Brux Domesticated Wild Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A great Brett crafting. Yellow with lasting foamy head, it did foam over somewhat. Funky aroma. Very tasty and like a white wine pairing for lunch. Great drinkability. Soft mouthfeel. From Winooski’s. Earthy, grassy hops. Slight lemon. With mild pepper, a little like a saison.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 01:37:44 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A hazy golden orange color with a tall white head. Nice yeast component to the nose, a bit of citrus peel, spice, and peaches. Sweet malt aroma in the background with a little brett, but not all that much. Really good fruitiness, particularly citrus, peach, and pear. The spice notes are enjoyable and work well with the fruit and sweet bread. Like the nose, not all that much brett character, but quite good. Just a hint of lemon and tartness as it warms up.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 20:42:11 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served in a Sierra Nevada tulip. Didn’t pull out the Russian River goblet for the side-by-side Light cherry and earth. Funk and slight phenolics. Shows lots of promise. Good, not great.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 03:23:48 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle - $13.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a hazed, deep amber-gold body with a craggy, rocky, white head that peters out fairly quickly but never quite vanishes.

Smell: Varied, mingled, sweaty notes of tart pears, Italian bread crumbs, finely-ground spices, oily citrus fruits, lavender, pickled ginger slices, and mildly funky Brett.

Taste: Golden barley, gently toasty with sweetish hints of well-spiced sugar-spice cookies. The sweetness dries out almost instantaneously. Embellishes of Chiclets and Sweet-Tarts midway into the flavor. Citric oils with some phenolic Brett character coming through, but it's never overtly wild. Peppery spice and some fleeting wild yeastiness on the sparkling finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Highly carbonated with a downright crackling mouthfeel.

Overall: I would say this could greatly benefit from some time away to let that lovely wild character develop. Brux, you are in TIME OUT.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 23:53:25 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey color with a modest head that fades rather quickly leaving a few splashes of lace behind

Smell: Bready, with orchard fruit (apples, pears and peaches) with a vinous underlay and a bit of barnyard funk

Taste: Opens with a bready character that persists, underneath, while the vinous grape flavors add tartness; in the background, the orchard fruit adds another angle; after the swallow, the funkier flavors arrive and the Brett dries everything out in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: Clearly an entry point to Brett beers for the uninitiated, this beer brings a fair bit of complexity, as well; it will be interesting to see how this develops

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 00:47:31 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Tieman for sharing this one at NoSignsOfPain's birthday bottleshare hosted by mrbubbler.

Pours a slightly hazy honey yellow with a foamy tan head that settles to wisps on top of the beer. No lacing on this one. Smell is of grain, yeast, and some mild funky aromas. Taste is much the same with an earthy quality in the flavors. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it seems like this one is going to need some time to develop in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 06:02:56 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle: Poured a hazy bright golden color ale with a large white foamy head with good retention and some medium lacing notes. Aroma of dry Brett notes with light funky tart notes and some pear notes are also perceptible. Taste is a complex and refreshing mix between some light funky Brett notes with a solid Belgian malt backbone with some dry notes and very little residual sugar. Some pear ester and white wine notes are also perceptible. Body is full with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I really enjoy this beer with a great mix between complexities while retaining a good drinkability factor.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 20:36:15 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The resulting beer, from the great minds of Sierra Nevada and Russian River, manifests in a mildly rustic, Belgain fruity, and conservative "wild" ale that may not evoke excitement with the staunch fans of sour ales, but may provide the glimpse into the sour world for the uninitiated.

Pouring a hazy burnish gold color, the beer opens with yeasty appearances and topped by cottony yellowish foam. Solid retention outlasts the acidity and provides pockets of lace around the glass.

The scent of Belgian pale ales is alive and well and rests just beyond the limey and earthy overtones from the brett-brux. Underneath, there's the scent of bread dough, light apple and berry esters with a balancing tone of white pepper and perhaps a dash of cumin.

