Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose
Anderson Valley’s Blood Orange Gose was one of the more hotly anticipated releases this past Spring. It seemed as though folks waited breathlessly for it — cans quickly disappearing from shelves nearly as quickly as they arrived. It wasn’t until early March, however, that I finally crossed paths with the 4.2% ABV gose.
My first impression? I don’t believe that it was deserving of the amount of hype that surrounded the beer, but it is still pretty darn tasty. Brewed with sea salt and coriander, the beer is soured with lactobacillus. The result is a wonderfully tart beer with a hint of distant spices and a refreshing nature.
Appearance
Blood Orange Gose sits with a rocky stack of foam that falls fairly quickly atop the golden amber brew.
Aroma
Loads of citrusy blood orange fills the nose immediately with a bit of a sour tang and grain bringing up the rear. I don’t pick up much salt, but the coriander does linger softly in the background.
Taste
A solid amount of tartness quickly follows a brief surge of blood orange with each sip. The tartness is pretty strong, but quite invigorating before fading slowly, lingering for a good long while in the finish. There’s a touch of wheat in the mix, a soft sweetness and distant spices. I suppose if I concentrated hard enough there’s also a touch of salinity in the mix, but I’m not 100% sure about that. A light, effervescent carbonation tingles the palate.
Overall
All in all, Blood Orange Gose is a tasty, refreshing brew. I’m not sure that it’s worthy of some of the silliness that went on around its release, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to check it out. It’s citrusy, tart and, well, fun. I can dig a beer like this.
Rating: 3.75/5
