Brettanomyces is a wild yeast with domestic traits. "Brett" is found throughout the natural world. Microscopy helps define and familiarize the behaviors of Brett as it industriously creates the tastes and textures of unique artisan food and beverages.
Yeast is essential in nature, helping decompose fruits and other sugary foods especially those high in fructose and glucose. In its ceaseless quest to ferment, yeast transforms raw ingredients into culinary wonders. Brett is especially beloved for its untamed flavorful flair.
Complex flavors and unpredictable character set it apart from the popular Saccharomyces cerevisiae, aka brewer's or baker's yeast, which imparts a cleaner taste. Brettanomyces is important to ecological cycles as well as in brewing, baking and other food production.
This yeast is commonly found on or in fruits, vegetables, and in natural environments like grass and soil. It also frequents grain ready for harvest.
In citrus like oranges, yeast shuns the peel and grows inside the fruit, arriving there from the nectar-bearing blossom. A Penicillium mold grows on the peels. An adaptable survivor, Brettanomyces can ferment sugars unpalatable to Saccharomyces and other genera.
This enables it to produce not only ethanol but also a variety of volatile compounds such as esters to enrich flavors. Brettanomyces can create tasting notes ranging from musky and earthy to floral and fruity, perfect for experimenting with diverse and signature flavors.
Identifying Brettanomyces in the wild or in products might take time. This yeast can be distinguished from Saccharomyces cerevisiae through taste, qualities and appearance of the product, as well as yeast microscopy.
Under the microscope Brett can appear ovoid like S. cerevisiae, which itself can form elongated cells like Brettanomyces especially when colonizing. Both are found in the wild, and strains of these yeasts present in different ways.
While exceptions can happen, in general Saccharomyces cerevisiae creates chains of spherical cells to make pseudohyphae. Brett's pseudohyphae tend to resemble sausage links, with many assuming the more complex balloon animal formation.
Many strains appear within one single species. For instance the yeast Genetic Resource Center (YGRC) maintains over 9,000 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The first Brettanomyces sp. is isolated in 1903
The Brettanomyces genus has five species, each with their own strains. Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces anomalus are used in brewing. A third species, Brettanomyces custersianus, shows potential.
Importance of Wild Yeast: Brettanomyces
Brettanomyces is at home in natural environments, often found on fruits, grains, and even in the air. Unlike its more cultivated cousin, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the primary yeast used in brewing and baking, Brettanomyces is known for its diverse metabolic capabilities.
It can produce a wide range of flavors and aromas suited to the complexity of artisan products. One of the most significant characteristics of Brettanomyces is its ability to ferment sugars unfermentable by other yeast strains.
This trait makes it invaluable in production of sour beers, traditional Belgian lambics, and certain types of bread. Authenticity is a core element of artisan food and beverage creation.
Use of wild yeast like Brettanomyces draws from traditional production methods, providing depth to flavors. Craft breweries have increasingly turned to Brett to create brews distinctive in a crowded market.
Brewing and Food Production
Brewing
Its variable nature can lead to diverse flavor profiles from batch to batch, making each brew a unique experience. For example, in the production of a Belgian Saison, Brett can impart a dry, effervescent quality with a hint of spice.
In a lambic beer, it can add complexity through prolonged fermentation in oak barrels. Subtle flavors reminiscent of fruit skins and tannins emerge.
Lambic is a variety of beer brewed in Belgium since the 13th century. Varieties of lambic beer include gueuze, kriek lambic, and framboise.
Unlike most other beers, lambic is fermented with wild yeasts and bacteria traditionally from the Zenne valley, instead of using cultivated brewer's yeast strains. This method imparts the beer with its unique flavor: dry, vinous, and cidery, often with a tart aftertaste.
Some breweries have perfected the use of Brett in signature beers. Orval Trappist Ale, from Belgium, combines hoppy bitterness with the earthy notes of Brettanomyces.
