich Wurzler Brauerei opened at Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße 94 in Leipzig. Friedrich Wurzler had worked at the Döllnitzer Rittergutsbrauerei and was the only person who knew the secret of brewing Gose. |
| 1950s | Wurzler handed on the secret recipe to his stepson, Guido Pfnister |
| 1966 | Pfnister died and the brewery closed and Gose disappeared again |
| 1985 | Lothar Goldhahn, who was restoring a former Gosenschenke, Ohne Bedenken, decided that it was only fitting that the revived pub should sell Gose. After quizzing drinkers to ascertain its precise characteristics, Goldhahn began to search for a brewery to produce his Gose. None of the local breweries were keen on making such an odd beer, so eventually he chose the Schultheiss Berliner-Weisse-Brauerei on Schönhauser Allee in East Berlin. The first test brews were made in 1985 and production started in 1986.[1] |
| 1988 | Gose disappeared again |
| ?? | |
| Today |
There She Gose Again
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 12 SRM = 4 ABV = 4.7%
| Steep 149°F for 60 minutes - 4 Gallons of water | ||
| 5.0 lbs | wheat malt | |
| 3.25 lbs | German Pilsner malt (2 °L) | |
| 0.5 lbs | Rice Hulls | |
| Steep 144-149°F for 45 minutes | ||
| 2.0 lbs | acidulated malt (2 °L)**/*** | |
| Mash Out at 168°F | ||
| . | ||
| 60 min | ||
| 0.50 oz | 2.8 AAU Santiam hops | |
| 15 min | ||
| 1 tbs | Irish Moss | |
| 10 min | ||
| 1.0 oz | ground coriander seed | |
| 0.75 oz | sea salt | |
| Fermentation | ||
| 1.0 pkg | White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch Yeast) or Wyeast 1007 (German Ale) yeast | |
** On the most recent version we increased the acidulted malt to 2.5 lbs. We were not sure if we actually got any additional sour notes with the increase.
*** There appears to be a limit of how much sour you can add using this method.
