Name: Key Lime Pie Gose
Brewing Company: Westbrook Brewing Company
Location: Mt Pleasant, SC
Style: Gose
ABV: 4%
From the beer’s description on Westbrook Brewing Company’s Web site:
Our classic Gose infused with the delicious flavors of key lime pie.
Westbrook makes very well regarded beers and if you like the sour Gose style, then you are probably aware of their Key Lime Pie Gose. They make an outstanding Gose, but adding the Key Lime Pie notes brings the beer to an even higher level.
Gose is an older style of beer that has been growing in popularity over the last few years since it was “rediscovered.” The most striking characteristic of a Gose (pronounced GO-ZUH) is the tartness/sourness, and many breweries will add a fruit to either enhance or balance the zing. The grain used in Gose is wheat, but the other ingredients that help give it the character are coriander and salt. Into that mixture, Westbrook added Key Lime to enhance the tartness, but to also sweeten the base.
The beer pours a yellow that is slightly hazy/cloudy, but also bright yellow from the 12oz can. The aroma does give off hints of Lime, not a go-to flavor for me, but a fruit flavor I do enjoy. The lime hits initially, but the salinity is a pleasant undercurrent, too. The first can I had I was sitting in my yard on a warm late afternoon/evening while my dog lounged under a tree and barked at people walking across the street. Seems a great way to enjoy this one as the fruit flavors are really nice on a warm day. The second one I had was also a warm evening and I enjoyed it is much as I enjoyed the first can.
This beer has great character and I understand why it such a sought after variation on Westbrook’s popular Gose. I visited the liquor store where I initially purchased the beer about two weeks later and no 4-packs of the beer remain. From my understanding, this beer doesn’t stay on shelves very long.
It isn’t as sour or tart as many sour beers, so it would be worth trying almost as an “entry-level” beer if you want to get an idea of what a really well crafted Gose can taste like. Westbrook’s standard Gose is also excellent, so check that out, too.
I haven’t had very many Gose beers (only about a dozen or so unique Gose beers compared to the 200+ unique stouts) because stouts are more popular and there are more variations on the stout style. That having been said, I am growing to like the style a great deal, and this is one of the best I’ve had.
Westbrook distributes this sour, tasty beer on draught in 4-packs of 12oz cans.
Recommended, link to Untappd 4.25-star rating.
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