Getting to Third Space: Cranberry Gose

 

On a recent trip to the liquor store, I made what I think is my first purchase of a brew by Third Space Brewing in Milwaukee. It looks like they've been around for about four and a half years and, according to the BeerBaron, Third Space is one of Wisconsin's best breweries. They sure have a lot of IPA's which just about disqualifies them from being a "best" brewery, for me, but I did find their winter sour, Cranberry Gose, intriguing. Perhaps it would prove be a pleasant alternative to the heavier beers normally consumed during this time of year.

Gose is a German ale that uses a lot of wheat and is "traditionally" flavored with coriander in addition to a mild dose of hops. If your water source isn't salty, then salt is usually added. The style dates back to the 16^th century and the city of Goslar in north central Germany although it really took off in Leipzig, some 200 miles to the southeast. Tradition being more mercurial than we give it credit for, you can either use salt and coriander or not as you please and still claim your brew is "traditional". From what I've read, neither was added far back in the beer's history and are instead more recent additions, though I'm not sure when exactly. As the beer's name hints at, Third Space replaced the coriander with cranberry, though the salt remains.

For my tasting, I used Jeff Alworth's Beer Tasting Tool Kit which was a gift from last Christmas that I have finally gotten around to opening.

Cranberry Gose – quelle surprise! – is red. It's a lighter shade and a bit dull. I thought it had a slight orange tint to it and a hint of haziness. The pour made a small white head that disappeared quickly. It smelled astringent with a prominent citrus scent from all the lactic acid used to make it sour.

As expected, it had thin body which was made up for in tartness and sourness. Again, my sources on the Internet tell me that the Gose, say 50-100 years ago, was really, really sour. Like xenomorph blood sour. Third Space didn't quite go that far but it is rather acerbic with a nice lemony taste. The cranberries add a piquant tartness and berry-like flavor.

When I cook, I don't measure salt - I do it by eye. And I have this vision of a brewer at Third Space clutching a big 40# sack of salt and casually pouring the crystals into a kettle and saying at some point, "That should do it." They then reconsider the situation with their eyes darting back and forth between the kettle and the sack. After due consideration, they add just one more pinch. Regardless of how it was done, they got the salt level just perfect, for my taste. You can tell it's there enhancing the flavors but it falls just short of tasting particularly saline.

This is a well-carbonated beer. All those bubbles look pretty running up through a sea of red in your glass. Plus, they make your tongue tingle as you quaff which makes for a rather dry finish.

No Schaumhaftvermoegen was to be found on my glass.

While I liked this beer, I felt that there was a bit too much carbonation. You've got your lactic sourness, the tartness of the cranberries, and then you top it off with a generous portion of CO2 – an acidic overload. I enjoyed Cranberry Gose but one serving was enough. I do give Third Space credit for using cranberries, though. Wisconsin grows more cranberries than any other state in the Union so their use in this beer makes for a nice regional touch.

For anyone looking for a non-fruited Gose, the only place around Madison that I know of is Delta Beer Lab. I've not had it but intend to do so. Next Door Brewing has brewed a Gose in the past but I am unsure if they've done so lately.

Junk food pairing: Pair Cranberry Gose with a bag of white cheddar pork rinds. Let the smooth, creamy cheese dust mellow your tongue after those blasts of sour.