Changes

Closely related to ''Saccharomyces'', ''Brettanomyces'' diverged from its cousin yeast more than 200 million years ago, around the same time that the first mammals emerged <ref name="Rozpędowska">[https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1305 Rozpędowska, E., Hellborg, L., Ishchuk, O. et al. Parallel evolution of the make–accumulate–consume strategy in Saccharomyces and Dekkera yeasts. Nat Commun 2, 302 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1305.]</ref>. Both genera evolved independently to ferment sugar and produce ethanol <ref name="Schifferdecker">[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/yea.3023/pdf The wine and beer yeast Dekkera bruxellensis. Anna Judith Schifferdecker, Sofia Dashko, Olena P. Ishchuk, and Jure Piškur. 7 July 2014.]</ref><ref name="Gounot_2019">[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/826990v1.full High complexity and degree of genetic variation in Brettanomyces bruxellensis population. Jean-Sébastien Gounot, Cécile Neuvéglise, Kelle C. Freel, Hugo Devillers, Jure Piškur, Anne Friedrich, Joseph Schacherer. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/826990 .]</ref>. Although first isolated from beer in 1889 by H. Seyffert of the Kalinkin Brewery in St. Petersberg and again in 1899 by scientists J. W. Tullo at Guinness, the discovery of ''Brettanomyces'' was first publicly published by the Director of laboratory of the New Carlsberg Brewery, Hjelte Claussen, in 1904 after he cultured it in 1903 from English beers that exhibited a sluggish secondary fermentation . At the time, he included these newly discovered yeasts in the genus ''Torula'' <refname="Gilliland_1961">[https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/brettanomyces-i/ "BRETTANOMYCES I OCCURRENCE, CHARACTERISTICS, AND EFFECTS ON BEER FLAVOUR" by R. B. Gilliland, B.A., B.Sc, F.R.I.C. (Arthur Guinness Son & Co. (Dublin) Ltd., St. James’s Gate, Dublin). Received 21st Janurary, 1961.] See also [http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/06/when-was-brettanomyces-discovererd.html "When was Brettanomyces discovered?" Ron Pattenson. Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog. 06/29/2013. retrieved Retrieved 08/18/2016.]</ref><ref>[http://breweryhistory.com/journal/archive/149/Yeast.pdf Ray Anderson. "ONE YEAST OR TWO? PURE YEAST AND TOP FERMENTATION". The Brewery History Society. 2012.]</ref>. At the time of discovery, Claussen was aiming to recreate the flavor profile of traditional English ales by fermenting them with pure cultures of ''Saccharomyces'', and either pitching pure cultures of his newly discovered ''Brettanomyces'' yeast along with ''Saccharomyces'', or as he preferred, after the primary fermentation of ''Saccharomyces'' <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/download/448702618652516/GB190328184A.pdf "Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of English Beers or Malt Liquors and in the Production of Pure Yeast Cultures for use therein." Patent application by Hjelte Claussen for ''Brettanomyces''. A.D. 1903.]</ref>. ''Brettanomyces'', along with [[Hops#The_Freshening_Power_of_the_Hop_.28Hop_Creep.29|dry hop creep]], was identified as the source of secondary fermentation during long aged ales, contributing to their lasting high carbonation <ref>[https://archive.org/details/principlespracti00syke "The principles and practice of brewing" Sykes, Walter John. London, C. Griffin and Company, limited, 1907. Pgs 384-388.]</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/4709953772366133 Gareth Young. Milk The Funk Facebook group thread about English brewers historically relying on Brettanomyces and dry hop creep for carbonation in long aged ales. 06/17/2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BwO7gbhdns Martyn Cornell interview on Craft Beer Channel, "The Time Is Now – reinventing the English IPA". 09/28/2022.]</ref>(8 minutes in). Beer historian, [https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/search?q=brettanomyces Ron Pattinson], has stated that ''Brettanomyces'' was typically present in 1800's English aged beers such as stock ales, pale ales, porters, and barrel aged IPA's that were shipped to India, and it was considered an important component of both the flavor profile of these beers and in protecting beer from contaminants via ''Brettanomyces'' fermenting the majority of residual sugars <ref>[https://www.crowdcast.io/e/IPA-Past-Present-Future/1 Ron Pattinson. "History of IPA -1700s to 2021". Doug Piper's interview with Ron Pattinson. 07/25/2021.]</ref> (~56 and 59 mins in )<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/milkthefunkthepodcast/videos/1097016944410369 Ron Pattinson. MTF Live. 02/10/2022.]</ref> (45 minutes in).

Following the discovery of this yeast by Claussen, isolates of ''Brettanomyces'' were discovered in Belgian lambic beers in the 1920's. At this time, ''Brettanomyces'' was proposed as the new genus name, separating them from the genus ''Torula'' <ref name="Gilliland_1961" />. The species name 'bruxellensis', meaning 'Brussels' in Latin, became the proposed species name for ''B. bruxellensis.''. This yeast species was then isolated from other industrial fermentations such as wine, cider, kombucha, kefir, olives, and bioethanol production. Custers was the first to attempt to describe the rest of the genus using phenotypic characteristics in 1940. In 1960, J. van der Walt observed some species of ''Brettanomyces'' formed ascospores, and this form of ''Brettanomyces'' was named ''Dekkera''. However, after the initial discovery of sporulating strains of ''Brettanomyces'', this behavior has not been reported since, therefore some scientists prefer to use the term "''Brettanomyces''" to refer to this genus. Originally, a total of 9 species were attributed to the genus ''Brettanomyces'', but after gene technology was invented, some of these species were changed (see [[Brettanomyces#Taxonomy|Taxonomy]] below) <ref name="Stenseels_2015_Essential">[https://www.academia.edu/19646963/Brettanomyces_Bruxellensis_Essential_Contributor_in_Spontaneous_Beer_Fermentations_Providing_Novel_Opportunities_for_the_Brewing_Industry Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, Essential Contributor in Spontaneous Beer Fermentations Providing Novel Opportunities for the Brewing Industry. Jan Steensels. BrewingScience, Sept/Oct 2015 (Vol. 68). 2015.]</ref>.

