Judge's Review: 90 Rating - SeaBee Gose by Big Boss Brewing Co.

SeaBee Gose by Big Boss Brewing Co. was judged as a standard Gose, one of the beers in the BJCP category 27, Historical beer. You can usually expect them to be lightly tart with a mild underlying salinity. Where I live we have a rich submarine history, so I’m familiar with what Seabee is, so I just wanted to take a second to comment on the clever name. 

The aroma is very inviting, with light hints of honey and cracker-like grain. A low wheaty aroma is present as well. I do get a very faint lactic aroma, no hop aroma, and what I think is a light salty ocean-like aroma that's very faint. The beer is hazy gold with a good clarity. There is a light bit of haze from wheat but that’s acceptable. The head poured frothy and fizzy but disappeared almost immediately. The flavor is very refreshing and tart. There is a low hop bitterness and very low floral hop flavor. The hop presence is very appealing to me and balances the wheaty and grainy malty nicely. The level of lactic tartness is quenching and leaves you wanting more. What I don’t pick up much of is the coriander, which is supposed to be in here, but it's very minor. The beer is medium-light bodied, with moderate carbonation and a pleasant smooth mouthfeel, most likely from the wheat additions. In the end, I find myself wanting more of this beer, which is a very good sign. I could drink a lot of this. The salt is just barely noticeable, as it should be. The beer should never be “salty” and in this case the salinity balances the light lactic tartness well. All in all a very solid straight Gose, but could use a bit more malt presence. Not much, but it's relying a bit more on the salinity and tartness then the malt and a little more maltiness would certainly be welcome.