Beer Stomping Ground Into The 'Wood Barrel Aged Gose With Lemon Myrtle

It’s probably thanks to the sheer number of kettle sours that keep getting released but when I receive a gose featuring native lemon myrtle, my first thought isn't "I bet this is barrel aged". But Stomping Ground’s first can of 2021 is a far cry from a sour made quickly, instead, it’s part of the brewery’s Into The ‘Wood series and Barrel Aged Gose with Lemon Myrtle spent 15 months ageing in French oak wine barrels.

That time in barrels has given it many layers of complexity too; the French oak provides soft vanilla and the Brettanomyces brings together orange and ripe apricot against a more herbal note. There’s also plenty of acidity and a light saltiness to cut back against the beer’s deeper flavours while the lemon myrtle complements all that acidity before the native ingredient is joined by other, slightly subtler, floral notes.

Will Ziebell