Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project: St. Bretta (Valencia Oranges)

Yeast: Brettanomyces

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.01/5

The Windowsill is getting a little crooked with today’s delicious beer.
When I emailed Crooked Stave mentioning that I needed some more information about what they do for a post, they generously sent me their press kit. How cool is that? Anyway, let’s talk about Brettanomyces. That’s the species of yeast with which the St. Bretta (and most of CS’s brews) is made. When I say these guys love Brettanomyces yeast, I mean it. Owner and brewmaster Chad Yakobson wrote his Master’s thesis on the stuff! Although the versatile species has been around since at least 1904, it has only carved out a true role in the craft beer industry relatively recently.

The St. Bretta is a wild/sour homage to the favored yeast species of Yakobson, and it’s brewed using different citrus fruits. The one on my sill is brewed with Valencia oranges, and I can honestly say it was amazing. It’s citrusy, tropical refreshing and comes with a little sour bite to it that I really enjoyed. It’s also unfiltered, which means it gets better with age. If you can find it, go pick it up and have a taste. Yum.

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