Sycamore Brewing “Paloma Gose”

Style: Gose
ABV: 5.0%

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed something from Sycamore Brewing (based in Charlotte, NC), but if you recall, our review of their “Mountain Candy” IPA was one of the earliest reviews of East Carolina Beer and Brewing. We’ve both certainly grown a lot throughout this journey and it feels right to revisit one of the great breweries in North Carolina (sadly, they aren’t based in the eastern part of the state near us, but they have a great distribution model that brings plenty of their canned brews to our neck of the woods).

Joe’s Take

“Paloma Gose,” likely named after the refreshing cocktail “Paloma” had me intrigued as Nick and I were perusing the beer wall at our local pour-it-yourself taproom. With warmer weather approaching we thought it might be nice to have a summery refreshing beer in this week’s review. We grabbed a 4-pack, split it, and hit the road. 

I started the tasting by pouring the contents of the can into my goblet/tulip glass to help capture some of the aromas and “Paloma Gose” showed its colors as an opaque, pale orange liquid. It had the look of a citrus juice blend and had a slightly darker hue than its namesake cocktail cousin. There was little head and after a few brief seconds in the glass the beer looked like a cocktail waiting to be finished off with some ice. I refrained and continued on with my tasting. 

The aroma of the citrus sour beer was just that, citrusy and slightly funky. True to its roots it had a grapefruit-like citrus aroma that was backed up by sweetness and some slight cereal notes. It smelled incredibly refreshing and it made me feel like this is a beer you could give anyone and say “so you don’t like beer huh? Try this.” Well, that would work, as long as they liked grapefruit. More on that when we talk about flavor. 

Mouthfeel was easy and bright. The gose was light to medium bodied and hit with some tart acidity that was washed away by bubbly carbonation. The mouthfeel was pleasant and helped contribute to that sparkling cocktail feel.

I’ve never had a Paloma, only seen them online or in menus, but I imagine that this beer can’t be too far off from how they taste. The flavor reminded me of a sparkling sweetened grapefruit juice cut with some alcohol to make it less sweet. Citrus aromas and flavors dominated but there was still that detectable cereal-like flavor that pulled through. I welcomed it as it made the beer seem more like beer and not just a big glass of juice. Like I said before, you could likely hand this to a non-beer drinker, have them take a sip and then wait for them to say “this is beer?” 

As for drinkability, I would rate this as a summer crusher. The sweetness is the only drawback but I could easily throw a couple of these back on the beach or poolside without question.

Nick’s Take

I don’t always mention the can design in my reviews, but I love the art that Sycamore Brewing has on the can for “Paloma Gose.” It has a pop art vibe and the bright colors really catch the eye (probably making it that much easier to select at Mpourium, one of our local taprooms and bottle shops). The beer itself has an orange-yellow color that allows some light to creep through but wasn’t translucent. The bubbly head fleeted immediately after pouring, forcing me to take a photo very quickly before the gose resembled a still body of water.

On the nose, “Paloma Gose” produced tart lime juice aromas, as well some sweeter citrus fruit; juicy orange and grapefruit (adding some citrusy and tart tones), as well as a level of acidity that comes from citrus fruits. The brewery also notes that agave and a touch of salt are present, which are both regular and welcome additions to gose-style ales. The profile of this beer screams summer, which is finally just around the corner.

This is a crisp beer to be sure. While the carbonation doesn’t lend itself to retaining the foam after pouring, it stays present in the mouthfeel and adds a brightness to the light body. “Paloma Gose” still drinks very smoothly and is not drying; rather, it leaves some mouthcoat from the acidic components, which entices you to take another drink to help rinse your palate.

Upfront, I’d say this gose starts a little more sweet before hitting those sour notes. I tasted a little more orange citrus flavor than I expected, but it was quickly subdued later by the tart lime juice. The tartness was again amplified by the grapefruit flavor on the backend. Goses tend to have lower ABV measurements as it is, but it’s always a treat when you find a flavorful brew at a modest 5% ABV.

As I mentioned before, I attribute “Paloma Gose” to the hot summer months. Limey/citrusy beers hit the spot while soaking up some sun at the beach or the pool, or spending a day out on the water if you’re lucky enough to have a boat – if you’re even luckier, you have a friend who has a boat. Definitely keep this gose in mind as you’re getting ready to stock your beer supply this summer. It’s light in ABV but not in flavor, and you could easily crush a few of these to keep you cool.