Gose, An Enlightenment

A month or so ago, I got together with out barrel group (we need a real pack name) at Rustico Restaurant in Alexandria and they had Leipziger Gose on tap. Having never had a gose and knowing a couple details about it, I had to try it. It was this wonderful, low gravity wheat based german ale with flavors of coriander, some light savoriness (from the salt), and a touch of lactic funk. Aside from a Berliner weisse, it was such a refreshing beer, and one I was determind to brew.
I searched as much as I could on the web to find out the ingredients, fermentation, and how to make the perfect gose. The problem was, there's no definite example that defines the style and so I had to go on others' advice to make up my recipe. What I determined from all the recipes and advice I got was that a gose is essentially a cross between a witbier and a Berliner weise. It is: wheat based (at least 50% or greater), around 3.5-5% abv, spiced with coriander and salt, has a varying amount of lactic character (though more restrained than a Berliner) and a fairly clean fermentation profile (as opposed to a German Heffe).
What I had to determine was: how much lactic acid, how much coriander and salt, and what type of fermentation profile. Well, I ended up taking some advice, and also taking it into my own interpretation. I ended up using both a lactic culture (saved from the Berliner), Brettanomyces Clausenii (from another beer), and a clean American Hefeweizen yeast. I also decided to do a no-boil, double decoction to both "save" time and expand my brewing experience. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Stats OG 1.050 FG 1.010 IBU 5 ABV 5.2% SRM 6

Specifics Boil Volume 6 gallons Batch Size 5.5 gallons Yeast Wyeast 5335, US05, WLP320, Wyeast 5151 80% AA

Fermentables

% Weight	Weight (lbs)	Grain	Gravity Points	Color
36.4 %	4.00	American Pils	19.6	1.3
45.5 %	5.00	American Soft White Wheat	26.5	2.5
9.1 %	1.00	American Munich (Light)	4.4	1.8
9.1 %	1.00	Flaked Oats	4.4	0.4
	11.00		54.9

Hops

% Wt	Weight (oz)	Hop	Form	AA%	AAU	Boil Time	Utilization	IBU
100.0 %	1.25	Saaz	Whole/Plug	3.2	4.0	MH	0.083	4.5
	1.25							4.5

6/3/09: Brewed a bit after racking my Mango Spice beer. Ended up doing a double decoction, meeting rests: 135 (10min), 150 (40min), 158 (5min). The last I wasn't able to get to a mash out. I boiled each decoction for 10-15min. 1oz of Penzey's Coriander (whole, ground to a powder with my Vitamix) added at the sanitation heatup of the wort.
6/17/09: Nice thin pellicle starting to form. Very streaky in appearance, pretty cool. Gravity down to 1.010 (79% AA). The flavor is simply amazing, the mingling of lactic and brett with a great bready finish. The coriander plays in there as well and I think the salt addition will add some nice savoriness. I can't wait to keg it up!
7/02/09: Kegged about 4.5gal and bottled 2gal. The keg got 16 grams of kosher salt while the bottles got 11 grams. Didn't taste either so we'll see how they go. Final gravity still hovering around 1.010.