A Brew Guide by Brew Cartographer
How to brew Gose beer at home is a question more homebrewers should be asking — unlike a Flanders Red Ale or Lambic, a Gose can be ready in as little as two to three weeks. The process is approachable, the ingredients are affordable, and the results are genuinely impressive.
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The key to making Gose at home is kettle souring — a modern technique that compresses the souring timeline from months to days without sacrificing the clean lactic character that defines the style. This guide covers everything: the recipe, the process step by step, troubleshooting, and what to expect in the glass.
If you want to understand the history and character of Gose before you brew it, read our Gose Style Expedition. For food pairing ideas once it’s ready, visit our Gose Food Pairing Guide.
Target Specifications
| Parameter | Target |
|---|---|
| Original Gravity | 1.042–1.050 |
| Final Gravity | 1.008–1.012 |
| ABV | 4.0–4.8% |
| IBU | 5–10 (very low) |
| SRM | 3–4 (pale straw) |
| Carbonation | High (2.8–3.2 volumes CO₂) |
| Batch size | 20 litres (5.3 US gallons) |
| Timeline | 2–3 weeks grain to glass |
Ingredients
Grain Bill
- 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) German Pilsner malt (affiliate link) — the base malt; provides fermentable sugars and a clean, neutral backdrop that lets the wheat and sourness shine through.
- 2.0 kg (4.4 lb) German wheat malt (affiliate link) — at least 50% of the grain bill must be wheat for the style to be authentic. Contributes body, haziness, and the soft, bready character that distinguishes Gose from other sour styles.
- 0.1 kg (3.5 oz) Acidulated malt (Sauermalz) (affiliate link) — optional but useful. Drops mash pH slightly and gives the finished beer a subtle background acidity.
Look for Weyermann brand for all three — they are one of the most respected maltsters in Bavaria and their wheat and Pilsner malts are widely available from homebrew suppliers.
Hops
- 15g (0.5 oz) Hallertau Mittelfrüh (affiliate link) — or any similar German noble hop. Added at 60 minutes for a modest bittering addition only. IBUs should stay below 10. You are not making a hoppy beer — the hops exist only to balance the sourness. Note: iso-alpha acids from hops can inhibit Lactobacillus activity at higher concentrations. With only 15g of a low-alpha noble hop the effect is minimal, but if substituting a higher-alpha hop, reduce the quantity accordingly or skip the pre-boil hop addition entirely and add hops only in the post-sour boil.
Adjuncts
- 8g (1.5 tsp) non-iodised sea salt — added to the kettle at flameout. Do not use iodised table salt; iodine can inhibit yeast activity. Fleur de sel or any pure sea salt works well. Start at 8g and adjust to taste in future batches — salt perception varies considerably between individuals.
- 5g (1 tsp) whole coriander seed — lightly cracked with the flat of a knife and added at flameout. Fresh coriander gives a more citrusy character; older seed is earthier. Some brewers use as little as 3g (½ tsp); others go up to 8g (1.5 tsp). Start conservative.
Bacteria (for souring) — choose one source
You need Lactobacillus plantarum for the kettle souring step. Choose whichever source is most available to you — you only need one:
- Lallemand WildBrew Sour Pitch (affiliate link) — a dried L. plantarum culture purpose-built for kettle souring. Widely available from homebrew suppliers across Europe and beyond. Recommended for most brewers.
- GoodBelly probiotic shots — widely available in the US. The mango flavor works well and doesn’t affect the beer. Use 2 shots per 20 litres (5.3 US gallons).
- L. plantarum probiotic capsules — available from health food shops globally. Use 4–6 capsules per 20 litres (5.3 US gallons). A reliable fallback if the above aren’t available.
Primary Yeast — choose one
Choose either WB-06 or K-97 depending on the flavor profile you prefer — do not use both:
- Fermentis WB-06 (affiliate link) — a German wheat beer yeast. Produces a slightly more characterful Gose with subtle phenolics, particularly at higher fermentation temperatures. Keep fermentation at the lower end of the range (17–18°C / 63–64°F) for a cleaner result.
- SafAle K-97 (affiliate link) — a clean German ale yeast typically used for Kölsch. More neutral than WB-06, with fewer phenolics. The better choice if you want the sourness and salt to be the dominant flavor notes with minimal yeast character.
Equipment
You don’t need specialist equipment, but a few things make the process significantly easier:
- A kettle with a lid that seals reasonably well (for the souring step)
- An accurate thermometer
- A way to maintain 38–40°C (100–104°F) during souring — a heating pad, a cooler with hot water, or a fermentation chamber all work
- CO₂ for purging headspace during souring (optional but recommended)
- A pH meter or pH strips — useful for monitoring souring progress
How to Brew Gose Beer: The Process Step by Step
Step 1 — Mash
Mash at 65°C (149°F) for 60 minutes. Standard single infusion mash. The moderately high temperature produces a slightly fuller body that suits the style well.
Sparge and collect your wort as normal. Aim for a pre-boil volume of around 24 litres (6.3 US gallons) to account for boil-off.
Step 2 — Pre-Boil
Bring the wort to a brief boil of 15 minutes and add your bittering hops. This sanitizes the wort and sets the bitterness. Then cool the wort to 38–40°C (100–104°F).
Step 3 — Acidify
Before pitching your Lactobacillus, drop the wort pH to around 4.5 by adding a small amount of lactic acid or by stirring in a handful of acidulated malt. This creates an inhospitable environment for most unwanted bacteria, which means cleaner souring with much less risk of off-flavors. Lactobacillus thrives at this pH; most other organisms don’t.
Step 4 — Pitch Lactobacillus
Add your chosen Lactobacillus source according to the manufacturer’s instructions or the quantities listed above.
