If you read my review of the Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita, then you’re already aware that before I drank that swill, I had a bottle of Victory’s latest and greatest, i.e. their Kirsch Gose. Gose, which is pronounced Goes-uh, is a German beer style that goes back well over 1,000 years. Here’s what the German Beer Institute has to say about it:

Gose is an ancient, sour and saline tasting ale, made from more than half malted wheat and the rest malted barley. The brew is fermented with both yeast and lactic bacteria and is spiced with both coriander and hops. It is brewed with slightly salted water. This peculiar beer style is now most closely associated with Leipzig, the capital of the German State of Saxony. 

While I’ve never had a German brewed Gose, I did recently review a Blood Orange version that was brewed by Anderson Valley. I really enjoyed that beer, so when I saw that Victory was releasing a cherry flavored version, I didn’t hesitate to buy a four pack.

This is where we usually cut and paste some information from a brewery’s website to give you a bit of background about whatever beer we happen to be reviewing. If you’ve ever been to the Victory website, you will quickly learn that in addition to detailed descriptions of their beers, they also have a plethora of videos on their YouTube channel. Here’s their latest video that explains a bit about their Kirsch Gose and the Gose style in general:

Let’s get on with my review…

• Appearance: Candy apple red with a fluffy, light pink hued head of foam that dissipates slowly and leaves minimal lacing.
• Aroma: Lightly tart and lemony with a bit of sour cherry on the backend.
• Taste: Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with an ever so slight fizziness. Not overly tart like a Lambic. More lightly tart like a Founders Rubaeus. Quite crisp and refreshing with a semi-dry, cherry aftertaste and just a touch of salinity.
• ABV: 4.7%

The Verdict

Victory’s Kirsch Gose is yet another warm weather and food friendly beer. The beauty of this one is that it’s not cloyingly tart, so it’s fine to have on its own. As an added bonus, thanks to its session worthy ABV, you can have more than one without fear of overdoing it. I wonder if they’ll ever consider canning this one since it’d be perfect to enjoy poolside.