Beer of the Month : Golden Gate Gose from Almanac Beer

Almanac's Golden Gate Gose at Liquid Bread.

Beer of the Month for this May comes from Almanac Beer, known mainly for strong barrel-aged ales with unusual organic heirloom ingredients like strawberries and even fennel.  While I've enjoyed many of these Almanac creations, the latest that caught my fancy was something enjoyed while whiling away a warm spring afternoon reading a book at Campbell's Liquid Bread.

It's Golden Gate Gose, a soft, lovely example of a style rarely brewed in the United States.  The Gose style originates from the Northern Germany town of Goslar.  It's a top fermented sour beer traditionally brewed with at least 50% wheat malt, coriander, salt.

Golden Gate Gose is a little soapy, salty, and lightly sour and as you can see, has a fluffy, pillowy head.   It's the uncluttered, balanced, and restrained composition of just a few flavor notes that really makes "triple G" really work.  Perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise from Almanac, since for all their wild ingredients and barrel aging, the solid and technically well executed beer underlying all the unique flavors is what makes their beers work so well..

If you ask me, beers embracing simplicity and balance which quietly attract your attention are rare and under appreciated.  So let's raise a glass to Almanac for celebrating old, nearly forgotten style with quiet fan fare.