Rayon vert types

I wish Mischief Gone Wild was easier to get, I love the regular beer (a hoppy Belgian golden ale) and I can only imagine it would be amazing with some Brett funk.

 

I'm an idiot, so spare me, does a wild ale have to contain Brett, or can thye use other things? I didn't think Sumpthin' Wild had brett.

 

You are correct, Sumpin' Wild does not contain brett; it's fermented with the Westmalle yeast strain. There's no official designation for a "wild ale", but most contain lacto, pedio (both of which are bacteria, and are what actually produce the acidity found in lambic/wild/sour beers), and brett (yeast).

 

I'm 99% sure that Sumpin' Wild has no wild yeast in it. My understanding is that it was fermented with the Westmalle strain.

 

A guy from Lagunitas says they use the Westmalle yeast, so no brett in this stuff.

 

Don't forget acetobacter, the bacteria that gives flemish sours like Rodenbach their distinctive vinegary sharpness.

 

I think Goose Island Matilda is a shot in the right direction. It is fruitier (Belgian-ier), but still nice and rustic and not overly sweet. I don't get near the hop presence that RV has, but it's still pleasantly rough around the edges.

And, in response to DSlim71 above, totally. I've been completely stoked on Ankorage beers, esp Bitter Monk. Hella brett, hella hops.

 

Helios was my suggestion as well. It is my budget go to brett beer. Rayon vert is a close second, but Helios is more readily available here in PA and a few bucks less

 

I'll second Matilda, particularly with a little bit of age on it.

 

“ …particularly with a little bit of age on it.” That is the critical part right there. I only had Matilda once, and it was on draft, and the Brett character was subtle. I am assuming that a bottled Matilda with some age on it (e.g., 6 months) would have more Brett character.

Rayon Vert is a ‘new’ beer: “Green Flash Brewing Co. proudly announces the national release of Rayon Vert™. The craft brewery’s breakthrough Belgian-Style Pale Ale will be available in stores by January 2012.” Even though the beer is ‘fresh’ it has a substantial Brett character to it. Based upon my homebrewing experience with Brett I am pretty sure that Green Flash used Brett in the primary fermentation (i.e., they did not just add Brett during bottling). I am sure that the Rayon Brett character will increase a bit through aging but that beer is ready to be consumed right away!

Cheers!

 

i found Boulevard Saison-Brett pretty damn near identical to rayon vert.

 

my bad. I always thought it had some brett and I heard of people aging it. I have some that I have been aging (have only had it fresh) for the brett character to develop...I guess I would be waiting forever and should just crack those guys open now.

 

Yeah, I love Matilda, but when it's fresh I find it to be a little too much on the sweet side & the brett isn't as pronounced. Which reminds me, I need to get some Rayon Vert & Matilda for my cellar. I always just end up drinking them.

 

I recently bought my first 4 pack of RV (based on previous recommendations on this site) and I thought it was awesome. Really dropping my jaw good.

I haven't had much that's similar but I thought Reinaert Wild Ale was accessible and tasty.

 

For some reason this reminded me to recommend the Mikkeller Yeast Series: Brettanomyces

 

A lot more expensive, though. Unfortunately.

 

yeah, and limited. Saison-Brett is fantastic but the availability and price of Rayon Vert makes it world class in my eyes.

 

just found some 2011 bottles of this and it was drinking great

 

I was wowed the first time I had Rayon Vert, which was earlier this year, as KY just picked up Green Flash this year. I did not read the label entirely, and did not know there was Brett in it until I tasted it. I was pleasanty surprised.

And I'm going to second or third or whatever the Matilda with age on it. I bought a couple 4-packs of it in late 2010 and have 2-3 left. The Brett starts to rear its head in the 6-9 month range, and so far it has only gotten better since. I went ahead and bought 2 more 4 packs a few months ago to age a while, since my aged supply was running low. I highly recommend the aged Matilda.