Purge the headspace with CO₂ if possible — while L. plantarum is a facultative anaerobe and can survive with or without oxygen, minimizing oxygen exposure during souring reduces the risk of contamination by other organisms — particularly Clostridium species — that can produce butyric acid, which smells like vomit. A CO₂ blanket creates conditions that favor clean lactic souring over unwanted contamination. Cover the kettle tightly or transfer to a sealed fermentation vessel with an airlock.
Step 5 — Hold Temperature
Maintain 38–40°C (100–104°F) for 24–48 hours. This is the most critical step and the most common point of failure. Too cold and the Lactobacillus works slowly or not at all; too hot (above 42°C / 108°F) and you risk off-flavors.
Taste the wort every 12 hours. You are looking for a clean, pleasant tartness — like yogurt or lemon juice. When it reaches your target sourness (pH 3.2–3.5 is typical), proceed immediately. Don’t wait until the following day if it’s ready now.
Step 6 — Full Boil
Bring the now-sour wort back to a full boil for 60 minutes. This kills the Lactobacillus, locking in the sourness permanently, and sterilizes the wort for yeast fermentation.
Add your sea salt and coriander at flameout — adding them during the boil drives off the volatile aromatic compounds that give coriander its character.
Cool to pitching temperature.
Step 7 — Ferment
Cool to 18–20°C (64–68°F) and pitch your chosen yeast. Fermentation should be vigorous within 12–24 hours and complete within 5–7 days.
Don’t rush this step. A fully attenuated Gose will be noticeably drier and more refreshing than one pulled off the yeast too early.
Step 8 — Package
Gose is traditionally highly carbonated — more so than most styles. Target 2.8–3.0 volumes CO₂ minimum. At this carbonation level, the beer has a lively, effervescent quality that lifts the salt and acid and makes the whole thing more refreshing.
If bottle conditioning, use approximately 6–7g per litre (0.8–0.9 oz per US gallon) of priming sugar. Higher rates risk over-carbonation and dangerous bottle pressure — use a priming calculator (Brewer’s Friend has a reliable free one) and enter your actual packaging temperature for an accurate figure.
If force carbonating, set your regulator to around 30 PSI (2.1 bar) at 2°C (36°F) for 48 hours, then drop to serving pressure.
Serve in a tall, thin glass if you want to be authentic. A Weizen glass works well.
Recipe Summary
| Item | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| German Pilsner malt | 2.5 kg | 5.5 lb |
| German wheat malt | 2.0 kg | 4.4 lb |
| Acidulated malt | 0.1 kg | 3.5 oz |
| Hallertau Mittelfrüh | 15g (60 min) | 0.5 oz (60 min) |
| Sea salt | 8g (flameout) | 1.5 tsp (flameout) |
| Coriander seed | 5g (flameout) | 1 tsp (flameout) |
| Lactobacillus source | Per instructions above | Per instructions above |
| Primary yeast (choose one) | WB-06 or K-97, 1 packet | WB-06 or K-97, 1 packet |
| Mash temp | 65°C / 60 min | 149°F / 60 min |
| Souring temp | 38–40°C / 24–48 hrs | 100–104°F / 24–48 hrs |
| Fermentation temp | 18–20°C / 5–7 days | 64–68°F / 5–7 days |
| Batch size | 20 litres | 5.3 US gallons |
| Target OG | 1.042–1.050 | 1.042–1.050 |
| Target FG | 1.008–1.012 | 1.008–1.012 |
Troubleshooting
Too sour: Reduce the souring time on your next batch, or raise the pre-boil pH to 4.7–5.0 before pitching Lactobacillus to slow the acidification rate.
Not sour enough: Extend the souring time. Check that your temperature is holding at 38–40°C (100–104°F) throughout — a drop to 30°C (86°F) can stall the Lactobacillus significantly. Also check your Lactobacillus culture is fresh and active.
Off-flavors — cheesy, buttery, or worse: Almost always caused by oxygen exposure during the souring step, or souring at temperatures above 42°C (108°F). For your next batch: purge headspace with CO₂ before sealing, keep the vessel sealed throughout, and monitor temperature carefully.
Too salty: Reduce salt to 5–6g (1–1.25 tsp) next batch. Salt perception varies considerably between individuals — what tastes balanced to one person tastes briny to another. Start conservative and adjust upward.
Hazy but the style should be hazy — is that a problem? No. Gose is traditionally unfiltered and hazy from the wheat and yeast. If your Gose is crystal clear, something has gone wrong. The haze is correct.
Thin mouthfeel: Usually a mash temperature issue — try mashing at 67°C (153°F) next batch to leave more unfermentable dextrins in the beer.
Variations to Try
Once you have the base recipe dialed in, there are several directions worth exploring:
Fruited Gose — add 200–400g (7–14 oz) of fruit puree (raspberry, passion fruit, mango) at the end of fermentation. The combination of sour, salt, and fruit is what drove the American craft Gose boom of the 2010s.
Higher salt — some traditional Leipzig recipes used significantly more salt than modern interpretations. Try 12–15g (2–3 tsp) and see how it shifts the profile.
Alternative spices — some brewers substitute or supplement the coriander with grains of paradise, lemon peel, or chamomile. The key is restraint — Gose should be subtle.
Historical Goslar version — use water with a higher mineral content (add calcium chloride and sodium chloride to your brewing water) to approximate the naturally saline Gose river water that gave the original beer its character.
Final Thoughts
A well-made Gose is one of the most satisfying beers a homebrewer can produce — the combination of approachable sourness, mineral salt, and herbal coriander is genuinely complex for a beer that takes less than three weeks to make. The kettle souring process, once mastered, opens the door to a whole category of sour styles that would otherwise be inaccessible to the impatient brewer.
Brew it, drink it cold, and share it with someone who thinks they don’t like sour beer.
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