Another example is the Brett IPA, which merges traditional India Pale Ale hop character with the fruity esters of Brett. This combination produces flavors beyond the typical IPA, delighting beer enthusiasts with its complexity.
According to the 1516 Reinheitsgebot of Bavaria, Germany, the only ingredients permitted in beer are water, barley and hops. Although yeast is not mentioned, it's not known as a living organism until the 19th century through the work of Louis Pasteur.
After the unification of Germany 1871, the Reinheitsgebot is adopted in other regions and eventually the whole of Germany. It has remained the same since medieval times, with amendments for artisan brewing or commerce.
Baking
Brettanomyces also finds its way into artisanal bread-making. Bakers experiment with Brett-infused sourdough loaves, where the yeast contributes to the bread's flavor complexity and aroma. Its fermentation properties create tangy taste and chewy texture in breads.
The sourdough fermentation process relies not only on wild yeast but also lactic acid bacteria, which contribute to its tangy flavor. By adding Brett into sourdough, bakers can create bread with fruity notes and a crispy crust.
Other Food Products
Beyond brewing and baking, Brettanomyces has been used in producing fermented foods like kimchi, cheese, coffee and chocolate. Its ability to enhance flavors through fermentation is recognized by many chefs and food artisans, leading to new culinary possibilities.
Brettanomyces in Wine
When Brettanomyces develops in wine, the compounds it generates affect layers of taste and aroma. At minimal concentrations, some winemakers find these compounds have a positive influence on wine, adding complexity and imparting an aged quality to young red wines.
Many wines, like Château Musar, depend on Brettanomyces for unique character. However, when these same compounds exceed the sensory threshold their impact is almost always negative.
The sensory threshold varies among people, with some finding the compounds more palatable than others do. Although beneficial at lower levels, high levels can easily happen due to the prolific nature of yeast. This can seriously mess up the integrity of the wine.
Since Brettanomyces has potential to spoil wine, it's usually regarded as wine spoilage yeast. Its presence is considered a wine fault.
Identifying Brettanomyces: A Distinctive Character
Sensory Identification
Brettanomyces produces distinctive flavors during fermentation. The range of descriptors for Brett-influenced beverages include clove, barnyard and earthy. According to the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, Brett can influence up to 40% of flavor profile in wines.
In contrast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae creates cleaner flavors with fewer complex undertones. Its aromas are more straightforward, characterized by sweetness or fruit, which contrasts with the funkier tones of Brett.
Microscopic Differentiation
Under a microscope, Brettanomyces cells are larger and irregular than Saccharomyces cells. Saccharomyces usually forms round or oval cells. Brettanomyces can display a more elongated and filamentous shape. Structures of Brett cells can look like balloon animals.
Brettanomyces cells are extended or ovoid. Their pseudohyphae are longer and thinner than the roundish or oval cells of S. cerevisiae. They're also differentiated by their growth on selective media favoring one yeast over the other.
Interesting Facts About Brettanomyces
Health Benefits: Some studies suggest that Brettanomyces may offer health benefits due to its ability to produce probiotics during fermentation.
Controlled Wild Fermentation: Modern craft brewers increasingly use controlled wild fermentation methods to incorporate Brettanomyces in a predictable manner, balancing its wild nature with the need for consistency.
Aromas and Flavors: Brettanomyces can produce unique esters and phenols, which contribute to its characteristic flavors. Common phenols include 4-ethyl phenol (musky) and 4-ethyl guaiacol (smoky or spicy).
Sour Beer: Classic Belgian lambics heavily rely on Brettanomyces, which incorporates the unique flavor and fermentation conditions of the Senne Valley.
Bretted Wine: Some winemakers intentionally use Brett for select red wine varieties to enrich earthy flavors complementing the wine’s fruity notes.
While Brett can enhance flavors, uncontrolled growth can cause off-tasting flavors. Careful management is essential for artisan food and beverage making.
Brettanomyces yeast stands as a transformative force in artisan food and beverage creation. Its ability to introduce complexity and character allows artisans to connect with age-old traditions of wild fermentation.
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