In recent months you may have noticed a small Pacific Northwest resurgence in Gose brews among other obscure beer styles. The Gose is a style of beer that has a checkered past and during periods in its evolution has all but disappeared from the planet.

The Gose style dates back to the early 18th Century in the town of Goslar, Germany, in the Lower Saxony in the northwest slopes of the Harz Mountains. Brewed with at least 50% malted wheat in the grain bill, Gose beer fell outside of the Reinheitsgebot due to the use of salt and coriander spice. However, the beer was allowed special exception due to it being considered a regional specialty. Goses became so popular in Leipzig, a city now consisting of more than half a million people, that several regional breweries started brewing Goses themselves. By the end of the 19th Century, it was considered to be the local style of Leipzig and there were countless Gosenschänke in the city.