José the Rose Gose
Brewery: New Braunfels Brewing Company
Style: Fruited Mixed Culture Saison, 28C (Wild Specialty)
Package: 500ml Bottle
Purchased: Provided by NBBC for review
Packaged Date: Blend 3, August 2018
Consumed Date: 12/16/2018
Details from the Brewer
ABV:7.5%
Jose is a blend of 50% TX grown rose and 50% salty wheat beer. Bright, acidic and light on the palate, this beer is an honest homage to the passionate winemakers of the TX wine industry.
Review
Aroma – 7/12
A moderate minerality/salinity hits the nose first, almost like a seaside. This is joined by a medium cherry and vinous character. There is also a subtler musty/earthy funk that blends in with this fruit character. A slight acidity is also apparent, as a lemony, lactic character. There’s perhaps a touch of “cheese” character that you get from some gueze, as it warms.
Appearance – 2/3
Pours a deep straw color with a faint reddish hue. Small off-white bubble form a thin layer of head. It dissipates quickly with below average attention. Clarity is decent, with a slight haze. The bottom of the bottle had a good 1/2 of dregs which I kept out of the pour.
Flavor – 18/20
The grape character hits the tongue first. The green grapes are a bit stronger with a red apple, plum, and citrus character. There’s a bit of blueberry, some cherry, maybe some stonefruit as well. This is brightened up with a medium acidity that follows. Some low level doughy wheat character. A touch of earthiness. Towards the finish, a nice, low salt character comes out. The finish has a good dryness to it, and allows the fruit notes to linger on exhaling.
Mouthfeel – 5/5
Medium high carbonation. The bottle had a slight over-foaming issue when opened. No issues when quickly poured. A good, medium body is present . There is a very slight oiliness to the mouth feel. The finish leaves a touch of mouth watering effect, which I love in sours. Only a slight slickness from the salinity on the cheeks. Some tannic character from the grape skins is noticeable.
Overall Impression – 8/10
This is a great sour beer / wine hybrid. I really like the grape expression and didn’t feel like it was overdone or too tannic. The gose salt character is at a decent level as well. While I really liked the flavor and mouthfeel, the aroma could use a little cleaning up. It was sharper and had a few notes that seemed to clash for me. The sourness was at a really approachable level. Trying to get a little more punch out of the mixed culture in the flavor, would also help bring this to the next level.
Rating – 40/50
After reading the label, and before trying the beer I thought there might be a bit too much going on in this. However, the salt from the gose works great with the grape character. It brightens it up, and provides a great mouthfeel. It reminds me of how some of the best pilsners in town (ABGB), have a distinctive mineral character to them. The acidity and fruit character are also at a really good level to make this a good introductory beer for people new to sours/wilds.
