Super Eight Super Gose
Super Eight Super Gose
Dogfish Head Brewing Company
This week I visited a local beer shop I hadn't been to in a few months and was happy to get my hands on two new Dogfish beers I hadn't tried before. Specifically, I was excited to see the new Super Eight Super Gose that I'd been in the market for!
The Super Eight Super Gose actually has a funny backstory. Dogfish owner Sam Calagione was listening to a podcast by Kodak (like "Kodak moment" Kodak) where they mentioned that if a beer had a low enough pH, it could be used to develop their Super 8 film.
So Sam went to work and the product is a delicious collaboration between Kodak and Dogfish Head. A perfect match for their "Analog Beer for a Digital Age" brand. If you subtract the salt, the beer is also brewed with 8 ingredients: prickly pear, mango, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, kiwi juices, and toasted quinoa.
Super Eight Super Gose Tasting Notes
Pour
As I was expecting based on the color of the can and the list of ingredients, this beer pours a deep shade of ruby red. A pillowy pink head forms but dissipates rapidly as is the case with most sours.
Aroma
I definitely struggle to identify specific notes in sour beers because my nose is usually overwhelmed by the familiar tart aroma I believe emanates from the yeast strains used in sour brews. Still, you can almost smell the saltiness on the nose and if you dig deep enough there's a little watermelon underneath.
Flavor
I was expecting a much sweeter taste more similar to the SeaQuench Ale but Super Eight is super sour. Not in a bad way, I actually really like it but it's definitely more pucker-inducing than a lot of other Goses I've had. There's also a lot more salt on the finish, it reminds me a lot of the taste left in your mouth after snacking on a big bag of sourdough pretzels.
Similar to the nose of the beer, as my mouth warmed up to the tartness, the subtle taste of watermelon starts to come through. The tartness became more familiar as well like the taste you get from biting into a not quite ripe raspberry or blackberry. I could have sworn I got the slightest hint of the Kiwi but that could be me searching through my palate for the listed ingredients.
Overall
There's no denying that I'm a huge fan of Dogfish Head beer, the weirder the better. The Super Eight Super Gose is no exception. Although the intense sour flavor was a bit of a surprise, it's been very refreshing since this is the first real week of nice weather we've had all year. This beer is perfect to enjoy in the evening sun on the porch after a long day of work.
After my last review, a reader pointed out that I never gave it an actual rating. In an attempt to work out a more standardized rating system, I'd give the beer a 3.5/5. I'll likely be snagging another six-pack to save for a day in the sun but I'll be sure to bring plenty of water because I'm sure the saltiness will have me feeling parched after a few!
Rating Scale
1 = Poured Out, 2 = Suffered Through, 3 = Enjoyed, 4 = Would Buy Again, 5 = Will Search For