The morphology of ''Brettanomyces'' can vary immensely from strain to strain (and species to species). Some strains can look similar in size and shape to ''S. cerevisiae'' under a microscopic image, while others are elongated or much smaller. This makes it difficult to identify ''Brettanomyces'' without DNA analysis (see [[Laboratory_Techniques#PCR.2FqPCR|PCR)]]. Morphologies of ''Brettanomyces'' grown on agar plates can also be different from strain to strain. For example, Devin Henry found that a sample of WLP648 that contained two closely related strains of ''B. bruxellensis'' grew completely differently on the same growth media. At first, larger, slightly off-white colonies grew on the plates (this was the first strain), and then a few days later the second strain grew as many smaller white-colored colonies. Other strains may appear as glossy or matted with jagged edges, etc. Morphology on agar plates can change depending on the type of growth media <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20240623073158/http://brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/analysis-of-culturability-on-various-media-agar/morphological-traits/ Yakobson, Chad. "Morphological Trains". Masters Dissertation. 2011. Retrieved 05/12/2017.]</ref><ref name="bryan_vrai" /><ref>[https://eurekabrewing.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/brettanomyces-bruxellensis-microscopy-pictures/ Samuel Aeschlimann. "Brettanomyces bruxellensis microscopy pictures". Eureka Brewing blog. 03/12/2012. Retrieved 05/12/2017.]</ref>. While genetic (PCR) identification is required for any kind of confident identification of ''Brettanomyces'', specialized selective media can also help identify ''Brettanomyces''; see [[Laboratory_Techniques#Brettanomyces|Selective Media]].

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20240519145413/http://brettanomycesproject.com/2010/06/brettanomyces-yeast-cell-images/ ''Brettanomyces'' morphology examples from Remi Bonnart.]

''Brettanomyces'' has been thought to occur naturally on the skins of fruit such as apples and grapes. However, there are only a handful of reports of ''Brettanomyces'' being identified on the skins of fruit, and in some cases where ''Brettanomyces'' has been found, its abundance is extremely minimal <ref name="Aires_2025">[https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/3/538 Aires, C.; Maioto, R.; Inês, A.; Dias, A.A.; Rodrigues, P.; Egas, C.; Sampaio, A. Microbiome and Microbiota Within Wineries: A Review. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 538. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13030538.]</ref><ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.154 Lentz, M., Putzke, T., Hessler, R. and Luman, E. (2014), Genetic and physiological characterization of yeast isolated from ripe fruit and analysis of fermentation and brewing potential, J. Inst. Brew., 120: 559– 564. DOI: 10.1002/jib.154.]</ref><ref name="Comitini">[https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00415/abstract Occurrence of Brettanomyces bruxellensis on grape berries and in related winemaking cellar. Francesca Comitini, Lucia Oro, Laura Canonico, Valentina Marinelli, Maurizio Ciani. 2019. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00415.]</ref><ref name="Renouf_2007">[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944501306000231?via%3Dihub Development of an enrichment medium to detect Dekkera/Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a spoilage wine yeast, on the surface of grape berries. Vincent Renouf, Aline Lonvaud-Funel. 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2006.02.006.]</ref>. In contrast, there are also studies that indicate ''Brettanomyces'' only being found during or after food processing, which indicates that the processing equipment may be the primary source for the ''Brettanomyces''. In addition, ''Brettanomyces'' has been isolated in abundance from the surfaces of equipment/processed materials in wineries and breweries <ref name="Aires_2025" /><ref name="smith_divol_2016" /><ref name="Schifferdecker" /><ref name="Loureiro_2003">[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12892920 Spoilage yeasts in the wine industry. Loureiro V, Malfeito-Ferreira M. 2003.]</ref><ref name="Steensels" /><ref name="Barata_2008">[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18077036 Survival patterns of Dekkera bruxellensis in wines and inhibitory effect of sulphur dioxide. f Barata A, Caldeira J, Botelheiro R, Pagliara D, Malfeito-Ferreira M, Loureiro V. 2008.]</ref> (Table 1). For example, an ongoing survey of wild yeasts in most different regions of the US United States wilderness areas which isolated nearly 2,000 isolates with 262 unique species has not yet found a single occurrence of ''Brettanomyces'' in the wild (so far they have only surveyed non-human inhabited wild areas of the US and Alaska; substrates sampled included leaves, soil, bark, moss, mushrooms, needles, pine cones, twigs/wood, and other plant matter) <ref>[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.452236v1 Substrate, temperature, and geographical patterns among nearly 2,000 natural yeast isolates. William J. Spurley, Kaitlin J. Fisher, Quinn K. Langdon, Kelly V. Buh, Martin Jarzyna, Max A. B. Haase, Kayla Sylvester, Ryan V. Moriarty, Daniel Rodriguez, Angela Sheddan, Sarah Wright, Lisa Sorlie, Amanda Beth Hulfachor, Dana A. Opulente, Chris Todd Hittinger. bioRxiv 2021.07.13.452236; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.13.452236.]</ref>. It is therefore unclear that ''Brettanomyces'' found on grape skins originated there or from the industrial processing where it is more abundant. It is also thought to disperse via fruit-flies (called "vectors" in the scientific literature), similar to how ''Saccharomyces'' travels, although direct evidence for this has only been reported rarely and only on fruit-flies in wineries that are likely to come into contact with equipment/processed material that is already contaminated with ''Brettanomyces'' <ref>[https://youtu.be/G2nhUM5PIrg?t=309 Dr. Bryan Heit. BotB - Where (Do) The Wild Brettanomyces Roam?. ~5 mins in. Retrieved 07/10/2022.]</ref><ref name="Renouf_2007" /><ref name="Steensels">[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160515001865 Brettanomyces yeasts — From spoilage organisms to valuable contributors to industrial fermentations. Jan Steensels, Luk Daenen, Philippe Malcorps, Guy Derdelinckx, Hubert Verachtert, Kevin J. Verstrepen. International Journal of Food Microbiology Volume 206, 3 August 2015, Pages 24–38.]</ref><ref name="Barata_2008" /><ref name="Loureiro_2003" />. ''Brettanomyces'' is known to be difficult to grow in a lab due to slow growth, specific nutrient requirements, or perhaps because of a "VBNC" state (see [[Wild_Yeast_Isolation#Wild_Brettanomyces|Wild ''Brettanomyces'']] for more information), which may account for the lack of evidence for fruit being the primary natural habitat for ''Brettanomyces''. More recently, techniques have been invented to more easily isolate and grow ''Brettanomyces'' <ref name="Renouf_2007" /><ref name="Comitini" />. There is also significant evidence that the natural habitat of ''Brettanomyces'' might actually be the root systems of certain plants, known as the [https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/the-rhizosphere-roots-soil-and-67500617/ "rhizosphere"]. The rhizosphere refers to the complex symbiotic community of microbe populations that live on and around the root system of plants. Wild strains of ''Brettanomyces'' have been found in the root systems of dill, common beans, sunflowers, maize, corn, jute, cassava, and grey mangroves found in the estuaries of Indonesia <ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aab.12309 Weisany, W., Raei, Y., Salmasi, S., Sohrabi, Y. and Ghassemi-Golezani, K. (2016), Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi induced changes in rhizosphere, essential oil and mineral nutrients uptake in dill/common bean intercropping system. Ann Appl Biol, 169: 384-397. https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12309.]</ref><ref>[https://archive.aessweb.com/index.php/5003/article/view/3333 I.O, S. ., & G.P, O. . (2012). Diversity of Fungal Populations in Soils Cultivated With Cassava Cultivar TMS 98/0505. Journal of Asian Scientific Research, 2(3), 116–123. Retrieved from https://archive.aessweb.com/index.php/5003/article/view/3333.]</ref><ref>[https://www.ajol.info/index.php/swj/article/view/149513 Rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil mycoflora of Corchorus olitorius (Jute). G.S. Olahan, I.O. Sule, T Garuba, Y.A. Salawu. Science World Journal. 2016.]</ref><ref>[https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/jbb/article/view/36023 NOERFITRYANI, Noerfitryani; HAMZAH, Hamzah. THE EXISTENCE OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI ON RICE PLANTS RHIZOSPHERE. International Journal of Biosciences and Biotechnology, p. 12-24, dec. 2017. ISSN 2655-9994. doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/IJBB.2017.v05.i01.p02.]</ref><ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2452219818300259 Marcela Sarabia, Saila Cazares, Antonio González-Rodríguez, Francisco Mora, Yazmín Carreón-Abud, John Larsen, Plant growth promotion traits of rhizosphere yeasts and their response to soil characteristics and crop cycle in maize agroecosystems, Rhizosphere, Volume 6, 2018, Pages 67-73, ISSN 2452-2198, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2018.04.002.]</ref><ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1049964419303238 Nivien A. Nafady, Mohamed Hashem, Elhagag A. Hassan, Hoda A.M. Ahmed, Saad A. Alamri. The combined effect of arbuscular mycorrhizae and plant-growth-promoting yeast improves sunflower defense against Macrophomina phaseolina diseases. Biological Control. Volume 138, 2019, 104049. ISSN 1049-9644, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.104049.]</ref><ref>[http://ejurnal.its.ac.id/index.php/sains_seni/article/view/5613 Isolation and Characterization of Yeast from Rhizosphere Avicennia Marina Wonorejo. Sitatun Zunaidah, Nur Hidayatul Alami. 2014. DOI: 10.12962/j23373520.v3i1.5613.]</ref>. See Dr. Bryan Heit's video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2nhUM5PIrg "Where (Do) The Wild Brettanomyces Roam?"] and [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/posts/5940213029340195 his comments in Milk The Funk], as well as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrR7G_YyfmA "Philip Poole. Plant Control of the Rhizosphere Microbiome"]. For documented isolation attempts from plant rhizospheres, see [[Wild_Yeast_Isolation#Wild_Brettanomyces|Wild Yeast Isolation]].

