Victory Kirsch Gose

When I was a kid I loved Cherry Crush soda. On a nice summer day I would ride my bike to the local supermarket and buy a six pack or a 2 liter bottle of it and spend the remainder of the day drinking every last refreshing drop. By the end of the day I would have a tremendous sense of accomplishment, a massive stomach ache and a sugar high so big I could barely blink. But one day, seemingly out of nowhere, my desire to drink Cherry Crush completely vanished. I want to say it was because I realized drinking over 250 grams of sugar in a single sitting was a poor life decision but the truth is my palate changed. To me, Cherry Crush became so sweet it was unbearable to drink. For years I have been trying to relive those days with different cherry beverages, but found none that worked with my adult palate. Cherry sodas were too sweet, seltzer waters tasted too medicinal and cherry beers were typically mediocre at best. I had pretty much given up hope on finding a refreshing cherry beverage that worked me, but that changed when I took my first sip of Victory Kirsch Gose.

Victory Kirsch Gose, which according to the label is a “Sour Cherry Bier” that pours a light red, almost pink color with a white head. The aroma is bursting with tart cherries and little else. The flavor is more of the same. The flavor of sour, tart cherries immediately flooded my palate, before the light flavor of salt(which is common for the Gose style) and malt sweetness come in at the finish. I wish I could tell you I detected more subtle flavors but I did not. While I would have loved to see a little more depth in the flavor, I have to admit Kirsch Gose is an example of when a beer doesn't try to do too much and it works. The simple flavor of tart cherries with the perfect amount of carbonation make this a perfectly refreshing beer for a hot day. It's lack of overpowering sweetness and a low 4.7% ABV make it wonderfully sessionable as well. Basically this is cherry crush for adults.

Overall I would rate Victory Kirsch Gose a 4/5. It's simple, delicious and accessible. It just plain works.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!