Every Sweet Has Its Sour: Here GOSE Nothin' by Destihl Brewery

The last time I drank a sour beer from Destihl, I felt like I was putting my mouth's life at risk. Counter Clockweisse had enough tartness to fell a horse. Since then I've been consuming comparatively tame beers and my tongue has been rather happy. But now the belle epoque is over and it's once more unto the breach, dear papillae.

Here GOSE Nothin' is another entry in the Wild Sour series from the downstate Illinois brewery. It's billed as a "Leipzig-style gose" with no frills, i.e. – no fruit, no exotic spices shat out by monkeys to be collected and processed by virgins, etc. This is a straight-up sour wheat beer with salt and coriander.

The beer pours a pretty golden hue. It was also, oddly enough, clear. Perhaps it was filtered. Or, more likely, I am simply ignorant on the matter of proteins in wheat beers. My glass was graced with a massive, firm white head and I was under the impression that a beer's head was related to proteins. Oh dear. I fear that I am out of my league on this matter. This beer was bubbly. I mean this stuff was effervescent in a champagne kind of way. In addition to the generous head, there were rather a lot of bubbles in the beer floating upwards and onwards.

Considering Destihl's reputation (in my mind) for deadly sour brews, I was surprised (and pleasantly so) that the first thing my nose caught was a green apple scent as opposed to a citrus one indicative of lactic bacteria. That came next in the form of a very lemony scent. All of these fruity smells made for a great nose that was fresh and piquant.

The taste was the reverse of the aroma. That lemon/citrus lacto tartness was immediate and prominent. Its astringency dominated the flavor although some green apple was in the background. As its appearance alluded to, Here Gose Nothin' is a very we'll-carbonated brew with all of those bubbles giving a nice bite. The style's signature ingredients, the coriander and salt, were both present but relegated to supporting roles. I could taste the coriander but it was a bit of spiciness tucked away in the back somewhere. Likewise, there was enough salt to hint at salinity but I had a hard time tasting its effect otherwise. As the beer warmed it took on a slightly funky sourness. Instead of being solely a lemon/citrus thing, a bit of that wet blanket seeped in.

As you'd expect from a gose, Here GOSE Nothin' has a light body. The lemon tartness lingered into the finish with the bite from the carbonation and the salinity moving up. Sadly, there was no Schaumhaftvermoegen left on my glass.

Here GOSE Nothin' is a very tart beer. Not lethally so but it certainly takes its sourness to heart. I really liked the bright, fresh citrus flavor provided by the lactic bacteria along with the slightly more muted green apple notes. Letting it warm slightly produces another layer of funky complexity with a moderate dose of barnyard. If hefty doses of brettanomyces aren't your thing but you're not above smaller ones, give this beer a go(se). I found the salt to be just about the right amount but wished there was more coriander. I like coriander and think it provides a nice counterpoint to all of the tartness.

Despite the spicy shortcoming, Here GOSE Nothin' is a bracing and refreshing detour from the heavier beers I've been drinking lately in anticipation of winter's arrival.

Junk food pairing: Pair your Here GOSE Nothin' with some chevda. I like the additional coriander it brings as well as the other wonderfully pungent spices.