To the homebrewery
Note: these steps are general guidelines and assume you’re already familiar with the all-grain brewing process. Refer to the instructions for your brew system and adjust as needed based on experience with your own particular equipment.
Prep: 1–2 days before brew day
- Prepare a Lactobacillus starter: 1 liter of water, 4 ounces DME. Incubate at a very warm temperature (85–100°F) without stirring or agitation.
Prep: On brew day
- On brew day, collect strike water and heat to approximately 165°F.
- Mill the grains, or have it done for you at the shop.
Mash & sparge
- Add all grains to strike water and mix to achieve a uniform temperature of 151–153°F. Rest the mash at this temperature for 60–90 minutes.
- While the mash rests, collect and heat sparge water.
- When the mash rest is complete, heat it to 170°F for mashout.
- Sparge and collect the wort in the boil kettle.
Kettle souring
- Use a boil kettle that has a well-fitted lid. Bring the wort to a boil for a couple minutes to sterilize, then allow to cool; you can use an immersion chiller if you like, or just let it cool passively with ambient temps. (Don’t worry about DMS formation at this point—the wort will be boiled again.) Keep the wort in the kettle—no need to transfer, the lactic fermentation will take place right in the boil kettle.
- Once the wort temp is below 120°F, inoculate with the entire Lacto starter and cover the kettle with the lid. (If you want to go all-out, flush the headspace of the kettle with CO2.)
- Allow Lactobacillus to ferment 1–3 days. Do not oxygenate or aerate, and maintain a fermentation temp of 80°F or above—all other things equal, the bacteria will work faster at warmer temps, up to about 120°F, in an anaerobic environment.
- Once the wort has soured to your liking (a simple sensory evaluation of the sour wort will be enough), proceed to the main boil.
Main boil
- Bring the soured wort back to a boil and hum along to “White Light/White Heat.” Add 0.5 ounces of your selected noble hops when the wort begins to boil, and boil for 60 minutes.
- During the boil (you should have plenty of time during “Sister Ray”), grind the whole coriander seeds using a spice mill, mortar and pestle, or whatever method you choose.
- Add the charges of ground coriander and sea salt five minutes before the end of the boil.
- Cool it!
Fermentation and beyond
- Transfer the cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, aerate well, and pitch yeast.
- Depending on the yeast strain being used, aim for a maximum fermentation temp in the low to mid 60s°F.
- When gravity is stable and the beer is sufficiently clear (some haze is accepted and expected for this style), proceed with packaging.
- Our kettle-soured Gose will show best while fresh—but why would you sleep on this tart, refreshing little gem during our brief Minnesota summer in the first place?
Until next time: Drink it like you brewed it.
