Uncovering The Yeast In Sour Beers: A Tasty Mystery

Sour beers are made through wild or mixed fermentation, which means multiple yeasts and bacteria work together to create the funkiest of brews. Brettanomyces, often referred to as brett, is a genus of yeast that is the principal wild yeast used in sour beer production.

Wild yeasts don't want to coexist

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Historically, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. Sour beer styles include Belgian lambics and Flanders red ale and German Gose and Berliner Weisse.

The most common microbes used to intentionally sour beer are the bacteria Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the fungus Brettanomyces can also add some acidity. The yeast responsible for fermenting all clean beers is Saccharomyces, while Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus are kind of the “Three Stooges” of sour beer production.

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew, traditionally through the barrels or during the cooling of the wort in a coolship open to the outside air. Conversely, souring yeast are more resistant to alcohol and hops, allowing for stronger, hoppier beers. Many also produce a wider array of byproducts, notes Grace Fong, which add to the complexity of the beer.

Wild yeasts do not want to coexist with other wild yeasts. Unlike modern brewing, which is done in a sanitary environment to guard against the intrusion of wild yeast, historically the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria.

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew, traditionally through the barrels or during the cooling of the wort in a coolship open to the outside air. Conversely, souring yeast are more resistant to alcohol and hops, allowing for stronger, hoppier beers. Many also produce a wider array of byproducts, notes Grace Fong, which add to the complexity of the beer.

Brettanomyces is the principal wild yeast

Brettanomyces is a genus of wild yeast that is used in the production of sour beers. It is often referred to as "Brett". Brettanomyces is known for its ability to ferment complex sugars and other compounds that Saccharomyces cannot access, leading to a wider array of distinctive flavours and aromas in beer. Brettanomyces is tolerant to alcohol and many fermentation conditions, and brewers have embraced its wild character, incorporating it intentionally into their beer recipes.

Brettanomyces is not the only yeast used in sour beer production. Saccharomyces, commonly known as brewer's yeast, is also used in sour beer production. Brewer's yeast is responsible for the greatest portion of gravity reduction and alcohol production in nearly all sour beers.

Many sour beers undergo wild or mixed fermentation, which means multiple yeasts and bacteria work together to create the funkiest of brews. Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus are kind of the "Three Stooges" of sour beer production. They produce funky and sometimes hard-to-predict beers.

Saccharomyces is brewer's yeast

Saccharomyces, commonly known as brewer’s yeast, is the single genus of yeast responsible for fermenting all clean beers, but is also used in sour beer production. Brewer’s yeast is responsible for the greatest portion of gravity reduction and alcohol production in nearly all sour beers. There isn’t any wrong strain of brewer’s yeast that will ruin your beer, just some strains that work better with certain types of sour beers.

Sour beers undergo wild or mixed fermentation, which means multiple yeasts and bacteria work together to create the funkiest of brews. Brettanomyces, often referred to simply as brett, is a genus of yeast, not bacteria as far too many brewers falsely believe. It is the principal wild yeast used in sour beer production. Specific flavors, aromas, esters and phenols produced in the beer depend on the strain and species of brett, ranging from pineapple and hay to horse blanket and acrid smoke.

The yeast responsible for fermenting all clean beers is Saccharomyces, while Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus are kind of the “Three Stooges” of sour beer production. They produce funky and sometimes hard to predict beers. Many also produce a wider array of byproducts, notes Grace Fong, which add to the complexity of the beer.

Sour beers are driven by a microbial gold rush. Nevertheless, each new microbe — whether isolated from the microbiome of the Jamestown historical site, or some guy's beard — expands sour beers' flavor palette and allows craft brewers to work with entirely new compounds.

Multiple yeasts and bacteria work together

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Historically, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. The most common microbes used to intentionally sour beer are the bacteria Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the fungus Brettanomyces can also add some acidity. Saccharomyces is the yeast responsible for fermenting all clean beers.

Sour beer styles include Belgian lambics and Flanders red ale and German Gose and Berliner Weisse. Souring yeast is more resistant to alcohol and hops, allowing for stronger, hoppier beers. Many also produce a wider array of byproducts, notes Grace Fong, which add to the complexity of the beer.

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Historically, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. The most common microbes used to intentionally sour beer are the bacteria Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the fungus Brettanomyces can also add some acidity.

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Historically, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. The most common microbes used to intentionally sour beer are the bacteria Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the fungus Brettanomyces can also add some acidity.

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Historically, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. The most common microbes used to intentionally sour beer are the bacteria Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the fungus Brettanomyces can also add some acidity.

Sour beers undergo wild or mixed fermentation

Sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew, traditionally through the barrels or during the cooling of the wort in a coolship open to the outside air. Historically, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria.

Conversely, souring yeast are more resistant to alcohol and hops, allowing for stronger, hoppier beers. Many also produce a wider array of byproducts, which add to the complexity of the beer.

Sour beer styles include Belgian lambics and Flanders red ale and German Gose and Berliner Weisse. Unlike modern brewing, which is done in a sanitary environment to guard against the intrusion of wild yeast, historically the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria.

Frequently asked questions