Brettanomyces bruxellensis
| Brettanomyces bruxellensis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Ascomycota |
| Subphylum: | Saccharomycotina |
| Class: | Saccharomycetes |
| Order: | Saccharomycetales |
| Family: | Pichiaceae |
| Genus: | Brettanomyces |
| Species: | B. bruxellensis |
| Binomial name | |
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Brettanomyces bruxellensis Kufferath and von Laer |
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Brettanomyces bruxellensis (the anamorph of Dekkera bruxellensis) is a yeast associated with and named after, the Senne valley near Brussels, Belgium. It is one of several members of the genus Brettanomyces, which were first classified at the Carlsberg brewery in 1904 by their technical director Niels Hjelte Claussen, who was investigating it as a cause of the fine flavour and condition of English ales, hence the name. Claussen applied on 17 May 1904 under U.S. Patent Application Number: US1904208464A for the "Manufacture of English beers and malt liquors". The patent was granted on 20 February 1906. The Isolation of an organism derived from bottles of traditional English beer was described and therefore chosen the name Brettanomyces, for the British origin "briton" and "myces" for the characterisation as fungus. Despite its Latin species name, B. bruxellensis is found all over the globe. In the wild, it is often found on the skins of fruit.
B. bruxellensis plays a key role in the production of the typical Belgian beer styles such as Lambic, Flanders red ales, Gueuze, Kriek, and Orval, but it is not part of spontaneous fermentation biota. It is naturally found in the brewery environment living within oak barrels that are used for the storage of beer during the secondary conditioning stage. Here it completes the long slow fermentation or super-attenuation of beer, often in symbiosis with Pediococcus sp. Macroscopically visible colonies look whitish and show a dome-shaped aspect, depending on the age and size.
B. bruxellensis is increasingly being used by American craft brewers, especially in Maine, California and Colorado. Allagash Brewing Company Port Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Russian River Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company and Rocket Brewing Company have all brewed beers fermented with B. bruxellensis. The beers have a slightly sour, earthy character. Some have described it as having a "barnyard" or "wet horse blanket" flavor.
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Wikipedia