Flavors of fresh baking bread, semi-starchy sweetness and straw start the show and provides a firm foundation for the natural esters and spices of yeast to rest upon. Green apples, pears, under ripened berries and a tropical hint of papaya give the beer its understated fruitiness. Similarly, the taste of white pepper, celery seed, and fresh cut herbs, and grass balance the fruit, yeast, and malt character well. But the star of the show is the wild character of brettanomyces that casts an earthen shadow over the beer with hints toward weathered attic wood, must, brine, dried limes, mild leather and horse hair. Though the effects from wild micro flora seem young and restrained, they merely add a footnote of complexity and without turning the beer absolutely sour.

Early bready malt textures turn powdery and semi-dry to finish as the sweetness fades from the mouth and a light woody tannin pang substitutes hop bitterness and lead a light citrus acidity into the next sip.

Unlike the usually brash brett beers, this one plays well with others and allows the standard taste of Belgian pale ales to command the flavor profile, at least for now. Age will surly prove otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 16:52:55 | More by BEERchitect

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Brux Domesticated Wild Ale, A Russian River & Sierra Nevada Collaboration. A dry and complex Belgian-style ale refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Brewed and bottled by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA, in collaboration with with Russian River Brewing Company.

Caged and cork, 750 ml bottle. Clear, bright amber color, under a slim white head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma: this one will take some time, as it's not throwing out any ordinary flavors or associations. There's some fruit, but no sweetness, no hops, very dry, and none of the typical descriptors for a sour brew come out of this nose. There's some of that horse blanket rearing it's head, now, some of the cat pee shows up, some of the funk.

Taste: lean bodied, short finish, light on flavor. Mild malt character, negligible hop contribution, but the yeast is felt, and tasted. The cat pee returns to the flavor, hints of lemon, dry, yes, again, but , alas, there's very little of anything else going on.

I'll take a minute to read the label. "What began as a mutual admiration between Sierra Nevada's Grossman family and Russian River's Cilurzos has grown and progressed into genuine friendship. Brux began as an idea and has grown into something altogether different. …The liquid manifestation of change over time….Refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Brux will change and develop over time. Copper-colored, dry and complex, with slightly tart notes of green grass, pear, spice and lemon---this ale will progress in the bottle for many years."

Well. damnit, why didn't I read this first? Why did I make the dunder-headed move of actually drinking this bottle fresh and expecting something good, when I should have sat on it for years, to see what happens when it develops? Will it gain flavor, where now it has virtually none?

I'm sorry, but beers should be judged based on how they taste when they're placed on the shelves. This one as it is should be filed under: "meh." No, wait, make that "Blah."

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 08:54:20 | More by feloniousmonk

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by Thorpe, thanks. Beer is brown and hazy with a tan off white head and some lacing, low retention, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is malty with a definite brett b aroma.

Beer is medium to light in body and has this maltiness and a nice yeast palate, with a good brett presence, the beer might get more yeast palate as it ages but it is a nice beer already, i liked it.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 16:15:48 | More by drabmuh

metter98

New York

3.86/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is hazy pale yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that quickly died down, leaving only a thin Ayer of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of brett are present in the nose.
T: Similar to the taste, the taste has light flavors of barnyard funk and sourness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer isn't that bad but I was expecting more sourness from a wild ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 20:54:22 | More by metter98

zeff80

Missouri

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared with my friends at Logboat Brewing.

A - Poured out a slightly hazy, copper color with a one-finger head of fizzy foam. It left thin sheets of lace on the glass.

S - Good, tart aroma with a touch of funkiness. Sour apple and grapes, too.

T - It tasted sour and fruity with a nice funky, horse blanket bite. Some caramel and yeasty flavors, too.

M - Very clean a dry. A medium bodied ale.

