Ahh, the thrill of the hunt. I’ve been trying to get my hands on Goliad Brewing Company’s Watermelon Gose for some time now; even going as far as asking where to find it on their social media page. When the answer was clearly, “not where you are,” I ventured out to Houston and got what I wanted.
Let me start by saying I was actually a bit disappointed this was packaged in four-pack bottles instead of a six-pack. Usually, four-packs are reserved for higher ABV offerings. Really, that’s just me being nit-picky because I wanted six instead of four. The beer itself is outstanding.
The gose style has been mutated into different forms by breweries throughout Texas and the U.S. Everybody has to be different, so I know the base must be solid for a flavored brew to be top notch. In this case, the amount of coriander and sea salt added to the brew is in perfect balance. It’s not too salty and not too tart.
I’ve highlighted other goses that have blown me away (i.e. TBR’s Cucumber Gose), so the bar has been set pretty high this year. The watermelon flavor of the brew is what separates this from others. You get a nice dose of sweet watermelon taste upon the first sip and it’s balanced by the saltiness of the base beer. Again, the key to this brew is balance. Ultimately, it’s another perfect summer beer by a brewery that makes crushable beers that are year-round favorites in my house.
The fruitiness is what you need to know about. If you’re not a fruity beer fan, you may not like it. Even if that isn’t your thing, just know that if you like goses, this will be a winner for you. My only problem is finding enough time to venture back into Houston to grab as much as I can before this seasonal goes away for another year.