Troublesome Gose

TROUBLESOME is a blend of two different beers. The base beer is fermented with a wheat yeast strain and spiced with coriander, while the second beer is fermented solely with Lactobacillus which makes up about 20% of the volume. Lactobacillus is a lactic acid producing bacteria and common beer spoiler, but adequately controlled it can add a refreshing tartness to beer.

The challenge is containing it. We take many steps to do so at the brewery. Most importantly we pasteurize the lactic acid beer before blending to ensure a stable tartness in the final product and the lactobacillus doesn't spread to other parts of the brewery.  Additionally, the Lactobacillus fermented beer resides in a dedicated tank that has been evolving since day one. 

During the blending process, we also a a small amount of salt per tradition which rounds out the mouthfeel and contributes an additional layer of complexity.

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TROUBLESOME is a modern interpretation of a German style gose (pronounced "Gose-uh" as in "rose" plus "uh"). Gose is a beer style that has been brewed on and off since the 10th  century. Gose takes its name from the river Gose that flows through the town of Goslar, its original home. The water of Goslar is fed by mineral rich aquifers that originally provided the saline content in original gose. As the mines of Goslar became spent in the Middle Ages, the town lost significance and the production of gose migrated to Leipzig. By the mid 19th century, gose production in Goslar had come to a complete halt.

At the same time, popularity of gose hit a high in Leipzig in the 19th century with more than 80 gose houses in the city limits. World War II wiped out many of the gose breweries and commies did little to help the survival of the style when they allocated most available grain to bread making rather than brewing. Gose briefly died out in the late 1950s, only to be resurrected after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Gosebrauerei Bayerisher Bahnhof is greatly responsible for the comeback of gose when it opened in 2000.

Despite being made with coriander, gose continued to be brewed after the unification of German and the widespread enforcement of the Reinheitsgebot, or the German Purity Law. Gose was granted an exception as a regional specialty from the otherwise immutable law, probably because they liked it too much to do away with it. 

Here's a beer mixed drink recipe for you to enjoy

Troublesome Gin Radler: 

12 oz Troublesome
2 oz Simply Lemonade (or substitute)
2/3 oz Few, Letherbee, or other locally produced gin

Thank you notes can be mailed to:
You're the Best
c/o Off Color Brewing
3925 W Dickens Ave
Chicago, IL 60647