Bayerischer Bahnhof Original Leipziger Gose

Brewed by Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Style: Traditional Ale
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany

Poured from a small bottle a clouded bubbly and slightly dirty straw body with a thick off-white head. Nose of wheat, lemon, yeast, and mild soapy spice. Hints of herbs and coriander. Slightly sour and overall delectable.

Draft at the brewery in Leipzig.

What a delight to come to Leipzig and sample their gose first-hand. At my insistence we made our way to Bayerischer Bahnhof to drink it from the source. Tall cloudy vaselike glasses of gose appeared, two straight and one with caraway syrup. The aroma is musty, funky, sour, almost familiar, somewhere between saison and gueze; one might slander the nose as a mixture of lemonade and vomit, but it is not nearly so unpleasant as that description might suggest.

The real delight comes in the flavor. Less sour than expected though with notable lactic acid, what really comes through is the wild barnyard nature of this beer, like a lovely sour saison, lightly spiced, at once quenching and further provoking one’s thirst (must be the salt). I could drink gallons of this stuff, I thought to myself as I proceeded; not a beer to drink slowly and savor so much as a beer to drink deep and enjoy.

Ultimately it may not carry quite the sour intensity or spiced complexity of Leipzig’s other gose, Dollnitzer Ritterguts, but it’s actually more drinkable than that one (at least in large volume) and is a delight to drink here at the place it is brewed. Another very good experience.

[Odense-tasting at Scheffel. Bottle from thewolf.] Gose ought to have their own category. Like blanche de Namur, sour wheat, grapes, coriander, wild yeast, dryness, salt, acidity and one of a style that I’ll go for when possible.

Bottle: The aroma is peppery and dusty with light lemon. It pours a cloudy dull orangish-yellow with a moderate white bubbled head that fades rather quickly to a small film. There’s quite a bit of sediment floating around the glass. The flavor faintly citrusy and yeasty and quickly turns to wheaty lemon tartness with a hint of salt in the finish. Light-medium bodied with lively, almost spritzy carbonation. Very refreshing and drinkable. By no means a world beater, but very underrated at 3.3.

Before reading the description I was thinking Belgian wit style. Pours hazy orange with a fizzy white head. Definatly big coriander component like wit beers. The salts and lactic acid seem to add a mineral finish, that kinda tricked me into thinking this was going to get sour, but it never did. Very fruity flavor, wheaty, with a mild lemon flavor in the finish.

Pours a slightly hazy gold orange with a medium foamy white head. Pretty big orange citrus aroma, with a little funk, and some spice to it. Interesting smelling. The flavor was quite unusual. I definitely got the salt that its brewed with which was kind of cool. The coriander and orange citrus were definitely evident as well. Some spice, and mild wheat rounded out the flavors. This beer was refreshing, interesting, and pretty tasty. I rather enjoyed it.

Hazy orange with a lasting white head. Coriander dominates the nose, with some malt noticeable. Dry and a little sour, spicy notes. Somehow dries the mouth completely - salt?

Odense tasting: Cloudy yellow with an off white head. Wheat beer feel. Coriander & wheat. Some sour citrussy feel. Sparkling mouthfeel... Like the wolf says, weird indeed. Exciting experience... Just OK drinkable for me personally!