International Happy Gose Day Date in the current year: November 17, 2024

Gose is a style of German beer produced by warm fermentation. It belongs to the sour beer family that also includes Belgian lambic beers (gueuze, framboise and kriek lambic), Flanders red ale, Flanders brown (oud bruin), Berliner Weisse, and American wild ale. All these beers have an intentionally tart flavor that is achieved by adding special bacteria or yeast strains into the brew, or by adding fruit.

Gose was first brewed in Goslar, a small town in Lower Saxony, in the early 13th century. Originally, it was spontaneously fermented without the deliberate addition of yeast. By the end of the 19th century, brewers learned how to achieve the same affect deliberately by adding a combination of lactic acid bacteria and top-fermenting yeast into the brew.

Around the 18th century, gose became so popular in Leipzig that local brewers copied the style. By the late 19th century, gose was considered a local beer, and there were numerous gose taverns (Gosenschänken) in Leipzig. However, the number of breweries producing gose declined during the first half of 20th century.

The last brewery producing gose, the Rittergutsbrauerei Döllnitz, closed in 1945. The beer disappeared completely for several years; the Friedrich Wurzler Brauerei in Leipzig brewed it between 1949 and 1966, but there was little demand for gose. It was revived again in 1986, but then briefly disappeared in 1988. The true revival of gose began after that, and the newfound popularity of this unusual style of beer have been growing steadily over the past decades.

The grain bill of gose usually consists of at least 50% malted wheat. The beer is brewed with an addition of coriander and salt, which makes it non-compliant with the Reinheitsgebot (regulations limiting beer ingredients in Germany). However, an exception has been made for gose because it is considered a regional specialty.

Gose beers usually aren’t very strong; their alcohol content tends to be moderate, ranging from 4 to 5% ABV. They are not particularly hoppy either; the dominant flavors of gose are tart, salty, and herbal. Due to its rather specific taste, gose is not everyone’s cup of tea (or should we say not everyone’s glass of beer?), but it is definitely worth trying at least once in your life.

Given the popularity of gose in Leipzig, it is not surprising that International Happy Gose Day originated here. The first celebration took place on November 17, 2016. The holiday has been observed every year since then by gose lovers all over the world.

The best way to celebrate International Happy Gose Day is to drink some gose. This style of beer might not be easy to come by, but it you know a pub or brewery that serves gose, you definitely should introduce your friends to this amazing beer. And don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #InternationalHappyGoseDay and #HappyGoseDay.