O - This is a very tasty beer. I love a wild ale and this one hits the mark.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 05:00:29 | More by zeff80

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This pours out as a clear golden color, it has a fizzy white head on top that fades quickly. The aroma is very tame compared to other wild ales out there. All I can pick up on is a minimal sour aroma on the nose as well has some grains too. The taste is nice, it gives off a slightly tart pop in the very beginning and leave a champagne like finish in the mouth. The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated and has a light body. Overall it is a very drinkable wild ale. I am happy to have tried it but it doesn't compete with some of the others out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 21:42:15 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent gold/honey with two fingers of beige head. Stays effervescent, a trace of lacing & even less head retention

S: Sour/funkyness & orchard fruit

T: Pears, funkyness, a touch of dirt & some white grapes up front, plus a touch of boozeyness. Some oaky dry notes with, pears, a touch more funk, winesap apple & honey as this warms, with some booozey pineapple dancing around the edge. Finishs slightly dry with some sourness, a touch of brett & orchard fruit with some booze soaked pineapple that enhances the whole experience

MF: Light bodied, firm carbonation, some sticky notes

A pretty good wild ale. Would preffer to get Russian River's mainstays, but this is one has a lot of character & plenty of drinkability, a bit expensive for a SN beer, but I dont feel cheated by any means

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 01:25:58 | More by russpowell

Gavage

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a clear orange color with a short 1/2" head that falls to a spotty surface covering.

Smell: fruit and a bit of grassiness comes through to the nose.

Taste: some caramel, pear, green grapes, green apples, and a nice amount of bitterenss. The sourness from the brett is mild and not overbearing.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Lightly crisp throughout with a bit of drying late.

Overall: an easy to quaff beer, as the flavor profile is well balanced and a bit refreshing desite the style. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 22:53:36 | More by Gavage

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Well, for a beer that is tied to Russian River, there are definitely expectations. But, I don't think that those expectations are unrealistic. This beer does not follow through on execution with what should be an interesting collaborative effort between two serious breweries. This seems boring in that it is merely a wild ale with minimal interesting characteristics about it. Very standard and, frankly, blase.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 17:25:57 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a flat golden orange, little white cap which quickly fades

S: The nose lends a nice little fruit bouquet; greean and red apples with a little pear and spice

T: A little funky, Belgian yeast, sweet and fruity with pears, apples and some allspice. It has lightly funked, Earthy and lingering sweetnes on the finish

M: Medium bodied, a little slick, flat on the tongue I felt

O: Good but not one I would pay $16 for again.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 13:55:36 | More by barleywinefiend

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip glass)
A- This beer pours a slightly dense deep copper color with a violent carbonation of microbubbles. The loud fizz supports a thick white head of foam.

S- The dry clean aroma has a faint hint of yeasty esters and mineral notes.

T- The nice dry crisp flavor is smooth with a tartness in the finish. There are some unripe pear notes that start to come through with a green apple hint in the finish.

M- The light mouthfeel has a full creamy fizz in the finish and no alcohol heat.

O- This beer is nice yet very subtle flavors and the brett is not overpowering but it will be interesting to see if this chances over time.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 22:04:39 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Large bottle, caged and corked

Pours heavily clouded quickly departing light tan head that results in next to no film and very minor lacing. Disappointing and frankly surprising from two so highly viewed breweries.

Fruity and inviting nose.

Fruity is the most dominant characteristic. Sour and tart? Not really, maybe in a few years, but the general theme with this brew is a bit of disappointment. I get mostly ripe plums and some apricot, but minor at best funkyness or herbal qualities. Ehh....pleasant enough and went well with lunch, but not really worth the price.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 18:57:36 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 07/25/12 notes. Ordered this from Gary's, 750ml bottle poured into my Bruery tulip.

a - Pours a somewhat clear bright orange color with one finger of fluffy off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of oranges, brett, fruit, citrus, lemon, earthy notes, grass, and spices. A light tang to it, but not too sour at all. Not a ton of brett, but still a really nice nose that works well.

t - Tastes of pepper, oranges, brett, fruit, spices, hay, grass, earthy notes, lemongrass, citrus. Much more pepper and spice in the nose, and the same amount of brett. Nice, though a little too much pepper for me.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Body is easy to drink.

o - Overall a pretty good beer from RR and SN. If you're looking for something sour, it is not this beer, but if you like brett you'll enjoy this one. The taste has a lot of pepper like a peppery saison/Belgian ale, so if you like that in a beer, you'll probably love this one. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 14:11:46 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared with rudzud.

Big fizzy head fades fairly quickly, hazy golden tan color.

Nose definite Brett but light, funk, Belgian golden malts and light fruity esters, light fusel booze, hint of grassy, meaty Belgian yeast aroma. The more it warms the more Brett comes out but never big.

