Beer Review *Revisited: Samuel Adams Single Barrel Series Verloren Gose, Is A Should Try
Do you recall the last time this website mentioned a Gose or Gose-style beer? Yeah, not too many times. There’s a reason for this and it starts with availability. Which is why we are taking another look at some tasting notes associated with Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Single Batch Series Gose-style beer, Verloren.
A link to the ales of Saxony that have all but vanished, Verloren (translating to “lost”) is a peculiar yet captivating brew. This gose style (pronounced “goes-uh”), with its base of an unfiltered wheat ale, is light and refreshing yet also has a softness to it. Verloren’s flavor is brought to life by an unexpected touch of salt for a mineral quality, and coriander for a peppery spice. The result is an unusual and delicate brew that’s full of flavors to discover.
Our rendition of an old German style, Verloren is brewed with 50 to 60 percent malted wheat creating a fine haze, cloudy straw color, and crisp twang. The singularity of this brew however, comes from its soft creaminess, dry finish, and spices. The addition of salt creates a slight sharpness against the soft cereal character and enhances the other flavors around it, while ground coriander creates a peppery bite to enliven the brew.
Gose is an old and peculiar German style that falls outside of the Bavarian tradition. Originating in Goslar (near the Harz Mountains), Saxony, Gose was popularized in 1738 when Duke Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau (The old Dessauer) brought it to nearby Leipzig where it quickly became the city’s official beer style.
Leipzig lies outside of Bavaria where the German Beer Purity Law of Reinheitsgebot originated. The law dictated that beer only contain the three primary ingredients, water, malt, and hops (yeast was not yet known). But Leipzig’s Gose was an exception as a regional specialty and continued to be brewed with its signature coriander and salt. Its distinctive softness and slight sourness is also the result of lactic acid that gives the beer an unexpected. Like many beer styles, Gose eventually began to disappear as light pilsners grew in popularity in the 20th Century, pushing several styles into near extinction.
Verloren’s distinctive and refreshing character comes from its unexpected combination of ingredients and brewing process.
This unfiltered brew begins with a base of 50-60% malted and unmalted wheat for a crisp cereal note that’s light and refreshing. The addition of lactic acid gives the beer a soft almost creamy taste and just a hint of acidity. The addition of salt rounds out these flavors, providing a slight mineral quality while ground coriander gives the beer a peppery spice and citric notes.
Flavor: Undertones of wheat and a soft creaminess from lactic acid combined with a touch of salt and coriander for a citrus and savory taste
Color: Deep golden with a fine haze / 9 SRM
Original Gravity: 14.09
Alcohol by Vol. /Wt: 6.0%ABV – 4.7%ABW
Calories/12oz: 188
IBUs: 15
Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Munich, malted and unmalted wheat
Hop Variety: Saaz Noble hops
Yeast Strain Samuel Adams ale yeast
Special Ingredients Coriander and salt
First Brewed 2012
For those curious what an award winning Gose is, A cursory review of the Brewer’s Association Suggested Guidelines offers some insight.
Suggested Style Guidelines by the Brewers Association
Traditional examples of Gose are spontaneously fermented, similarly to Belgian-style gueuze/lambic beers, and should exhibit complexity of acidic, flavor and aroma contributed by introduction of wild yeast and bacteria into the fermentation. A primary difference between Belgian Gueuze and German Gose is that Gose is served at a much younger age. Gose is typically pale gold to pale amber in color and typically contains malted barley, unmalted wheat with some traditional varieties containing oats. Hop character and malt flavors and aromas are negligible. Lemony or other citrus-like qualities are often present in aroma and on the palate. Some versions may have the spicy character of added coriander in aroma and on the palate at low to medium levels. Salt (table salt) character is also traditional in low amounts. Horsey, leathery, earthy aroma and flavors contributed by Brettanomyces yeasts may be evident but have a very low profile, as this beer is not excessively aged. Modern German Gose breweries typically introduce only pure beer yeast strains for fermentation. Low to medium lactic acid character is evident in all examples as sharp, refreshing sourness. Gose is typically enjoyed fresh, carbonated, and cloudy/hazy with yeast character, and may have evidence of continued fermentation activity. Overall complexity of flavors and aromas are sought while maintaining an ideal balance between acidity, yeast-enhanced spice and refreshment is ideal.
Our Thoughts.
You Should Try It. From time to time there comes along a beer style few breweries wish to replicate. With notes of citrus and floral, we can’t stop thinking what pork or smoked poultry would taste with this. Don’t take our word for it. Try something on your own.
Tasting Notes
Regarding appearance the beer is opaque and with a strong autumn-orange hue. Resting in the glass, there is an initially strong two inches of head before it receded slowly, leaving a trail of lace inside the glass. Smelling, there are earthy floral notes, as well as lemon citrus - reminiscent of lemon heads. Sipping there are evident flavors of lemon citrus, honey malt, and some minor smokiness. Overall Verloren Gose has a medium weight to it and there is some minor stickiness.
Thoughts by your Colleagues
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/80458
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/samuel-adams-verloren/165031/