Hibiscus Gose by Boulevard Brewing Company
Summer is winding down
and most of the summer or spring seasonal is starting to turn towards the fall
seasonals. I think it's time to finish up some of my spring and summer
seasonals that I have to move towards the new seasonal brews. Tonight I am
trying another, Gose beer. If you have not read my blog or haven't been caught
up, Gose or Gose- uh, is an ale brewed with Sea Salt and Coriander. I have had
a few recently such as; Briney Melon Gose by Anderson Valley, and Watermelon
Gose by Terrapin. This will be my third such beer from this style that I have
come to like. Tonight I am trying a new Gose from Boulevard Brewing Company it
is called Hibiscus Gose. Boulevard Brewing Company was founded in 1989 and has
become one of the largest specialty brewers in the Midwest. Boulevard Brewing Company is located in Kansas City, Missouri. Boulevard Brewing
focuses on producing fresh and flavorful beers and using the finest traditional
ingredients, while using the best of both old and new brewing techniques.
Founder John McDonald in 1988, created a brewery in a turn of the century brick
building that is part of the lure of the brewery. I know when I see a Boulevard
Beer on tap the brick image is part of their tap handle. In 2006, Boulevard
Brewing expanded and increased their capacity to 600,000 barrels of beer, which
originally started at 6,000 barrels and now they are up to 700,000 barrels. How
times have changed for this brewery. Now onto Boulevard's Seasonal
brew, Hibiscus Gose has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 4.2% and an IBU or
bitterness of 11. I am curious to see how the hibiscuses are used in the beer
and where it is noticeable.
Brick Tap Handles to incorporate the history
Hibiscus Gose appearance
has a pinkish golden hue to the beer. The brew almost looks like a rosé
or a sparkling wine. The pink has a pale appearance and makes me intrigued when
thinking about drinking this brew. The more and more I look at this brew, the
more and more I notice the pink hue of it. The aroma is what you would expect
for this beer. The aroma is tart, floral and slightly fruity. The tart aroma is
from the funky sea salt aroma that is the first thing you notice. Then you
notice the coriander and the floral aroma in the beer from the hibiscus. Last
thing I notice or picked up on is the fruit note. It almost makes me think of
grapefruit, but when I thought about it a little longer it was a cherry and
lemon aroma, almost like a Shirley Temple with a spritz of lemon. The foam or head of the Gose quickly dissipates, which is normal for this style. There is no lingering foam around the top of the glass.
Appearance of Hibiscus Gose
The aroma and appearance were both influenced by the hibiscus and now time to see how they influenced the taste of this beer. I took my first sip and I was left thinking what I just drank. At first I was thinking it's going to be sour and I am not sure where the floral note is going to appear. Then after drinking it, I was shocked by how refreshing and crisp the beer was. The sour note was upfront and then faded as it gave way to the fruitiness note. There was a fruitiness to the beer that became noticeable after the tart start to the brew. The floral or hibiscus note are more noticeable towards the finish as well as the coriander or spice note in the beer. The body of the beer starts light and gives way towards a crisp medium finish.
Boulevard Brewing Company Hibiscus Gose
Overall, the hibiscus is very noticeable in the appearance and the aroma. The taste note is more subtle and not overpowering. I thought they did a good job incorporating the hibiscus into the beer. The appearance is where it is most noticeable. In terms of Gose style beer, I thought this brew was a little lighter than I expected and more of an introductory brew into the Gose style. You get the tart note but the bite or the saltiness is not as noticeable as the other brews, I have had in the style. This is a great brew if you are looking to explore this style and want to understand the style.
Check out Boulevard Brewing Company on their website and their social media:
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