Gose Me Baby Recipe

Mash

Heat 3.5 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C). Add crushed grains (wheat, light malt if using all-grain, Munich, crystal, oats, rice hulls, acidulated malt) to the mash tun and target a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Hold for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure conversion. Perform a mash out at 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes if desired.

Sparge and Collect Wort

Sparge with enough water to collect about 6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle. Bring collected wort to a gentle boil.

Boil

Boil the wort for 60 minutes. Add hops (0.5 oz) at 60 minutes for very low bitterness. Add crushed coriander seeds at 10 minutes left in the boil. Add 1.5 tsp sea salt with 5 minutes remaining. If using lactose, add the lactose with 10 minutes remaining so it dissolves (it will not ferment). Reserve graham cracker crumbs to be added post-fermentation (see finishing).

Cool and Kettle Souring (Option A: Lacto Souring)

Cool the wort to 100-110°F (38-43°C). Transfer to a sanitized vessel and pitch Lactobacillus culture (or add lactic acid gradually) to sour the wort to desired pH 3.3-3.6. Maintain warm temperature (100°F/38°C) for 24-48 hours, monitoring pH. Stop souring by boiling or by cooling and proceeding to primary fermentation if using pasteurized Lacto. If using lactic acid instead, adjust pH to target and skip culture souring steps.

Sanitize and Ferment

After souring, bring wort to a brief boil (10-15 minutes) to sterilize, then cool to 66-68°F (19-20°C). Transfer to a sanitized fermenter and pitch brewer's yeast (11 g). Ferment at 66-68°F until primary fermentation is complete (about 5-10 days). If you used lactic acid instead of culture, ferment immediately after cooling.

Secondary / Conditioning

After primary fermentation slows, rack to a secondary or leave in the fermenter and condition for 3-7 days to allow flavors to meld. At this stage, prepare additions for the key lime pie character.

Carbonation & Packaging

If bottling, dissolve priming sugar (3 oz) in 2/3 cup boiling water, cool, add to bottling bucket and bottle. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.2-2.8 volumes CO2. Allow bottles to condition for 1-2 weeks at room temperature, then chill before serving.

Prepare Key Lime Finishing Mix

One to three days before packaging (or at gentle secondary), heat the sweetened condensed milk gently with key lime zest and vanilla (do not boil) to combine; cool completely. Mix in fresh key lime juice. If you want a brighter, lighter lime hit, split the juice additions: half into secondary and half at packaging. Add graham cracker crumbs to a small jar and toast in oven at 300°F for 8-10 minutes until fragrant; cool.

Addition to Beer

Sanitize all utensils. Add the cooled key lime/condensed milk mixture to the fermenter gently to avoid oxygen pickup. Add the toasted graham cracker crumbs in a sanitized muslin bag for 3-5 days contact to impart crust notes, then remove. If using lactose for extra sweetness and mouthfeel, dissolve lactose earlier in the boil (as above) or add at secondary; if already added in boil, do not add now.

Adjust and Taste

Taste the beer after 24-72 hours of additions. If more brightness is desired, add small additional amounts (1-2 oz) of fresh key lime juice to taste, remembering that fresh juice will add acidity and some fermentable sugars that may be consumed if residual yeast remain. If too tart, allow conditioning to mellow or add a small additional dose of sweetened condensed milk (sanitized).

Final Packaging Note

When packaging, avoid large amounts of particulate (remove most graham crumbs). Bottle or keg as above. Chill and allow flavors to integrate for best representation of key lime pie character (1-2 weeks). Serve cold with a lime wheel or graham crumb rim for presentation.