3 Stars & Oliver Breweries’ B.W. Rye Gose

Where in Town: 3 Stars Brewery, 6400  Chillum Place, NW

Price: $15/64 ounces

The Crowd Gose Wild

In the shrinking world of obscure beer, one of the most esoteric is Gose (pronounced “go-suh”), a sour ale from Germany traditionally made with wheat, coriander, and a touch of salt. Eighteenth-century German braumeisters allowed the beer to ferment spontaneously with airborne yeasts, while today’s brewers use lactic acid bacteria to give Gose its characteristic tartness. Only a handful still produce it, but the growing popularity of wild yeast and sour beers has sparked a renewed enthusiasm for the style among American craft brewers. Oh, and there’s a good reason to pucker up: Drinking Gose is rumored to heighten sexual performance.

The Perfect “Beer?”

D.C.’s 3 Stars Brewing Company recently brewed a Gose with Baltimore’s Oliver Breweries as part of the duo’s ongoing B.W. (Baltimore-Washington) rye series. The result is a crisp, refreshing ale true to style but with a healthy dose of rye, Kölsch yeast, and a shockingly low alcohol content of just 2 percent. (A couple notches lower and it would be legal to drink while driving.) But don’t be fooled: B.W. Rye Gose is impressively flavorful with citrusy lemon and spicy coriander notes enhanced by the salt’s sharpness. It’s great growler beer, too, pouring with a white, frothy head even after three days in the refrigerator. And the low potency means you can drink all 64 ounces before it goes flat—and perhaps enhance your own potency in the process.

Photo by Tammy Tuck