Taste lots of Belgian golden sweet malts, hint of candy sugar like, caramelized toasty malts. Booze comes on strong, with light fusel alcohol. Some fruity esters, and light Belgian yeast. Fairly sweet, and barely any Brett. It's got some bitterness too probably from the yeast. Finish drier and light bitter, hint of funk and bready malts, and light Belgian yeast and malt flavors, and bit of booze. As it warms more funk and earthy Brett yeast.

Mouth is med bodied, good carb, plenty of booze.

Overall eh. I was expecting a lot with the two breweries involved, and Brett, but was fairly lackluster overall, a bit too sweet, not enough Brett, not so enticing bitterness, and too much booze. Quite disappointed I got so many bottles, but we'll see how they age.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 03:14:23 | More by jlindros

Zorro

California

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Corked and caged bottle with a tough to remove cork.

Clear golden amber colored beer with just a small amount of white head.

Smell is sweet with the beginnings acetic acid present. Fruity smells of peach and apple. Woody scents, oak and vanilla. Floral yeast aroma with a rather strong rose aroma.

Starts out mild with a slight sour taste but it isn't to strong. Belgian horse horse blanket and roses. Mild flavor especially for a wild ale.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall A VERY tame wild ale, it might even convert me to like them. $17 for the bottle though, this probably will benefit from a year of age on it, the carbonation is noticeably low.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 00:32:56 | More by Zorro

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy, dark golden orange color with apricot colored edges and a 1.5 finger, frothy white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Earthy aroma with grass, oak and musty brett notes along with lactic funk, light fruit and pale malt. The earthy grass and straw notes compliment the brett nicely but as it warms, it becomes a bit one dimensional with the wild yeast overpowering things a bit. Subtle lactic funk with some apple, pear and biscuit.

On the lighter end of medium bodied with a tart, puckering mouthfeel that drops off mid-palate where the funky wild yeast takes over. Musty, dry and funky with a really prominent brett character that lingers over some light fruit, lactic funk and pale malt into a slightly boozy, harsh acidic finish. Not a bad beer but the finish is a bit rough and after a while the brett flavor completely overpowers the other characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 06:47:14 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Russian River brewery. Pours a super cloudy and hazy yellow with a very nice white head around 1" in size, damn good lace and retention to it, very small bubbles.

Mild aroma, chunky fresh brett, really needs more time to get any funk, its not here yet, none of that wet dog in a phonebooth thing going. Double edged sword, sometimes I likes it clean, sometimes dirty. Some mild citrus aspects to it.

Taste, well it hides the alcohol nice, but is, I dunno, kinda pedestrian. A little lemon and grass in there, but really nothing in the way of real good tart or funk development. A little resemblance to belgian yeast esters in the mouthfeel. Really the description of a domesticated wild ale goes a long way, this one is in a weird spot, its price is high, which is going to seem to keep potential converts away, and for those who are already into this kind of thing, I dunno how apeshit people will go for this. Is it good? Yes. But its not knock your socks off spend $15 a bottle good. Nonetheless, yes, I am still holding onto a bottle to see what happens down the road.

I'd recommend to try, but don't buy more than one until you know whether this is your thing. For me, just so many more enjoyable options from both breweries that are so much cheaper.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2012 18:36:00 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour into my delirium tremens tulip, the beer pours a golden amber color with good head retention and light, fair lacing. The nose is absolutely exotic in this beer, as I pick up cherry, light sour funk, ginger, light vanilla, lavendar and toffee nouget. Alas, the beer doesn't taste quite as good, but it's not bad. I really think SN got a bit carried away with the amount of brett they managed to innoculate this beer with, as it's a bit over the top. Otherwise, I get considerable cherry, light butter and vanilla at the forefront, all of which is completely dominated by the brett flavor (I really think that's where the butter flavor is coming from). There's something of a woodruff syrup flavor to this beer as well, which is odd, to say the least. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to full, with a moderately sweet, brett infused finish. The funky brett flavor is really a bit much.

A very interesting beer, but ultimately, not something I can see wanting very often.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 22:00:03 | More by johnmichaelsen