I wanted to make a beer that would become more complex over time, so last summer I brewed a Brett Saison.

Before I get into the tasting I want to briefly discuss the type of Brett I used, brettanomyces bruxellensis. Brett brux is a wild yeast commonly found in lambic style beer and is associated with the Senne valley, near Brussels. It’s able to eat the long chain, more complex sugars (dextrins) that Saccharomyces (“regular yeast”) cannot.

In the Utilization by Yeasts of the Carbohydrates of Wort they talk about brett brux saying, “This yeast is remarkable for its ready attack on maltotriose and maltotetraose.” To put that in perspective, Saccharomyces cannot eat maltotetraose at all and it eats maltotriose slowly. Not only does brett brux eat sugars other yeasts can’t, it converts phenols created by the sacc yeast into “funky” compounds. This gives that aroma/flavor that’s typically described as, “funky, barnyard, or horse blanket”. Brett brux can have some acidic qualities, but is not responsible for souring beer. I’m barely scratching the surface here and being brief, for more go here.

After stumbling upon this thread on Homebrewtalk, I was excited to give it a go. I’d had Boulevard’s saison brett, which is a great beer so I was excited to use the dregs from a bottle. This was my first mixed fermented saison and I’ve been quite pleased with the results.

Appearance

Crystal clear, with a light golden hue. Pure white head that dissipates quickly, no lacing.

Aroma

Sour cherry straws, funky wooden attic, acid, lightly funky earth, dirt basement.

Taste/Flavor

Lightly acidic, funky, light spice, a tinge tart. Quite complex. Dry and all kinds of subtle funk. Tart funk lingers, it’s really nice and complex.

Mouthfeel

light, quite dry. Light mouthfeel, very light carbonation (hasn’t held up).

Notes

After over a year, it’s still an enjoyable beer. It drinks nice and is quite complex. I really enjoy the tones of funk I’m getting from this beer, I wish there was more yeast character (will use different yeast next time) and the carbonation held up. I have 2 bottles left, I’ll let em sit for now.

Recipe will be posted.