Non-Beer-Drinker's Guide to Beer

Episode 1: Draught Works' Blood Orange Gose

-- The Journey --

For helping someone out, I received some beer to try. This came from Missoula, a city in Montana. Now I'm not much of a beer person, but I'm ok trying out different kinds from small labels, international varieties, or just odd flavors. Really, I'll probably try any beer to write a review on it because it's for science!

Today, I'll be sampling Blood Orange Gose, an orange ale made by Draught Works.

No idea what a Gose is though...

Ah, the Wiki says...

Gose is a top-fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. It is brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat.
Dominant flavours in gose include a lemon sourness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (the result of either local water sources or added salt). Gose beers typically do not have prominent hop bitterness, flavours, or aroma. The beers typically have a moderate alcohol content of 4 to 5% ABV.
Because of the use of coriander and salt, gose does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot - it is allowed an exemption on the grounds of being a regional specialty. It acquires its characteristic sourness through inoculation with lactobacillus bacteria after the boil.
Gose belongs to the same family of sour wheat beers which were once brewed across Northern Germany and the Low Countries. Other beers of this family are Belgian Witbier, Berliner Weisse, and Broyhan

The initial aroma is like a mild skunk. I understand a skunk smell is fairly typical in beer. Kind of like Heineken.

I had to hunt for a clear glass, but when I found it, it was perfect. Courtesy of Epcot's Food and Wine Festival from several years ago.

On first taste, "Wow! That's an orange alright!" But as I went on, its sourness started to express itself. The sourness kinda reminds me of the Budweiser Chelada I had once at a neighbor's house. It's like beer mixed with V8; gets you your vegetables I guess. I drank all 20-some ounces of it. I felt like a sickened champion. Finally did it. I did not want to have to endure that again. Then he offered me another one...

Thankfully, this sour is no where near that level. The Chelada was also salty while this Gose is not.

Uhoh, looks like this cup wasn't dishwasher friendly. The hotwater must have cracked it at the seam where the base meets the sides. Better hurry and drink it!

I noticed as well that there was virtually no bite to this beer. Really, it was a bit of a challenge to think I was actually drinking a beer. It went down so easy too. Sometimes I've been known to take an hour to drink one 12-oz beer. And I wasn't intentionally trying to make it last either.

-- The Assessment --

All in all, not bad. This beer actually turned out much better than I anticipated. I expected something with bite that didn't taste like what its namesake is, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a bit like drinking a fermented sour orange or maybe a lemon. It went down pretty easy too, much easier than a lemon...

Final scores (1 - 5):

Smell: 3. You could smell the hops and grains in this beer. It wasn't a bad smell, but wasn't alluring to me either.
Flavor: 3. First sip was "oooh! You can really taste the orange!" but after that it just became a sour beer (and that's also when I remembered the Chelada. That probably ruined it for me).
Aftertaste: 4. Some beer has a cheesy aftertaste, which may or may not be good (depending on the cheese). This one didn't have much of an aftertaste, which I take as a good thing. Maybe like orange juice's aftertaste?
Smoothness: 5. This thing went down so easy, it was no problem drinking it before it all leaked out of my cup.
Overall: Looks like about a 4 (3.75 actually). Realistically though I might try it again, but I'm not totally sure yet.

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