Gordon Strong’s German Gose
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.042 FG = 1.008
IBU = 9 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.5%
Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) German wheat malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) Belgian Pilsner malt
2.1 AAU Czech Saaz hops (first wort hop) (0.7 oz./20 g at 3% alpha acids)
0.26 oz. (7.5 g) coriander seed, freshly ground (0 min.)
0.35 oz. (10 g) kosher salt (0 min.)
19 capsules Swansons Probiotic L. Plantarum Inner Bowel Support (10B cells/capsule)
Wyeast 1007 (German Ale) or White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter with the German ale strain, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grain, measure your hops, and prepare your water. This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Add 1⁄4 tsp. 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons (19 L) of brewing water, or until water measures pH 5.5 at room temperature. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride (CaCl2) to the mash.
On brew day, mash the malts at 149 °F (65 °C) in 13 qts. (12 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature by infusion or direct heating to 168 °F (76 °C) to mashout. Recirculate for 20 minutes. Fly sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Raise the wort to a boil and hold for 10 minutes. Do not add the hops at this time. After the boil, chill to
95 °F (35 °C). Add the powder from the probiotic capsules, and discard capsules. Do not pitch the German ale yeast at this time. Purge the kettle with CO2 and cover. Hold for 12 to 24 hours at 95 °F (35 °C), or until pH drops to 3.4.
Add the hops, bring the wort to a boil, and boil for 90 minutes. Turn off the heat, then add the coriander in a mesh bag and the salt. Let steep for 5 minutes then remove the bag. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C), pitch the yeast starter, and ferment until complete.
Rack the beer. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 3 volumes.
Gose
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.042 FG = 1.008
IBU = 9 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.5%
Ingredients
4.5 lbs (2 kg) Bavarian wheat dried malt extract
2.1 AAU Czech Saaz hops (first wort hop) (0.7 oz./20 g at 3% alpha acids)
0.26 oz. (7.5 g) coriander seed, freshly ground (0 min.)
0.35 oz. (10 g) kosher salt (0 min.)
19 capsules Swansons Probiotic L. Plantarum Inner Bowel Support (10B cells/capsule)
Wyeast 1007 (German Ale) or White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter with the German ale strain, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Turn the heat off. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely.
Raise the wort to a boil and hold for 10 minutes. Do not add the hops at this time. After the boil, chill to
95 °F (35 °C). Add the powder from the probiotic capsules (discard capsules). Do not pitch the German ale yeast at this time. Purge the kettle with CO2 and cover. Hold for 12 to 24 hours at 95 °F (35 °C), or until pH drops to 3.4.
Add the hops, bring the wort to a boil, and boil for 60 minutes.
Turn off the heat, then add the coriander in a mesh bag and the salt. Let steep for 5 minutes then remove the bag. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C), pitch the yeast starter, and ferment until complete.
Rack the beer. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 3 volumes.
Tips for success:
The first time you make this recipe, you may wish to add the salt post-fermentation so you can tune the beer to your taste. Don’t add it all at once. Add some, mix, then taste. Once you have the right amount for your taste, record that
in your version of the recipe. You can add it at the end of the boil in the future.
Alternative Methods:
While Gordon advocates for the addition of probiotics that have L. plantarum in them and then kettle souring, there are many options to sour your Gose, as described in this column. The method that former “Style Profile” columnist Jamil Zainasheff prefers when brewing Gose is sour mashing with the use of acidulated malt. Read a different take on brewing Gose in Jamil’s column in the March-April 2015 issue of BYO.
