Several years ago, we noticed a practice that, to two wine professionals, smacked of oddity: A growing number of progressive breweries were intentionally using Brettanomyces (pronounced brett-TAN-oh-MY-sees), a wild yeast commonly known as Brett, in their beers. We found this perplexing because the wine world has a long and difficult history with Brett. As internationally regarded wine importer Peter Wasserman, of France-based Becky Wasserman Selection, told us, “Basically, a super-light touch of Brett can add some interest to a wine. But anything other than a super-light touch becomes a flaw. A lot of professionals confuse that for terroir. It’s not. It’s a classic, well-documented and quantifiable flaw.” Simply put, at very low levels, Brett can add some appeal to a wine. However, at higher levels, the yeast tends to deaden the fruit, while simultaneously adding some combination of these aromas: Band-Aid, smoke, barnyard and the ridiculous yet accurate descriptor, hot horse saddle.
While confused as to why anything described as adding a hot horse aroma would be added to a beer, we were also curious. So we bought a few bottles of Brett beers and were thrilled by the balanced, complementary and occasionally very subtle attributes that this yeast was contributing. That got us thinking: What was it about the use of Brett that worked so well in these cases, and how long has this been happening?
“Brett was in almost all original beers, as they were spontaneously fermented,” said Cory King, head brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales and founder of Side Project Brewing. “The initial pH of the wort was higher than that of wine, allowing Brett a better environment to get going.” In the U.S., the trend of intentionally adding Brett to beer – be it during secondary or primary fermentation – has been around for around a decade, but it has accelerated in the last few years, King explained.
Jeremy Danner, ambassador brewer for Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing Co., further explained the allure of Brett. “We’ve all come to know our regular house yeasts quite well, but introducing Brettanomyces really lets the beer take on a life of its own,” he said.
Vinnie Cilurzo, co-owner and brewmaster of Russian River Brewing Co., in Santa Rosa, Calif., is one of America’s first brewers to play with Brett. “Brett can work well with certain varieties of hops,” Cilurzo said. “Take one of my favorite beers, Orval. This is a beer where the Brett is used only in the bottle conditioning, yet the Brett works so harmoniously with the beer overall, specifically the hops.” Cilurzo also emphasized that sour and barrel-aged beers are a particularly good mesh with Brett. “There is a great synergy between the funky Brett character and the sour, tart quality the bacteria brings in these beers,” he said.
Whether in beer or wine, too much of this wild yeast leaves the drinker with a mouthful of horse sweat and Band-Aids. Yet, what we consider too much Brett in wine is often not the case in beer since Brett doesn’t deaden the primary aromatic compounds in beer. In short, added complexity is Brett’s greatest attribute, but proportionality is the key to make it manifest.
Three Brett Beers to Try
1. Perennial Artisan Ales’ Aria is a Belgian-style ale fermented with Brett.
Tasting notes: aromas of peach and yellow plum; on the palate, Rainier cherry, plum and notes of barnyard and soil
2. Anchorage Brewing Co.’s Galaxy White IPA is conditioned with Brett.
Tasting notes: aromas of eucalyptus and hops; brined-orange palate; a sauvignon blanc-drinker’s beer
3. Green Flash Brewing Co.’s Rayon Vert is a Belgian-style pale ale conditioned with Brett. Tasting notes: lacy head; raspberry aroma; a leather and iodine palate with hints of tart plum
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2014.