Les's Gose
Cloudy and very pale on the pour with a large persistent white head. Plenty of carbonation keeps a steady stream of bubbles rising from the bottom of my pilsner glass. The aroma is quite complex. There is peach and bubblegum, wheat and some clove and peppery phenlolics. Whilst the nose suggests some sweetness, there isn't much to speak of in the palate. The beer is crisp and dry up front, followed by smooth wheat and a nice fruity hop flavour. The salt takes a second or two to register - it enhances the dryness at first before identifying itself as saltiness. The salt is more evident in the aftertaste than anywhere else. The finish is as crisp as the opening, making this a very easy to drink and refreshing beer. The salt is not as dominant as I was expecting - you realise it is there but it falls away quickly leaving you wanting more. The only side effect is the feeling in the mouth like you have been feasting on salty snacks.
I'm realising now what a huge challenge this beer was. No commercial examples, a few scattered descriptions of the beer, the chance of the salt making it undrinkable and it gets sent to 27 brewers around the state. It's a complex, interesting and drinkable beer, expertly made. Thanks for being brave enough to have a crack at it Les, it was awesome.
Yeah, I think it came out OK. With no commercial examples to hand, it's hard to say how close it was to the mark, but I based it on the recipe in BYO, from Horst Dornbusch. Surely, a man with a name like that has an idea about German wheat beers. I'm happy enough with it, and it may be while b4 I brew it agaiin, but I'd surely do an extended acid rest first (despite the cloudiness), and work on other solutions for the haze.
Thanks for the kudos, but if case swappers don't enjoy it, it's a failure. I reckon that the goal, when brewing, is to make a beer (that may be freaky), but can be enjoyed in it's own right. I hope I met the goal with ths beer. Seems like you coped admirably. I guarantee that I'll make another Berliner weisse, and may even have it on tap at a HAG Summer function. It's a very approachable beer. Like the saying goes..."It's only kinky the first time".
Has the call for the 2007 Xmas case gone out yet, or are we waiting for Oktober? I'd like to make a Christmas Wheat Eisbock. I can imagine a lot of happy faces already. MHB, Steve Taylor, Keith the Moravian Swearing Bear (aka KTBG), me, Trent, and many more. Might be a huge grist, and maybe I'll need to make 2 batches to produce the volume required, but what's brewing about, except satisfying a curiosity?
Seth the beer maker (albeit Weizguy)
P.s. Forkboy, don't wait, theyre all ready to go now. Beer frenzy :chug: with (brief) feedback of course.
