This is No Corporate Beer, Decibel’s semi-new beer-spotting, consumer guide where we drink a beer and then review it. Now that we’ve accomplished the drinking part of the equation, we present the review part below. 

Beer: Tequila Barrel Lime Gose
Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Co (Kansas City, MO)
Style: Sour – Gose
4.2% ABV / 11 IBU

This drinks like a salt-rimmed margarita, but it’s nonetheless a weirdly authentic rendition of a sour gose, thanks to the fine balance of tartness (limes) and brininess (sea salt). Without the salty kick, it’s not a gose; it’s just some wack mouth-puckering sour brewed from bacteria cultures from Sour Patch Kids rescued from under movie theater seats, marinated in hobo pee in a petri dish. Salt is what specifically enlivens the flavor of the citrus. For the uninitiated, the newly-popular gose style actually dates back to 6000 BC, when it was imbibed by followers of malevolent god Gozer aka Gozer the Gozerian aka Gozer the Destructor. In other words: this beer is the keymaster, and your tum-tum is the gatekeeper.

This is also a nice turn for Boulevard, known for high gravity Belgians and a barrel-aged series that’s so strong that a whiff can get you crocked. Even Boulevard’s dark sour Changeling takes things to excess: almost double the ABV, two different – whiskey and wine – barrels, and two different types of bacteria. Boulevard’s Tequila Barrel Lime Gose is a relatively unfussy affair, with a little sweetness to keep the tartness in check. It’s extremely drinkable, like in an all-day, erryday kinda way, or as a stealth accompaniment to a picnic, or even for a quiet night at home with a cat on your lap while you stare into a plate of sadness nachos. Not that I’ve done that, but yeah, I’ve done that.

For more on Boulevard Brewing Co and the Tequila Barrel Lime Gose, visit their website.