Beer of the Moment: Avery El Gose

German gose + Mexican lager = _________.

Avery Brewing Co.’s new El Gose snaps together some of the bigger industry trends we’re seeing in beer releases as of late. Combining elements of Mexican-style lager (Adam Avery, the brewery founder, is apparently a fan of Pacífico) and German-influenced gose, it conveniently unites two subcategories drawing a lot of attention right now. The past two years in particular have seen a recent crest of large-volume gose releases from breweries like Anderson Valley, Victory and Sierra Nevada. Blood orange gose? Check. Kirsch gose? Yup. Hibiscus, blackberry, briny melon? As you wish.

The gose components lead, though that’s expected given the volume levels these two styles normally speak at. A refreshing splash of lime-y twang and citrus-laden bubbles hit the tongue first. Noting this is billed as an ale, that German-lager influence shows more as a lean, effervescent core plus a toasty pop of malt toward the end: It starts as a gose but finishes more like a crisp lager. The lime contribution builds, but it and the fizz also help keep things from ever feeling weighty. Could definitely see squeezing cans of this into beer koozies for working the grill. El Gose’s wheat addition says hi as this warms.

We previously covered Mexican-style lagers as part of a special roundup in the Taste section of All About Beer magazine—even before major entries like Oskar Blues Beerito and 21st Amendment’s El Sully hit the market. (The latter is a Highly Recommended pick in our July issue.) Twisted X Brewing Co.’s Cow Creek from Dripping Springs, Texas was the standout of that previous tasting panel: a dark Mexican-style lager with satisfying malty roundness and transcendent drinkability. As with Avery’s El Gose: The better takes on these styles seem built for summer.

Availability: Year-round in cans, sixtels and 1/2-barrel kegs.

 

About Beer of the Moment:

All About Beer Magazine’s Beer of the Moment series aims to find that compass heading in the endless sea of new beers. Whether classic or the current cutting edge, these are fresh releases that inspire, that challenge, that stand for something. They’re why we’re All About Beer.

Think you’ve got something good that might fit the bill for Beer of the Moment? Get in touch via @allaboutbeer on Twitter or Instagram, or email us at [email protected].

Ken Weaver is the beer editor of All About Beer Magazine

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