Vacanza: Cranberry Raspberry Pie Gose

Vacanza: Cranberry Raspberry Pie Gose by Wild Leap Brew Co. was judged as a BJCP Style 34C, Experimental Beer.

The beer’s description sounds outrageous – a cranberry raspberry pie gose with cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar – but it works surprisingly well. It looks like a pink gose with a tightly packed white cap with a light pink tint and fair retention. The berries and added spices dominate the aroma. It is medium-bodied, spritzy, prickly tart, highly carbonated and refreshing. The flavors shift around as you drink. The berry flavors are fairly evenly balanced, but they shift around as they move over the tongue. The sweet-tart balance likewise shifts starting mildly tart with brown sugar notes emerging in the middle, leading to a slightly dryer, tarter finish. The brewer uses a gentle hand on the vanilla and cinnamon giving some room to the berries. The flavors and tartness mask the clean, smooth alcohol resulting in a bold, unique and easy-to-drink beer with refreshing tartness that grows on you as you drink it.