Magic Rock: Salty Kiss (England: Gose: 4.1% ABV)
Visual: Hazy yellow. Some floating bits. White bubbled head that leaves suds.
Nose: Shortbread and gooseberry.
Body: Fresh. Gooseberry. Lightly acidic. Lemon. Light salt. Vanilla sweetness. Apples.
Finish: Grapes and pineapple. Salt touch. Sulphur. Lime. Dry and slightly musty. Apples.
Conclusion: Simple – effective, but simple. This won’t win any awards for the widest range of taste sensations – Mainly light gooseberry, lightly salty, squeezed lime and vanilla. That is the main set, and frankly most of the set. The whole thing is delivered quite lightly – in fact when cool it felt watery at times, so I didn’t have high hopes that this was going to do well by me.
It actually holds up better than I expected – while never complex it gains more citrus notes, with the lemon coming through and the general feel building up nicely. It does feel kind of musty behind the tart front end – however overall it is refreshing and has just enough hint of it’s beer character because of those off notes. That mustiness and sulfur doesn’t quite work with the beer, but call to the more real ale style which actually helps make it feel like more than just salty fruit juice.
I still would find it hard to rave about it, but it is oddly compelling. The saltiness is done just enough to add an edge and really encourage further drinking, and the tart fruit is easy going and thirst quenching.
For from perfect, yet somehow I feel if I see it on tap I’ll probably grab a half to wake up the taste buds in the middle of a session – so it can’t be all bad.
Background: A gooseberry gose. Interesting – made with gooseberry, sea buckthorn and sea salt in collaboration with Kissmeyer Beer. I think I am starting to get a handle on the gose style, having had ones from the terrible salty water tasting, to the interesting to the genuinely excellent and fruity with salt backing. So, this, with its awesome canned artwork, was one to try. grabbed from Independent Spirit. A phrases I say a lot. Drunk while listening to some Carcass. I am quite the metal kick at the mo.
