Beer of the week: Wild Card Passion Fruit Gose

NOW in their sixth year of brewing, Wild Card Brewery originated in Walthamstow.

After winning a few awards for their beers, they decided it was time to increase capacity. Now settled into their new, significantly larger, space it’s much easier to enjoy their beer further afield, including in the Trembling Madness.

This week’s beer, as is clear from its name, is a passion fruit beer. Brewed in the style of a gose, this is a lightly tart wheat beer that has been heavily dosed with passion fruit to add fresh aroma and flavour.

Pouring hazy straw blonde, a quick flash of white head rapidly drops to nothing. This leaves Wild Card’s passion fruit gose looking a bit closer to a cider in some respects. The aroma is intensely fruity, dripping with crisp, sweet raspberry, bitter lemon rind, and naturally a truckload of passion fruit.

Light bodied, with a velvety body, the initial flavour is zesty, sharp and brisk. Sherbet and fresh lemon juice vie for attention, while a sweet, wheat-y base softens the edges. Creamy, sweet passion fruit mixes with musty, aromatic mango, and a twist of lime before being shot through once again with bitter lemon.

Equal parts sweet and sour, and all the more refreshing for it, Wild Card have created a delightfully crisp gose and put a welcome twist on the style.

Recommended by Michael Bates,

Trembling Madness, York