The occurrence of ''Brettanomyces'' has been more commonly identified in industrial food processing areas (wine, beer, kombucha, soft drinks, dairy products, tea, sourdough, etc.) <ref name="Crauwels_2016">[https://academic.oup.com/femsyr/article-abstract/17/1/fow105/2670560/Fermentation-assays-reveal-differences-in-sugar?redirectedFrom=fulltext Fermentation assays reveal differences in sugar and (off-) flavor metabolism across different Brettanomyces bruxellensis strains. Fermentation assays reveal differences in sugar and (off-) flavor metabolism across different Brettanomyces bruxellensis strains. Sam Crauwels, Filip Van Opstaele, Barbara Jaskula-Goiris, Jan Steensels, Christel Verreth, Lien Bosmans, Caroline Paulussen, Beatriz Herrera-Malaver, Ronnie de Jonge, Jessika De Clippeleer, Kathleen Marchal, Gorik De Samblanx, Kris A. Willems, Kevin J. Verstrepen, Guido Aerts, and Bart Lievens. 2016]</ref>. For example, ''B bruxelensis'', ''B. anomala'', and ''B. custersianus'' have mostly been isolated from wine or beer production, while ''B. naardenensis'' has mostly been isolated from soda production <ref name="Tiukova_2019">[https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/7/11/489 Assembly and Analysis of the Genome Sequence of the Yeast Brettanomyces naardenensis CBS 7540. Ievgeniia A. Tiukova, Huifeng Jiang, Jacques Dainat, Marc P. Hoeppner, Henrik Lantz, Jure Piskur, Mats Sandgren, Jens Nielsen, Zhenglong Gu, and Volkmar Passoth. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7110489.]</ref>. ''Brettanomyces'' is not considered to be airborne; however, one study has demonstrated a very small amount of cells in the air at wineries where wine with ''Brettanomyces'' in it was being handled (most of the yeasts found in the air were ''Aureobasidium'' and ''Cryptococcus'', which aren't considered spoilage organisms in beer and wine). This set of studies also determined that very specific methodology was needed in order capture ''Brettanomyces'' from the air, and indicated that the yeast was "stressed". A [https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/8015 second study] carried out in three wineries in the Bordeaux region of France reported finding ''B. bruxellensis'' in the air from three out of ten samples between two of the breweries; all three of the breweries had ''B. bruxellensis'' found on various surfaces within the wineries. While it is possible for ''Brettanomyces'' to be briefly carried by gusts of air, it only happens in the vicinity where the ''Brettanomyces'' beer or wine is being bottled (more so) or is actively fermenting (less so) <ref>[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713513002284 Screening of yeast mycoflora in winery air samples and their risk of wine contamination. E. Ocón, P. Garijo, S. Sanz, C. Olarte, R. López, P. Santamaría, A.R. Gutiérrez. Food Control Volume 34, Issue 2, December 2013, Pages 261–267.]</ref><ref name="Montagner_2024">[https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/8015 Le Montagner, P., Etourneau, L., Ballestra, P., Dols-Lafargue, M., Albertin, W., Maupeu, J., … Masneuf-Pomarède, I. (2024). Critical areas for Brettanomyces bruxellensis contamination and biofilm formation in the cellar: on the origin of wine spoilage. OENO One, 58(3). https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2024.58.3.8015.]</ref>. Good cleaning and sanitation and cold temperatures should be employed to keep ''Brettanomyces'' from contaminating other equipment; however, flying insects are could also be a potential cause for contamination of ''Brettanomyces'' contamination (although direct evidence for this is lacking).

