Flying Dog Cherry Bomb Gose
Of the four new Heat Series beers from Flying Dog for 2017, it’s the Cherry Bomb Gose that I found to be the most interesting combo. Over the course of the past couple of years, IPAs have met fiery chilis and stouts have mingled with smokey heat. The Maryland brewery has taken a fairly mild pepper (roughly the same heat as a jalapeño) and mixed its sweetness with that of a lightly tart gose. The result is not only a fun little brew, but one that surprises.
The 4.7% ABV (20 IBU) beer presents a mellow tartness and crisp mouthfeel that gives this one a lively and refreshing character. Add in a touch of coriander, a decent amount of fruity cherries and a distant, latent chili tingle and, well, you’ve got yourself a treat. The chilis don’t provide much, if any, real heat, but that tingle late on the tongue adds a bit of a uniqueness and depth to the beer, as well as a soft peppery warmth in the chest.
I really enjoyed the flavors within Cherry Bomb Gose. It’s not quite a “bomb” in terms of tartness or chili heat — and that’s a good thing here. This lively beer has just the right balance between tart, fruit, chili and spice to create an experience that would be ideal for the warmer Spring temperatures to come. The best by date on the bottle is September so I’m hoping I’ll be able to find plenty of it long before then.
This is a review of a promotional sample.