Friday Beer Reco: Is 33 Acres’ Mezcal Gose the Beer of the Summer?

The last couple summers in Vancouver seem to have been stolen from sour beers. There was the summer of the radler. Then hazy IPAs had their moment in the sun. And, of course, there’s a general population that’s always going to try to make every summer the “summer of the lager.” That’s not even factoring in the recent booms seen by drinks like Hey Y’All, Nude/Nutrl, White Claw, etc, etc.

So yeah, sour beers have waited for their moment patiently. And this year seems up for grabs. Like with the current song of the summer battle, there doesn’t seem to be a clear frontrunner. (Full disclosure: I had only listened to two of these before writing this article, though I won’t say which ones in fear of being outed as the very uncool 30-something I am).

But like T Swift repurposing an old album that maybe didn’t get the appreciation it deserved at the time (okay, I guess I’ve outed myself as uncool), 33 Acres Brewing has come back with its very excellent Mezcal Gose (this time in six packs!) in a summer in which we could all certainly use some good news.

More or less a paloma merged with a beer, this thing absolutely hits. It’s conditioned on Mezcal oak with fresh lime zest and Vancouver Island sea salt, making for a bright, tart and slightly smoky ale that never overwhelms with sweetness.

It’s no surprise that when I went to 33 and ordered the beer, the cashier told me that one out of every three customers asks for it. The hype is real, folks! 

You know what, it’s sorta like 2020’s song of the summer—classy, bougie, ratchet. (I promise to stop now.)