Unlike most genera of yeast, ''Brettanomyces'' has the characteristics of being very tolerant to harsh conditions, including high amounts of alcohol (up to 14.5-15% ABV <ref name="Crauwels1" /><ref name="Agnolucci_2017" />), a pH as low as 2 <ref>[http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=141954 Wines and Vines. New Research on Role of Yeast in Winemaking; report on a presentation by David Mills and Lucy Joseph from UC Davis. 11/14/2014. Retrieved 08/16/2015.]</ref>, and environments with low nitrogen <ref name="Schifferdecker"></ref> and low sugar sources <ref name="Smith_2018">[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002017308249 The carbon consumption pattern of the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis in synthetic wine-like medium. Brendan D.Smith and Benoit Divol. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2017.12.011.]</ref>. It has been reported that ''B. bruxellensis'' is more tolerant of high levels of bicarbonate than compared to ''S. cerevisiae'' (levels above 100 mg/l slow the fermentation of ''B. bruxellensis'', but do not completely inhibit it, with up to 400 mg/l being tested in one study) <ref name="Thompson-Witrick_2022">[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03610470.2021.1940654 Katherine A. Thompson-Witrick & Eric R. Pitts (2022) Bicarbonate Inhibition and Its Impact on Brettanomyces bruxellensis Ability to Produce Flavor Compounds, Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 80:3, 270-278, DOI: 10.1080/03610470.2021.1940654.]</ref>. It has been reported that some strains require a very low concentration of fermentable sugars (less than 300 mg/L) and nitrogen (less than 6 mg/L), which is less than most wines contain <ref name="Smith_2017">[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002017308249 The carbon consumption pattern of the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis in synthetic wine-like medium. Brendan D. Smith, Benoit Divol. 2017.]</ref>. Some strains are able to utilize ethanol, glycerol, acetic acid, and malic acid when no other sugar sources are available <ref name="Smith_2018" />. This capability allows ''Brettanomyces'' to survive in alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and cider. In alcoholic beverages, ''B. bruxellensis'' tends to lag after the primary fermentation with ''Saccharomyces''. It is believed that during this lag phase, ''B. bruxellensis'' adapts to the harsh conditions of the beverage (low pH, high concentrations of ethanol, and limited sugar/nitrogen sources). After this lag phase, ''B. bruxellensis'' can grow and survive when no other yeasts can. ''Brettanomyces'' is also more resistant to pH and temperature changes, and tolerant of environments limited in oxygen (although ''Brettanomyces'' prefers the availability of at least a little bit of oxygen). Scientifically, which specific nitrogen and carbon sources ''B. bruxellensis'' uses in these stressful environments has not received much research <ref name="smith_divol_2016"></ref>. [https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/200000/New-Tools-to-Limit-Wine-Spoilage One study from Dr. Charles Edwards] found that a combination of keeping wine under 54°F (12.2°C) and alcohol at or above 14% resulted in a decline of ''B. bruxellensis'' populations for up to 100 days for two strains that were tested. The study found that neither of the strains grew well at 14% and stopped growth completely at 16% ABV in wine, but one strain grew better than the other at 15%, demonstrating the genetic diversity of ''Brettanomyces''. The researchers concluded that a combination of high ethanol and cold temperatures as well as sulfur dioxide, chitosan, and filtration could be used to control ''Brettanomyces'' in winemaking. ''Brettanomyces'' has been found to be able to grow at temperatures as low as 50°F (10°C) and as high as 95°F (35°C); see [[Brettanomyces#Carbohydrate_Metabolism_and_Fermentation_Temperature|fermentation temperature]] for more information <ref>[http://www.ajevonline.org/content/early/2017/01/05/ajev.2017.16102 Interactions between Storage Temperature and Ethanol that Affect Growth of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in Merlot Wine. Taylor A. Oswald, Charles G. Edwards. 2017.]</ref>. ''Brettanomyces'' is also tolerant of IBU's, and there is some evidence that ''Brettanomyces'' is only inhibited by very high IBU's. One study reported that one strain of ''B. bruxellensis'' was inhibited by exposure to 250 mg/L of isomerized hop extract (roughly 250 IBU). Very little inhibition occurred at 150 IBU and about a third of the cells were inhibited at 200 IBU. The inhibited cells were recoverable in YPD media treated with catalase enzyme. In comparison, ''S. cerevisiae'' can be inhibited by 500 mg/L of iso-alpha acids <ref>[https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.902110/full "Transcriptome Analysis of Viable but Non-Culturable Brettanomyces bruxellensis Induced by Hop Bitter Acids". He Yang, Zhao Junfeng, Yin Hua, Deng Yuan. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2022. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.902110 .] See also [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/posts/7473091549385661/ this MTF post]</ref>.

''Brettanomyces'' has the ability to form a [[Quality_Assurance#Biofilms|biofilm]]. Biofilm formation is a survival mechanism induced by stress whereby the cells adhere to non-living surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel <ref>[https://ives-technicalreviews.eu/article/view/4544 "Brettanomyces bruxellensis biofilms: a mode of life to withstand environmental stresses?" Sandrine Rousseaux, Manon Lebleux, Hany Abdo, Louise Basmacyian, Chloé Roullier-Gall, Hervé Alexandre, Stéphanie Weidmann. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20870/IVES-TR.2020.4544.]</ref><ref>[https://academic.oup.com/femsle/advance-article/doi/10.1093/femsle/fnae105/7917616 Scott J Britton, Thijs Dingemans, Lisa Rogers, Jane S White, Dawn L Maskell, Excitation of filamentous growth in dekkera spp. By quorum sensing aromatic alcohols 2-phenylethanol and tryptophol, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2024;, fnae105, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnae105.]</ref>. After adhesion to the surface, the cells produce a protective layer of proteins and polysaccharides that help protect the organism from cleaning and sanitizing agents.

