‘Brett’ ales: A walk on the wild side

Lately a few pioneering U.S. brewers have been courting a bug called Brett, said Greg Kitsock in The Washington Post. This wild yeast—full name, Brettanomyces—is usually found on unsterilized equipment and inside wooden tanks. Many brewmasters regard it as the enemy, since it can spoil a beer if allowed to grow unchecked.

But for ages Belgian brewers have intentionally introduced Brett into their ales, because it can impart an extra dimension of flavor. Now some American brewers are using cultured yeasts to achieve the same effect—an “extremely lively ­carbonation and dense, billowy heads of foam.” Here are some of the best Brett beers.

Orval Trappist Ale

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This ale, from Belgium’s Abbey of Notre Dame d’Orval, “probably is the most admired and imitated Brett beer.” Its distinctive bowling-pin bottle is iconic, and it pours “a burnt orange with head as thick as a milkshake.”

Matilda Goose Island Beer

in Chicago packages this Orval tribute beer in a 22-ounce bottle with an unadorned, black-and-white label. Brilliant orange in color, it has an earthy aroma, a honey-like sweetness, an “herbal hoppy flavor,” and a dry aftertaste.

Wild Devil

“Not for the timid,” this aggressively hoppy, even “horsy” brew comes from Victory Brewing in Downingtown, Pa. The brewery is also known for its mainstay HopDevil, an India pale ale. This beer undergoes a primary fermentation with a Brett strain, and is then bottled with both Brett and normal yeasts.