I can’t say enough good things about the latest release from Small Gods. Hold your breath … it’s officially called Siding With Chaos Against Good Order (5% ABV). And well, that’s what it does by taking a normal New Zealand-style pilsner, with classic Motueka hops, but using Brettanomyces Bruxellensis as part of a mixed ferment. And if that’s not enough chaos, they put it in a can, just so you can appreciate that what you hold, could — if not handled correctly (ie kept cold) — explode. That’s unlikely, I reckon, as it’s brewed at North End, where brewer Kieran Haslett-Moore can be trusted to get these things right even though it’s the first time he’s put a mixed-ferment beer into a can. The beer is certainly lively on the rip and pour. As you can see from the picture (below) it’s quite hazy and has a fair bit of sediment. The flavour? Just outstanding. It’s just (only just) a bit funky, with an underlying tropical note. It’s like a piece of very ripe fruit that’s just on the right side of going off. There’s a note of hay starting to turn towards silage (in a pleasant way) and a brioche bread-sweetness to balance it all out. It’s definitely for adventurous beer drinkers. A limited run of 300 cans is available but there’s another batch (with a Brett claussenii strain) coming later.

Small Gods Brett Bruxellensis Pilsner