There is some evidence that ''Brettanomyces'' can be sensitive to high levels of light. [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.747868/full Catrileo et al. (2021)] showed that under laboratory conditions, ''Brettanomyces bruxellensis'' was not able to grow when exposed to a 2500 lux and 4000 lux light source. For reference, the lux of indirect daylight is around 10,000 - 25,000 and the lux of office lighting is usually between 350 and 500 <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux "Lux". Wikipedia. Retrieved 02/20/2022.]</ref>. However, when p-coumaric acid, a phenolic precursor that is present in plants and fruits (including malted barley and wheat), is present, certain genes are expressed during the growth of ''B. bruxellensis'' that allow it to adapt to the high light exposure conditions. While this study does not show at what level light begins to affect ''B. bruxellensis'' (the lowest light intensity that they tested was 2500 lux), [https://journals.asm.org/doi/abs/10.1128/jb.133.2.692-698.1978 Woodward et al. (1978)] demonstrated that ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' growth is unaffected by light until about 1,250 lux, at which point it begins to inhibit growth and the transfer of nutrients across the cell membrane <ref>[https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.747868/full Catrileo D, Moreira S, Ganga MA and Godoy L (2021) Effect of Light and p-Coumaric Acid on the Growth and Expression of Genes Related to Oxidative Stress in Brettanomyces bruxellensis LAMAP2480. Front. Microbiol. 12:747868. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.747868.]</ref><ref>[https://journals.asm.org/doi/abs/10.1128/jb.133.2.692-698.1978 J R Woodward, V P Cirillo, L N Edmunds, Jr. Light effects in yeast: inhibition by visible light of growth and transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown at low temperatures. ASM Journals. Journal of Bacteriology. Vol. 133, No. 2. 1978. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.133.2.692-698.1978.]</ref>. Grangeteau et al (2024) demonstrated that 10 minutes of ultra-high irradiance (UHI) blue light treatment resulted in the complete death of ''B. bruxellensis'' within a biofilm <ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643824013215 C. Grangeteau, M. Lebleux, V. David, S. Rousseaux, H. Alexandre, L. Beney, S. Dupont. Ultra-high irradiance (UHI) blue light treatment: A promising method for inactivation of the wine spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis. LWT, 2024, 117038. ISSN 0023-6438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.117038.]</ref>. Additionally, Cvetkova et al (2025) showed that UV inactivation of ''Brettanomyces bruxellensis'' in white wine was more efficient at 280 nm than at 254 nm, but at 280 NM, white wine flavor properties such as phenols were negatively affected <ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713525001197 Svetlana Cvetkova, Elke Herrmann, Jutta Keiser, Benedikt Woll, Mario Stahl, Maren Scharfenberger-Schmeer, Elke Richling, Dominik Durner. Comparing the effect of UV treatment at wavelengths 254 nm and 280 nm: inactivation of Brettanomyces bruxellensis and impact on chemical and sensory properties of white wine. Food Control, 2025, 111250. ISSN 0956-7135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111250.]</ref>.

''Brettanomyces'' is able to ferment a wide range of sugars. All strains can ferment glucose, and many strains can ferment sucrose, fructose, and maltose, although at a slower rate than glucose. The ability of ''Brettanomyces'' to produce invertase enzyme which breaks sucrose down into glucose and fructose has been attributed to horizontal gene transfer from an unknown bacteria at some point in the evolution of ''Brettanomyces'' <ref name="roach_2019">[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/805721v2 New genome assemblies reveal patterns of domestication and adaptation across Brettanomyces (Dekkera) species. Michael J. Roach, Anthony R. Borneman. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/805721.]</ref>. Some strains can also ferment galactose, mannose, ethanol, acetic acid, malic acid, and glycerol, although historically there are some contradicting studies in science regarding the specifics (more recent studies tend to use better methods), probably due to the genetic diversity of ''Brettanomyces'' species, and many previously published studies do not specify whether testing conditions were aerobic or anaerobic even though the availability of oxygen effects whether or not certain sugars can be fermented by a given strain of ''Brettanomyces'' <ref name="Steensels"></ref><ref name="smith_divol_2016"></ref><ref name="Smith_2018" />. For example, the species ''B. naardenensis'' can ferment a wide range of carbon sources, including galactose, maltose, xylose, trehalose, cellobiose, rhamnose, and arabinose <ref name="Tiukova_2019" /><ref>[https://www.cobbind.com.br/upload/trabalhos/t1arquivo/OMxtG7q2fxPzbRa1ZZuFnCnwNFh7.pdf INVESTIGATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF XYLOSE ASSIMILATION BYBRETTANOMYCES BRUXELLENSIS. Jackeline M. Silva, Gilberto H. Teles, Ester Ribeiro & Will B. Pita. Department of Antibiotics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Aug 2024.]</ref>. Acetic acid, glycerol, succinic acid, and ethanol are only consumed if oxygen is present <ref name="smith_divol_2016"></ref>. The addition of H+ acceptors such as acetaldehyde, acetone, pyruvic acid, and other carbonyl compounds, stimulates anaerobic fermentation. Small amounts of oxygen also stimulate fermentation <ref name="yakobson_introduction">[http://web.archive.org/web/20240415090559/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/introduction/ Yakobson, Chad. The Brettanomyces Project. Introduction. Retrieved 8/11/2015.]</ref>. The presence of small amounts of oxygen can allow some strains of ''Brettanomyces'' to utilize certain carbon sources. For example, several strains of ''B. bruxellensis'' can consume ethanol, glycerol, and acetic acid as food sources only when at least a low amount of oxygen is present (semi-aerobic conditions) and no other sugar is available. Acetic acid and glycerol are used as food sources by some strains only under fully aerobic conditions, but not under semi-aerobic or anaerobic conditions. It has been hypothesized that acetic acid and glycerol are only consumed by ''Brettanomyces'' when ethanol and other food sources are no longer available <ref name="Smith_2018" />.

''Brettanomyces'' is capable of synthesizing several ethyl esters from ethanol and fatty acids, as well as other types of esters from various alcohol types (methanol, for example). Among the most prolific of these are ethyl acetate (synthesized from ethanol and acetic acid), ethyl lactate (synthesized from ethanol and lactic acid), phenethyl acetate, ethyl caproate, ethyl caprylate, ethyl deconoate <ref name="Tyrawa_2017" />, along with the hydrolysis (breakdown) of isoamyl acetate. Esters have been found to attract fruit flies and other flying insects, which help many species of yeast transfer from one food source to another (namely 2-phenyl-ethanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl acetate, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 3-methyl-3-butenol). Some of these esters are also released by blooming flowers and it is thought that the attraction to flowers by insects is also driven by these same esters <ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.3905 Chemical signaling and insect attraction is a conserved trait in yeasts. Paul G. Becher, Arne Hagman, Vasiliki Verschut, Amrita Chakraborty, Elżbieta Rozpędowska, Sébastien Lebreton, Marie Bengtsson, Gerhard Flick, Peter Witzgall, Jure Piškur. 2018.]</ref>. During non-mixed fermentations where lactic acid is minimal to none, insignificant amounts of ethyl lactate esters are produced, whereas ethyl caprylate and ethyl caproate have a general increase. With the addition of lactic acid, ethyl lactate levels are greatly increased although may still not reach the flavor threshold level of 250 mg/L (strain dependent), and ethyl acetate is generally slightly increased. The amounts of esters produced vary widely based on species and strain <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20240415090559/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/introduction/ Yakobson, Chad]. Pure Culture Fermentation Characteristics of Brettanomyces Yeast Species and Their Use in the Brewing Industry. Production of Secondary Metabolites. 2011.</ref>. A similar but slower evolution of esters has been seen in a long-term study on examining how Belgian lambic from Cantillon ages in bottles. The study found that lactic acid (produced by lactic acid bacteria) and ethyl lactate increased as bottles aged, while ethyl decanoate and isoamyl acetate decreased, all presumably from ''Brettanomyces'' metabolism over time <ref>[http://horscategoriebrewing.blogspot.com/2016/02/thoughts-on-spitaels-and-van.html "Thoughts on Spitaels and Van Kerrebroeck et al, 2015." Dave Janssen. Hors Catégorie Blog. 02/20/2016. Retrieved 03/15/2016.]</ref>.

