Brett IPA
The Brett IPA ferments, wholly or partly, with Brettanomyces, a wild yeast genus that contributes funky, earthy, and fruity character far removed from clean ale yeast. Layered over an IPA hop bill, Brett produces a complex, dry, often spritzy beer that bridges the hoppy and the wild-fermented worlds.
#What Brettanomyces Does
Brettanomyces ("Brett" for short) is a wild yeast traditionally associated with Belgian lambic and old English stock ales. In an IPA it contributes:
- Funk: barnyard, hay, leather, light earthiness.
- Fruit: pineapple, mango, stone fruit, tropical notes that can echo modern hop character.
- High attenuation: Brett ferments dextrins other yeast cannot, yielding a very dry finish. See Fermentation.
A Brett IPA may be 100% Brett-fermented or, more commonly, fermented first with standard IPA Yeast Strains and then aged on Brett.
#Brett and Hops: Allies and Rivals
Brett's tropical-fruit esters can amplify the perceived juiciness of a citrus-tropical hop bill. But Brett also slowly consumes hop aromatics, and its funk can clash with delicate hop oils; see Hop Aroma Compounds. Timing and hop selection are everything.
#Fresh vs. Aged
| Young Brett IPA | Aged Brett IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Hop aroma | Still vivid | Faded (see Hop Fade and Oxidation) |
| Brett character | Light, fruity | Deeper funk, more earthy |
| Best enjoyed | Fresh, like any IPA | After months of conditioning |
This makes the Brett IPA unusual: unlike most of the family, some examples improve with age rather than demanding immediate consumption.
#Place in the Family
The Brett IPA belongs to the IPA family's wild-and-funky branch alongside the Sour IPA and, more loosely, the Belgian IPA. All three are yeast-defined cross-genre hybrids within Specialty and Experimental IPAs.
#Continue Reading
- Sour IPA: the tart wild-fermentation cousin
- Belgian IPA: the related yeast-driven hybrid
- IPA Yeast Strains: yeast and Brett explained
- Off-Flavors in IPA: when Brett funk crosses into fault
- Specialty and Experimental IPAs: the experimental frontier