The Sour Note Cherry Gose 6Pk

The Sour Note Cherry Gose 6Pk is a 4% ABV gose-style ale brewed with Michigan cherry puree, coriander, sea salt, and lactose sugar, sold as a six-pack. Produced by The Sour Note Brewing out of Hammond, Indiana, this expression stands apart from many traditional gose recipes through its use of lactose, adding a subtle body and roundness that tempers the style's characteristic tartness.

Quick Facts: ABV: 4%  |  Origin: Hammond, Indiana, USA  |  Style: Cherry Gose  |  Brewery: The Sour Note Brewing

Production & Heritage

The Sour Note Brewing operated out of Hammond, Indiana, specializing in sour and wild ales. The Cherry Gose follows the traditional German gose blueprint — a wheat-based ale brewed with coriander and sea salt — but diverges with the addition of Michigan cherry puree and lactose sugar. The lactose contributes a subtle creaminess that softens the sour edges, while the cherry puree provides both color and fruit character without overwhelming the base beer's delicate salt-and-acid balance.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with lemon and sour apple, followed by a light barnyard funk. A subtle cherry note rounds out the aromatics, though it remains restrained rather than fruit-forward.

Taste: The palate is medium-light in body with a firm, sharp sourness on entry. Lemon rind, apple cider vinegar, and a tonic-like bitterness dominate the mid-palate, while tart cherry and a subtle salinity emerge underneath. Layers of toasted malt and gentle funk add complexity beneath the acidity.

Finish: Dry and decidedly tart, with lingering lemon juice flavors that carry through cleanly. The salt lingers faintly, encouraging another sip.

How to Drink Cherry Gose

This gose drinks best well chilled, poured into a tulip glass or Willi Becher to concentrate the aromatics. At 4% ABV, it is highly sessionable and works equally well on its own or as a component in beer cocktails.

• Berliner Shandy: Mix with lemonade for a refreshing warm-weather drink that amplifies the citrus character.
• Gose Michelada: Combine with lime juice, hot sauce, and a salted rim — the beer's existing salinity and tartness create a natural fit.
• Cherry Radler: Blend with grapefruit soda to highlight the cherry and citrus notes while keeping the ABV low.

Best For

• Warm-weather cookouts and outdoor sessions where low ABV is ideal
• Introducing sour-curious drinkers to the gose style
• Pairing with brunch dishes that call for bright acidity
• Building a tasting flight of American fruited gose variations

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Sour Note Cherry Gose taste like? It delivers a sharp, tart profile led by lemon rind and apple cider vinegar, with restrained cherry fruit, subtle sea salt, and a dry, acidic finish. The lactose adds a faint creaminess that softens the sourness without making the beer sweet.

How does Cherry Gose compare to Anderson Valley Cherry Gose? Anderson Valley's version uses Montmorency sour cherries and tends to deliver a more pronounced, bright cherry flavor upfront, while The Sour Note's rendition leans heavier into lemon-driven tartness and funky complexity, with cherry playing a supporting role. The addition of lactose in The Sour Note also gives it a slightly rounder mouthfeel than Anderson Valley's leaner, more traditional body.

Is Cherry Gose good for beginners? At 4% ABV with a manageable tartness balanced by subtle salt and lactose, it serves as a solid introduction to sour beer styles, though drinkers who prefer sweetness may find the dry, acidic profile challenging.

Where is The Sour Note Cherry Gose made? It was brewed by The Sour Note Brewing in Hammond, Indiana, a brewery that focused on sour and wild ale styles.

What foods pair well with Cherry Gose? Grilled shrimp or fish tacos complement the beer's salinity and citrus tartness. Fresh goat cheese or a light chèvre salad echoes the tangy acidity. Smoked pork benefits from the beer's dry, cutting sourness. Fruit-topped desserts like cherry clafoutis mirror the cherry notes, while briny oysters align naturally with the salt-forward character.

What sizes does Cherry Gose come in? The Sour Note Cherry Gose is available as a six-pack of 12 oz units, the standard format for this release.

Is Cherry Gose worth the price? It positions as an approachable, session-strength craft gose, sitting in the everyday craft beer value tier rather than premium or limited-release pricing, making it a reasonable pickup for exploring the fruited gose category.

Why Cherry Gose?

What distinguishes this beer from the crowded American fruited gose field is the deliberate inclusion of lactose sugar alongside the traditional coriander-and-salt backbone. That addition creates a textural counterpoint to the sharp acidity that most competing cherry goses lack. The Michigan cherry puree contributes authentic regional fruit character without turning the beer into a fruit punch, keeping the focus on the style's essential tension between sour, salty, and savory. For drinkers exploring what American brewers have done with the gose tradition, this Hammond, Indiana release represents a thoughtful variation worth tasting.