| Ethyl butyrate (pineapple, mango, tropical fruit <ref>[http://www.flavoractiv.com/products/ethyl-butyrate-beer-flavour-standards/ Ethyl Butyrate Beer Flavour Standard. FlavorActIV. Retrieved 6/20/2015.]</ref>, juicy fruit gum <ref>Private corrospondance with Richard Preiss by Dan Pixley. 12/1/2016.</ref>) || [[Butyric Acid]] and ethanol || 0.4ppm (flavor) <ref>[http://www.flavoractiv.com/products/ethyl-butyrate-beer-flavour-standards/ Flavoractiv. Ethyl butyrate. Retrieved 1/18/2015.]</ref> || C₆H₁₂O₂ <ref name="pubchem_ethylbutyrate">[http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/ethyl_butyrate PubChem. Ethyl Butyrate. Retrieved 08/15/2015.]</ref> || Low levels of production by some species of Brettanomyces; production decreases with higher acidity <ref name="yakobson1">[http://web.archive.org/web/20240623080847/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/pure-culture-fermentation/pure-culture-fermentation-discussion/ Yakobson, Chad. Pure Culture Fermentation Characteristics of Brettanomyces Yeast Species and Their Use in the Brewing Industry. Pure Culture Fermentation Discussion. 2011.]</ref>. Also known as ethyl butanoate <ref name="pubchem_ethylbutyrate"></ref>.

| Ethyl lactate (fruity, creamy, rum <ref>[http://www.aroma-chemical.com/ethyl-lactate/ Best Aroma website. Ethyl Lactate. Retrieved 08/15/2015.]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=avYMy82EBuAC&pg=PA384&lpg=PA384&dq=ethyl+lactate+flavor&source=bl&ots=AZufxA6Htu&sig=rTbNo4rOSBY_6kuhGDtW_JqQ5oA&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBWoVChMI35jXjuirxwIVyKOICh0klgDF#v=onepage&q=ethyl%20lactate%20flavor&f=false Dictionary of Flavors. Dolf De Rovira. John Wiley & Sons, Feb 28, 2008. Pg 384.]</ref>) || [[Lactic Acid]] and ethanol || 0.2 ppm-1.66 ppm (odor) <ref>[http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/category-details?id=1179&table=copytblagents Haz-Map, Ethyl Lactate odor threshold.]</ref> || C₅H₁₀O₃ <ref>[http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/7344 PubChem. Ethyl Lactate. Retrieved 08/15/2015.]</ref> || Increases production with higher amounts of Lactic Acid <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20240723012858/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/pure-culture-fermentation/impact-of-initial-concentration-of-lactic-acid/ Yakobson, Chad. The Brettanomyces Project. Impact of the Initial Concentration of Lactic Acid on Pure Culture Fermentation. Retrieved 6/16/2015.]</ref>

While both ''Saccharomyces'' (only by "phenolic off flavor positive/POF+" strains) and ''Brettanomyces'' strains have varying capabilities based on strain of converting hydroxycinnamic acids to their vinyl derivatives <ref>[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10482-016-0793-3 González, C., Godoy, L. & Ganga, M.A. Identification of a second PAD1 in Brettanomyces bruxellensis LAMAP2480. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 110, 291–296 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-016-0793-3.]</ref><ref name="Lentz">[http://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/4/4/581/htm Analysis of Growth Inhibition and Metabolism of Hydroxycinnamic Acids by Brewing and Spoilage Strains of Brettanomyces Yeast. Michael Lentz and Chad Harris. 2015.]</ref><ref>[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.16.586637v1 Characterization of Brettanomyces bruxellensis phenolic acid decarboxylase enzyme expressed in E. coli. Michael R. Lentz. bioRxiv 2024.04.16.586637; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.16.586637.]</ref>, ''Brettanomyces'' is also able to reduce these vinyl phenol derivatives to ethyl phenol derivatives. Phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) is the enzyme that converts the HCAs into vinyl phenols. Vinyl reductase (VA) is the enzyme that reduces vinyl phenols to ethyl phenols <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1632316743463200/ Analysis of phenolic acid decarboxylase enzyme from the wine spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis (poster). Mike Lentz, Jamie Lynch, Pricilla Walters, Rachel Licea, Henok Daniel, Kimberly Pereira. 2017.]</ref>. Phenol production has been observed to occur shortly after inoculation of ''Brettanomyces'' and has been hypothesized to play a large role in replenishing NAD⁺ to alleviate the initial lag growth phase in ''Brettanomyces'' <ref name="Tyrawa_Masters">[https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/handle/10214/14757 Demystifying Brettanomyces bruxellensis: Fermentation kinetics, flavour compound production, and nutrient requirements during wort fermentation. University of Guelph, Masters Thesis. Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. 2020.]</ref>. While almost all strains of ''Brettanomyces'' produce ethyl phenols, one strain of ''Brettanomyces anomalus'' has been found that has lost the genetic capability to produce phenols <ref name="colomer_2020_genome" />.

