A yeast by any other name

If you've got it flaunt it. Brussels has a strain of Brettanomyces named after it so it makes sense that the city's number one non-lambic brewery has made a beer with it as the centrepiece.

Brasserie De La Senne's Bruxellensis is the result, a pale ale at 6.5% ABV. It's a yellowish orange colour with the tall crackling head that tends to come parcelled with Brett's high attenuation. Funky aroma? Check. There's that durian-like mix of tropical fruit and lavatorial stank. The flavour is cleaner, and dominated by hop bitterness rather than funk. It softens a little after a moment or two, showing spicy incense, cedar and black pepper. The fruit has almost vanished leaving only a faint trace of peach in the finish. And obviously a fairly intense fizz runs all through it.

Overall this is very good, doing a great job of showing how much multifaceted fun can be had from this unique yeast. An ideal starting point for the Brett-curious.