Gose seems to be the craft beer of the moment in Ontario these days. In the spring, Amsterdam Brewery and Great Lakes Brewery got their Maverick & Gose collaboration onto LCBO shelves, and as of July, Opa’s Gose from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. is now available across the province.
The style is based on the historical beers of Leipzig, which had a slightly saline flavour from the mineral salts that were naturally dissolved in the local water. Many of the breweries were based in Goslar and the water was drawn from the Gose river.
Opa’s Gose pours a hazy but bright yellow-orange halfway between white grapefruit and orange juice. The two-finger foamy head dissipates fairly quickly and leaves some lacing on the side of the glass.
The beer smells of citrus peel, cracked wheat and banana, along with some slightly sour notes. The flavour includes more orange, coriander and a surprising touch of sweetness on the finish.
This beer was originally made for the Beau’s Oktoberfest celebration (a great party, held annually at the brewery in Vankleek Hill, Ontario) in 2010 and was released as number five in the Wild Oats series. Earlier versions were criticized for being too salty, so in recognition of the fact that tastes vary, Beau’s has included a cloth bag, with an extra packet of salt in it, with each bottle.
Sea salt is included in the beer recipe, so it’s a good idea to take a sip before adding more. I found that with a little extra, the mouth-feel becomes rounder and the fruit flavours are sharpened so that I could taste a hint of apricot. Too much and the beer takes on an unpleasant metallic and bitter edge.
Beau’s Opa’s Gose, $7.85 for a 600 mL bottle, LCBO #343921
In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is also the author of the upcoming Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.