It's also been demonstrated that the presence of p-coumaric can assist in reviving so-called [[Quality_Assurance#Viable_But_Nonculturable|VNBC cells of ''B. bruxellensis'']], suggesting that ''Brettanomyces'' can use energy sources such as p-coumaric acid to maintain survival in nutrient poor conditions <ref>[https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/9/3/69 Chandra M, Branco P, Prista C, Malfeito-Ferreira M. Role of p-Coumaric Acid and Micronutrients in Sulfur Dioxide Tolerance in Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Beverages. 2023; 9(3):69. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages9030069.]</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/posts/7289633364398148/?comment_id=7295436620484489 Richard Preiss. Milk The Funk Facebook group thread about p-coumaric acid metabolism. 08/27/2023.]</ref><ref>[https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/9/3/69 Chandra M, Branco P, Prista C, Malfeito-Ferreira M. Role of p-Coumaric Acid and Micronutrients in Sulfur Dioxide Tolerance in Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Beverages. 2023; 9(3):69. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages9030069.]</ref>.

| 4-Vinylguaiacol <ref name="Doss"></ref><ref name="Yakobson_Michigan"></ref> (Clove) || Vinyl phenol || Ferulic Acid || 0.3 ppm (flavor; in beer) <ref>[http://www.aroxa.com/beer/beer-flavour-standard/4-vinyl-guaiacol/ Aroxa Website. 4-Vinylguaiacol. Retrieved 08/19/2015.]</ref> || C₉H₁₀O₂. Also known as 2-methoxy-4-vinyl phenol <ref name="goodscents_4VG">[http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1005101.html The Good Scents Company. 2-methoxy-4-vinyl phenol. Retrieved 08/18/2015.]</ref>. || Produced by some strains of ''S. cerevisiae'' (see [[Saccharomyces#Phenolic_Off_Flavor_Strains|''Saccharomyces'']]) <ref name="Coghe_2014">[http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0346556 Ferulic Acid Release and 4-Vinylguaiacol Formation during Brewing and Fermentation:  Indications for Feruloyl Esterase Activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Stefan Coghe, Koen Benoot, Filip Delvaux, Bart Vanderhaegen, and Freddy R. Delvaux. 2004.]</ref>. Some ''Brettanomyces'' species/strains may also be able to produce this compound at varying levels <ref name="Joseph"></ref><ref>[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07374.x/abstract The biotransformation of simple phenolic compounds by Brettanomyces anomalus. Duncan A.N. Edlin1, Arjan Narbad, J. Richard Dickinson1 andDavid Lloyd. 2006.]</ref><ref name="Oelofse"></ref>. Organic malts have been linked to higher levels of 4VG, vanillan, and their malt precursor ferulic acid <ref name="Iyuke_2008">[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2050-0416.2008.tb00773.x/full The Effect of Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Volatile Phenols on Beer Quality. S. E. Iyuke, E. M. Madigoe, and R. Maponya. 2008.]</ref>. Ferulic acid is released during mashing, with an optimal mash temperature of 40-45°C (104-113°F) and a mash pH of 5.7-5.8 (enyzmatic release of ferulic acid is optimal at a pH of 7.5, but this high of a pH is difficult to achieve during mashing and would cause other enzymatic problems during the later steps of the mash) <ref name="Coghe_2014" /><ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/j.2050-0416.2000.tb00036.x Extraction and Assay of Ferulic Acid Esterase From Malted Barley. F. J. Humberstone D. E. Briggs. 2012.]</ref>. Some studies have found that ferulic acid is generally more efficiently extracted from a combination of 70% barley malt and 30% wheat malt (not raw wheat), despite studies showing that barley malt often contains more ferulic acid than wheat malt (see [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/2053354874692716/ this MTF thread] that explains why this is) <ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jib.189 Enhancing the levels of 4‐vinylguaiacol and 4‐vinylphenol in pilot‐scale top‐fermented wheat beers by response surface methodology. Yunqian Cui, Aiping Wang, Zhuo Zhang, R. Alex. Speers. 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jib.189.]</ref><ref name="Coghe_2014" /><ref name="lentz_2018" /><ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814608003348 Release of phenolic flavour precursors during wort production: Influence of process parameters and grist composition on ferulic acid release during brewing. Nele Vanbeneden, Tom Van Roey, Filip Willems, Filip Delvaux, Freddy R.Delvaux. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.03.029]</ref><ref>[https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/74cd/c0ad3811d95b92c1ecb55ddea392de95ba59.pdf Ferulic Acid in Cereals – a Review. Hüseyin BOZ. 2015. doi: 10.17221/401/2014-CJFS.]</ref>. A more recent studies disagreed and found a linear increase soluble ferulic acid correlated with higher percentages of wheat malt <ref name="kalb_2021" />. Malting parameters also affect the levels of ferulic acid in malt; for example, wheat malt with higher germination temperatures (24-26°C versus 12-18°C) were shown to form more ferulic acid in one study that looked at the impact of germination temperature and aeration during germination of barley and wheat malt <ref name="kalb_2021" />. Ferulic acid is also There is also a correlation between how dark a malt is (or how highly kilned it is and how much melanoidin content it has) and how much ferulic acid the malt has; : the darker more melanoidin content in the malt, the more ferulic acid (however, roasted malts were not tested in the referenced study) <ref>[https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/10/7/1124 Shopska V, Denkova-Kostova R, Dzhivoderova-Zarcheva M, Teneva D, Denev P, Kostov G. Comparative Study on Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Different Malt Types. Antioxidants. 2021; 10(7):1124. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10071124.]</ref>. Ferulic acid is stable through the wort boiling process <ref name="kalb_2021" />.

| Claussenii|| ''Dekkera anomala'' || ''Brettanomyces anomalus'' ||WLP645||Fruity, pineapple. Wine grape-like aroma, with light wood-like, floral, and citrus aromas. More fruit forward in the flavor, clean aftertaste with little to no "funk" <ref name="danpixley_mtf" />. || Approx. 500 million cells per mL; homebrew vials are approx. 17.5 billion cells at 35 mL <ref name="reddit_brett"></ref>. See also [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1385144124847131/?match=YXR0ZW51YXRpb24sYXR0ZW51YXRlZCxjbGF1c3Nlbmlp this MTF thread] and [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1309024112459133/?comment_id=1310955328932678&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R1%22%7D this MTF thread] which discuss the purity of this culture, and references [http://web.archive.org/web/20240623083404/http://brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/pure-culture-fermentation/impact-of-pitching-rate/ Yakobson's data] that indicates that it does not attenuate wort efficiently when purely isolated.

