Since we are heading to the Brewery tomorrow, I decided to
check around NY times for an article about beer making. I came across something
really odd about the yeasts used by beer/wine maker, Chad Yakobson. It is
called Brettanomyces. It is a ‘cousin’ of the domesticated, typical yeasts that
are normally brewed with. Brettanomyces is known as “wild yeast” – “a reference to its natural habitat (fruit skins) and to its volatile
temperament — “Brett,” as it is widely known, can lead to unpredictable
fermentations and gushing beer bottles, aromas politely described as funky, and
fear.” Usually brewers don’t want this type of yeast in their beer, and
try there hardest to sterilize all the equipment; But not Yakobson. He says
that this brings beer back to its roots, before there was sanitization.
Brettanomyces creates a whole new category of beers – “Brett Beers.”
Brewers who use
this type of beer making shoot for something along the lines of a pre – WWII Belgian
Brewery type beer. Instead of having a typical tasting beer, such as Budweiser,
Brett beer’s flavor can vary greatly. The flavors intensify in the bottle, “as
the yeast slowly metabolizes complex sugars.” Because the Brett beers
are so unique and ‘funky’ brewers think they will never become a mainstream
beer. It is also more expensive to brew Brett beer, and there is always a risk
that the wild yeasts will contaminate other ‘non-wild’ beers.
I enjoyed reading
this article. It was amazing to see that using ‘wild yeast’ can change the
flavor of the beer so drastically. There was really no argument in this
article, but it did have a lot of really cool information. The quotes from
actual Brett beer brewers helped inform the reader about what the beer is.
Pretty cool stuff.
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