Hello and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists,
It is not all that often that I come across a Gose but when I do, I more than often enjoy what is in my glass. The eagle eyed amongst you will have seen that I have a massive respect for Thornbridge Brewery and it is safe to say that I am a fan of most of what they produce so when I discovered that the brewery had brewed a Gose of course I had to pick up a couple of cans. But is it any good? Read on to find out.
1. Name : Chula Vista
2. Brewery: Thornbridge, Bakewell
3. Hops : Not specified
4. Grain : Barley & Wheat
5. Aroma : Nose of zesty lemon with hints of grapefruit.
6. Appearance : Pours a hazy light amber with a two to three finger fluffy white head
7. Body : Light body with an easy drinking mouthfeel
8. Taste : Zesty lemon hits the palate instantly with the sea salt adding balance. Initially the lemon has characteristics of a sour lemon barley water leading to a dry finish. The flavour profile is an interesting one with the sea salt being what makes this as it takes it in a different, yet welcoming direction.
For those who may be wondering what Chula Vista means, the name translates to Cool View that is a town in California named for it’s beautiful location. In the early 1900’s it was known as the lemon capital of the world so as this is a lemon and sea salt kettle sour, I think this is a cleverly named beer.
I will be honest in saying that I have had this beer before on keg in Thornbridge’s own taproom so I knew what to expect when it came to the canned version and yes, the can is also nice. The beer has a very zesty, lip-smacking lemon that has a nice tarteness rather than face curling sourness, this is balanced by the addition of sea salt that had me nodding my head in approval and was one of those beres that the more I drank, the more I enjoyed.
Chula Vista is another solid Thornbridge beer that is highly drinkable and highly enjoyable, yet it is just missing that bit of oomph to take it to the next level. That is not to say that it is a poor beer, far from it as I guarantee that you will more than likely find this pleasant. The sour fans amongst our readers, however, will also probably enjoy this but might be left wanting a little more from it.
Our overall rating: 3.4/ 5.0
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