Marble Sephira

Brettanomyces. No, not the powerful mage you created in a marathon D&D session! I'm talking about the yeast that's known colloquially as "Brett". A very interesting and peculiar yeast that is seen as both a negative and a positive in the alcohol industry. When it occurs by accident, it can completely ruin a good wine or obliterate a nice beer. Brought in by a stray bug or a tainted cask, Brett can cause big trouble for a vineyard or brewery. Creating an antiseptic like funk with metallic to rancid acidity flavors, accidental Brett is a burden to most beverage makers. Funny enough, the intentional addition or exposure to Brett is somehow seen as  having the exact opposite effect.

When added to wines or beers specifically designed for it, Brett delivers specific positive flavor characteristics that can only be obtained from Brett yeast strains. When present in low levels within certain red wines Brett contributes a delicate mix of complex flavors and a mysterious depth of character. When used in certain, specific beers Brett is seen as a positive influence and in a select few beers it's seen as the defining trait. Belgian ales and lambics started it all by obtaining their tangy signature from the inclusion of Brett yeasts. As the popularity of these intense and delicious European beers increased in the US many local micro-breweries decided to take the yeast into their own hands and see what they could craft.With the tricky and slightly uncontrollable nature of Brett, only the most skilled brewers were able to produce good new world Brett beers. I was lucky enough recently to find one of these rarest of gems at most familiar place.

This may the best special/seasonal beer marble has released. It's a Belgian style sour ale thats been aged for two years in casks (oak I'm presuming) infected with Brett. It pours like a mysterious dark grapefruit juice infused sunset. Orange, red, and copper beneath a pencil thin white head. Very low carbonation. Sweet oranges and cherries on the nose with light leather, sharp but not overbearing vinegar sour, and a distant prune or raisin. The flavor closely mimics the nose. Bright sweet apple, cherry, and citrus flavors with a smooth malt over the highly beneficial Brett "funk" complexity of a pleasant sour with a little leather. Not too bitter. Light sweet and sour sherry character from the ageing and/or the wood. Excellent tart dry lambic style finish. Marble Sephira rolls a natural 20 with 2 hands tied behind its back. 

To me this beer is both literally and figuratively bitter sweet. The flavor is a perfect balance of sweet fruit and malt with deliciously bitter Brettanomyces. It's also sweet to see that "my" local brewery has the chutzpah to make a beer this different and succeed with such vibrant flying colors. At the same time I'm a little bitter at the possibility that the tiny and personal Marble I've come to appreciate may someday change. Because when you consistently put out beer this good, this often, and this different the world will take notice.

cheers