Robin Shepard
Tangent, the new taproom and restaurant opening this fall at 803 E. Washington Ave., is already introducing its beers at its parent brewpub, Vintage Brewing. For Tangent, brewmaster Scott Manning has come up with a salty gose made tart with elderberries.
What is it? Briny The Elder from the Tangent Taproom and Kitchen, a new venture from Vintage Brewing Company.
Style: The gose (pronounced "gose-uh,") can be traced back in legend over 1,000 years to Germany. Traditional versions of this beer can be quite sour and salty. The saltiness in original gose likely derived from naturally saline and mineral-rich water from around Goslar and Leipzig. The style is similar to a hefeweizen in that it’s made with high amounts of malted wheat, very little hop bitterness and low alcohol (4.4 to 5.4 percent ABV).
Background: Briny The Elder is among the first Tangent beers to appear and displays Manning’s wide-ranging interests and brewing talent.
Briny The Elder is made using a kettle sour process that involves cooking the grist, but then allowing it to cool in the brew kettle, where lactobacillus is introduced. After a couple days, the mash becomes sour and the brewing process is restarted with enough heat to kill the bacteria. Next, the brewer introduces an ale brewer’s yeast for fermentation. Manning adds a cooked mixture of elderberries, cinnamon sticks and sea salt during final aging.
Elderberries are common in desserts, jellies and wine, less so in beers because of the fruit’s tannic and astringent qualities. Combining them with cinnamon is an idea Manning drew from his mother’s homemade pies. “This beer even appeals to my mom,” he says (and he considers that an accomplishment).
The name Briny The Elder is a play off the name of Pliny the Elder, not only a Latin naturalist and author but a legendary double IPA made by Russian River Brewing Company of Santa Rosa, California. Manning’s Briny has nothing in common with the bold citrus and pine of Pliny, but that’s the name.
Briny The Elder finishes at 4.9 percent ABV. Right now, it sells at Vintage on Whitney Way for $5/glass, $7.50/crowler.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: A light fruity floral nose.
- Appearance: A hazy amber-colored body, with a purple/pinkish hue. A thick, bubbly white head with a tint of gray and purple in the suds.
- Texture: Light bodied, very bubbly.
- Taste: A mild sourness blends with the tart tannin of the elderberries. The cinnamon emerges from the background and becomes more evident as the beer warms.
- Finish/Aftertaste: The sour of the gose and its hint of the sea salt blend well with the elderberries for an approachable tartness. The cinnamon also lingers, so drink this beer very cold to avoid the spicy cinnamon overtaking the other flavors.
Glassware: Go with the tulip or the snifter, both great glasses to show off this beer’s hazy deep purple/amber tones while encouraging sipping.
Pairs well with: a hard gruyere to blend the sour and slight saltiness of the gose. Softer, sweeter goat cheese with nuts and honey is also a nice alternative match that draws out the tart elderberry and cinnamon notes.
The Verdict: Briny The Elder is a creative approach to sours and a departure from those that are extremely tart. This beer should appeal to those curious about sours and anyone looking for something different.
The elderberry does add sour and tartness; however, it’s more tannin-like. The cinnamon becomes more evident over the course of a glass, with a pie-like spiciness. If there is a slight negative, there may be a bit too much cinnamon in this beer, especially as it warms — more spiciness emerges and almost becomes out of balance. I recommend drinking this beer very cold (almost frozen) to bring out the sourness of the Gose and the tartness of the elderberries even more. At extremely low serving temps it takes on a bubbly, refreshing wine cooler character.