There are generally two approaches to handling ''Brettanomyces'' starters. The first is to use a stir plate set to a medium-high RPM with tin foil on top of the flask for 7-8 days, cold crash for a few days, and then decant the beer before pitching the sedimented yeast. The second approach is to use an orbital shaker set to 80 RPM to create a ''semi-aerobic'' environment (this means that the oxygen levels are low, but also not non-existent) for 7-8 days as described in ''The Brettanomyces project'' <ref name="chad_rpm">[http://web.archive.org/web/20240623090139/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/propagation-and-batch-culture-growth/propagation-methods/ Yakobson, Chad. The Brettanomyces Project. Propagation and Batch Culture Methods. Retrieved 2/18/2015.]</ref>, cold crashing can be skipped, and the entire starter is pitched into the wort. An alternative to the second approach is to use a stir plate on a very low setting so that only a very small "dimple" of a vortex is formed <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1168024059892473/?comment_id=1174867645874781&reply_comment_id=1174924805869065&total_comments=1&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Conversation with Mark Trent, Richard Preiss, and Roy Ventullo on MTF regarding creating a semi-aerobic starter without an orbital shaker. 11/06/2015]</ref>. If a stir plate is not available, give the starter an initial dosage of pure O2, and then cover it with foil so that oxygen can slowly diffuse into the starter, and gently agitate as often as possible <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1019859158042298/?comment_id=1020313737996840&offset=0&total_comments=24&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R6%22%7D Conversation with Nick Impellitteri on MTF in regards to semi-aerobic starters. 2/16/2015.]</ref>.

This presents a sort of "catch 22" when growing ''Brettanomyces'' in a starter. The brewer must weigh the pros and cons of how much aeration to provide. If the ''Brettanomyces'' is going to be used in a [[Brettanomyces_Fermentation|100% Brettanomyces Fermentation]], for example, then a stir plate with foil covering the flask is the best choice. If the ''Brettanomyces'' is instead being pitched in secondary with the intention of long aging, then having a high cell count isn't as necessary and the risk of adding more acetic acid/ethyl acetate to an aging beer is greater. If a lot of acetic acid is produced during the starter, then they can opt to cold crash and decant the starter. ''Brettanomyces'' can have a difficult time flocculating and settling out, even when cold crashed. The brewer may need to allow a few days for the cells to fully sediment <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1099473923414154/?comment_id=1099522943409252&offset=0&total_comments=25&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Conversation with Richard Preiss of Escarpment Yeast Labs on MTF. 6/26/2015.]</ref>. Additionally, ''Brettanomyces'' that is cold crashed may be slower to begin fermentation. If the brewer believes that the amount of acetic acid produced was insignificant, then cold crashing can be skipped and the entire starter can be pitched. Even if the starter has a lot of acetic acid, the amount of acetic acid in the volume of a starter is fairly insignificant once diluted into a full batch of wort or beer. If the starter is not going to be used within a month, then an aerobic starter is not the best option since the presence of a lot of acetic acid will slowly kill the ''Brettanomyces'' over time. In this case, the starter should be lightly shaken (or occasionally manually stirred), and an airlock put in place on the flask in order to keep out most of the oxygen.

Current yeast pitching calculators for brewers are not adequate for determining ''Brettanomyces'' pitching rates based on starter volume size because the maximum cell density of ''Brettanomyces'' per mL of wort is 3 to 6 times the cell density of ''Saccharomyces''. For example, a given ''Saccharomyces'' strain may reach a cell density of 130 million cells per mL in a 1.040 wort (different ''Saccharomyces'' strains can have different cell densities as well, although they are a lot lower than ''Brettanomyces'' overall). Different ''Brettanomyces'' strain cell densities have been reported to be 600 to 885 million cells per mL in 1.040 wort depending on the species/strain <ref name="Yakobson_Propagation">[http://web.archive.org/web/20240623065612/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/propagation-and-batch-culture-growth/propagation-results/ Yakobson, Chad. The Brettanomyces Project. Propagation and Batch Culture Results. Retrieved 2/17/2015]</ref><ref name="MarkTrent">[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1114254011936145/ Conversation with Mark Trent and Lance Shaner on MTF regarding Brett pitching rates. 07-21-2015.]</ref>. Since yeast calculators are based on ''S. cerevisiae'' or ''S. pastorianus'' cell density, using one of these tools for ''Brettanomyces'' starters will create an unexpectedly high cell count in reality. There is not currently enough publicly available data that the authors of this wiki are aware of to accurately determine starter volumes for ''Brettanomyces'', particularly because each strain and species have a different maximum cell density per mL of wort. However, pitching around 500-600 mL of a ''Brettanomyces'' starter for 5 gallons of 1.060 SG wort will achieve a pitching rate that is similar to lager yeast pitching rates, which has been recommended for [[Brettanomyces_Fermentation|100% Brettanomyces Fermentation]]. [[Omega Yeast Labs]] is currently working on a project to create a more accurate ''Brettanomyces'' pitching rate calculator (it will also contain pitching rate calculations for specific strains of ''Saccharomyces'', which is something that current yeast pitching calculators do not include) <ref name="MarkTrent"></ref>.

For yeast laboratories, "Malt Yeast Peptone Glucose" growth substrate has been shown to be a better substrate than wort for initially growing ''Brettanomyces'' from a plate or slant. When grown in wort, ''Brettanomyces'' will often go through a 24 hour lag phase, a growth phase, another lag phase, and a second growth phase (all within 7-8 days). When grown in MYPG substrate, there is only a single growth phase and no lag phase, which has been reported by Yakobson to produce a larger cell count in the same amount of time <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20240519142207/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/2009/08/mypg-vs-wort-as-the-growth-substrate/ Yakobson, Chad. The Brettanomyces Project. MYPG Compared to Wort as a Growth Substrate. Retrieved 2/18/2015.]</ref>. Cells grown in MYPG also are better adapted to grow in wort <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20240623065300/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/propagation-and-batch-culture-growth/propagation-discussion/ Yakobson, Chad. The Brettanomyces Project. Propagation and Batch Culture Discussion. Paragraph 5. Retrieved 2/18/2015.]</ref>. Practical instructions for making this substrate can be found on Jason Rodriguez's blog, "[http://sciencebrewer.com/2011/04/29/wild-yeast-project-mypg-culture-media/ Brew Science - Homebrew Blog]". Unfortunately, growing ''Brettanomyces'' pitches in MYPG for breweries isn't very practical due to needing almost 4 times the amount of MYPG versus wort to get the same pitching rate. In a brewery or homebrewery, using wort for ''Brettanomyces'' starters is more practical <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1150169708344575/ Conversation with Mark Trent, Lance Shaner, and Richard Preiss on MTF. 09/18/2015.]</ref>.

* [[Brettanomyces_Fermentation|100% Brettanomyces Fermentation]]

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20240519133925/http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/ The Brettanomyces Project - Chad Yakobon's Brett research.]