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Gose was the style that made my non-brewing friends look at me like I was pranking them when I described it: a German wheat beer with coriander and salt. The salt is real, and it works. A well-made Gose has a tart, refreshing sourness from lactic acid, a subtle saltiness that amplifies the other flavors without tasting like seawater, and a delicate coriander spice note that ties it together. It’s one of the most drinkable things I make in summer. The style nearly died out in the 20th century and was revived by the craft beer movement, which means there’s less rigid tradition to follow and more room for interpretation.
Style profile and historical context
Gose (BJCP 23G) originated in Goslar, Germany, and was associated with Leipzig. It’s a top-fermented wheat beer with lactic sourness, coriander, and salt. Target parameters: 1.036–1.056 OG, IBU virtually zero (hops are minimal to invisible), 3–4.5% ABV, and a pH of 3.2–3.6 (producing noticeable but not aggressive tartness). The salt addition (sodium chloride or a blend with coriander) is 0.5–1.5 oz per 5 gallons, enough to be perceptible but not dominant. The coriander addition is 0.5–1.0 oz freshly cracked per 5 gallons, added at flameout. Both salt and coriander are added in small amounts; restraint produces a more balanced result than heavy additions.
Grain bill and souring method
Grain bill: malted wheat (50–60%), German Pilsner malt (40–50%). The high wheat content contributes haze, protein, and the grainy wheat character that’s part of the style. No crystal malts, no roasted grains. The sourness in Gose comes from lactic acid, either through kettle souring (the most practical homebrewing method), adding lactic acid directly to finished beer, or a traditional overnight mash souring. Kettle souring: after mashing, cool the wort to 110°F (43°C), add a small amount of Lactobacillus culture (GoodBelly Probiotic Juice Shots work well, or commercial Lacto cultures), purge with CO2, and hold at 100–110°F for 24–48 hours until pH reaches 3.3–3.5. Then boil the soured wort to sanitize before adding yeast. This method is reliable and produces clean lactic sourness without off-flavors from competing organisms.
Yeast, fermentation, and salt/spice additions
After kettle souring and boiling, ferment with a clean German wheat beer yeast (Wyeast 3638, WLP300, or WB-06) at 62–65°F, lower than typical Hefeweizen temperatures to minimize the banana ester character that would conflict with the sour and salt. The Gose yeast character should be subtle: a light wheaty freshness, not dominant banana or clove. Add salt at flameout or at kegging: non-iodized kosher salt or sea salt at 0.5 oz per 5 gallons as a starting point (taste before adding more, salt is easy to over-add and impossible to remove). Freshly cracked coriander at 0.5–0.75 oz at flameout provides the classic herbal-citrus spice note. Carbonate at 2.5–3.0 volumes CO2 for a lively, refreshing mouthfeel.
Common Questions
How much salt is too much in Gose?
The salt in Gose should enhance flavor, not taste salty. A useful benchmark: if you immediately think “salty” when drinking it, you’ve gone too far. The target is a threshold effect, the salt amplifies the tartness and hop character (even at near-zero IBU) and makes the beer taste fuller and more refreshing, similar to how salt on food enhances other flavors rather than adding a salt flavor. In practice, 0.5 oz of non-iodized salt per 5 gallons (approximately 150–200 ppm sodium) produces the enhancing effect without obvious saltiness; 1.0 oz per 5 gallons (300–400 ppm sodium) produces noticeable saltiness that some brewers prefer and others find excessive. Start low (0.5 oz) and taste the beer before packaging, you can add more salt to the keg or to the bottling bucket, but you can’t remove it. Avoid iodized table salt, which contributes a chemical off-flavor; use kosher salt or pure sea salt.
