Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Blood Orange Gose Orange Ale. Boonville highway 128 Session Series. Bahl Hornin' since 1987.

Here's a head up. Or a shout out. This was given to me by good ol' Julie well over a month ago, no, probably six weeks, if not two months. And it lay in wait for the right occasion, the proper day and time for me to tackle it in a review, while Julie wondered what I thought of her gift. I'm pretty sure it was a month ago that she wondered once again when I would share my thoughts on this. Soon, I promised, soon. And then two weeks ago, I found myself in Wisconsin, and at last they had this beer at Casanova's in Hudson. I could have bought a 6-pack if I wanted to….but Julie already gave me one, back when I couldn't find one if I tried, without a trade, or a trip to California.

Enough. Time to drink it. This is the traditional Leipzig, Deustchland style of top-fermented wheat beer, brewed with salt. (Well, it was popular in Leipzig, but originated in Goslar, hence the name. Here, read this.)That, the salt and coriander,  used to be the singular nature that set this style apart, but the lactic sourness is what's turned it into the latest, greatest sensation that's sweeping the craft beer nation. So much so that you can't tell a gose-ah from a geeze-ah, we're so sour-happy. People are flipping their dang lids over freaking' gose-uhs, when I can't find mention of them in my old Michael Jackson volumes, and you can hardly find an imported version from the fatherland stateside. (A visit to BeerAdvocate says that I've reviewed one gose, Leipziger, from Gasthaus & Gosebrauwerei Bayerischer Bahnhof, back in December of 2003. I'll keep an eye out for another bottle, if it can be found. According to this blog (I haven't completely posted my reviews here onto BA, which is why some people out of the loop think that I've stopped reviewing), I've had two, both locally brewed.)

Enou--wait, I said that already. Let's just go….

Appearance: slightly haze, bright golden coloring, large and lasting white head.

Aroma: Tart, citric sourness, brazen orange flavor…little bits of cherry and berry. Definitely blood orange going on. And I think I can sniff out the salt.

Taste: On the tongue, bam! blam!, more and more sour, a blast and a half of fierce fruit. The tart attack never quits, it's a solid salvo that blasts anew, with each fresh sip. The lacto is hard at work here, spreading the sour. Lambics are so old-school, yesterday's news. It's fruity, it's dry, it's creamy and it's sour. What a truly magnificent beer this is. Bracing, refreshing, sweet and sour and everything nice.

Let's look at the label: "Alc. 4.2% by Vol. Copious additions of blood orange during fermentation impart tangy citric notes and a slight sweetness to compliment {I'm sure they mean complement} the salinity and tartness typically found in a Gose style ale."

Good work, Anderson Valley, and thanks, again, Julie!