We are joined again by the largest, and possibly most popular, non-alcoholic brewery in the country: Athletic Brewing. They have given us my favorite IPA, an over-excited Lite beer, and so many more gems along the way in the form of small batch and limited release beers. This week is a staple of theirs and if you like ‘em light and sour, you may be excited!
This week we are drinking Downwinder Gose by Athletic Brewing. Gose, by trade is usually a sour beer, heavy on malted wheat and ripe with herbs or fruit, and a good amount of salt. I am so used to a Gose having a specific fruit or berry flavor profile, this standard Gose took me by surprise, but then again, Athletic Brewing is always surprising me.
The beer cracks with an aroma of sour, which is something I was unaware you could smell until now. I don’t know if Athletic Brewing put the salt as a forward scent, or if there is some fermented lemon that’s sneaking up my nostrils, but you can literally smell the sour, which make my mouth water and my nipples tingly.
How Does It Pour?
When it pours, much to my surprise, Athletic Brewing kept this Gose clean and filtered. I am always expecting some sort of tint from a fruity addition, but not from Downwinder Gose, friends. This one looks like a crisp lager in the glass, with a bright white head and a pale-yellow color with just enough cloudiness to tell you it is NOT a lager, and an even stronger scent to tell you to pucker up.
How Does It Taste?
When this Gose from Athletic Brewing hits your tongue, it’s a unique taste that you may not have had in quite a while, if at all. In almost all cases, as mentioned a million times already, a Gose has a flavor profile pronounced by whatever fruit is the prominent one in this brew. This, however, is a standard Gose. Brewed as a salty sour beer and nothing else. The flavor is clean, the sour is prominent, and that’s it. That’s where it ends. There is a light mouth-feel and a good balance that sits as a foundation for the sour overtones, that are anything but subtle.
Untappd gives Downwinder Gose by Athletic Brewing a 3.7 out of 5. In the world of Gose beer, alcoholic or not, I would say this one is ranked right where it should be. They did a great job putting this beer together and I am thoroughly impressed by this traditional choice in a limited market. Go try some out for yourself!
#ADDTOCART ATHLETIC BREWING
#ADDTOCART ATHLETIC BREWING MERCH
NA BEERS AND 90s: Justin Lamb is dedicated to tasting great (and sometimes not so great) NA beers and showcasing his amazing collection of memorabilia from the ’90s.
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