Rating: 3.75/5 New Belgium 22oz version (7.50% ABV)
Rating: 4.25/5 Lost Abbey 330ml version (6.15% ABV)
Brett Beer or Mo’ Betta Bretta is collaboration of 2 awesome minds, The Lost Abbey and New Belgium. This collaba-brew is an American Wild Ale that is brewed using brettanomyces. Each unique version starts with this key ingredient and each adds theirs special touch to it. Just like the Sobrehumano Pale’ Ona, I need to separate each one and review them accordingly.
One of the key elements that is noticeable about New Belgium is their use of ingredients which give beers a nice biscuit bread sweet like flavor to their beers originating from Fat Tire. This beer from the moment of opening explodes with tropical flavors not only to the scent but also to the taste. It is not like an IPA tropical but were talking like a Belgian fruit beer tropical. IPAs emphasize on grassy hoppy, grapefruit and bitter notes while some have tropical and caramel flavors. This beer is all tropical and no bitterness. This is because we get the same honey sweet, biscuit flavor of New Belgium beers along with tropical pineapple, peach, mango, bananas, honey dew, caramel and vanilla. The only thing that New Belgium’s version does not emphasize is the amount of full body beer you would probably get from like let’s say a saison. Brett Beer on the other hand is a more Semi-Full Bodied Beer. Yet it does have the flavors there but not overwhelming. Basically a lot of NBs beers are awesome, easy to drink as they do not have sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and great for introducing people to the craft beer world of flavors. Many people that come from places where lagers rule, cannot easily be exposed to Full Bodied beers as I have found out from friends and family who try what I like. New Belgium has provided that gateway for people to begin and appreciate something higher but take baby steps. While the sweet flavors of the brettanomyces is there, it is not in full flavor force but this makes it so much easier to drink.Lost Abbey Review:
The Lost Abbey version of this brew is actually alittle betta’. With additional brettanomyces in the beer, it brings about the same tropical Belgian fruit flavors but more banana bread cloves as well as the pineapple, peach, apples, pears, mango, honey dew, raisins and plums. It is more full bodied and has a higher flavor complexity than the NB version. At 6.15% ABV is definitely betta’. However, with the NB version you do get more beer to drink thank this. But I guess greater things do come in smaller quantities. I love the label and how they mention thos Budweiser frogs from the past… LMAO!!! The last time Mo Betta Bretta was made was back in 2004. So it definitely has been for ever. I am sure if this beer were to be aged for several years, it would probably taste stronger and have more richer flavors of what I wrote here. Truly a dug up treasure that was brought from the great beyond only to be savored once again. Belgian beer people and Saison/Farmhouse ale lovers, go grab this.
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On the Imagination River live some very curious Bullfrogs. Rumor has it they LOVE funky and wild beer. But it wasn’t alway this way. Like most her drinking frogs they started out drinking mass produced beer. And for the most part, each was content drinking this her. But then a new frog took up residence next door. He embraced funk and his inner wild child.
One day while lounging on the lily pads, he broke out a special bottle of Mo Betta Bretta a delicious blonde ale with a decidedly 100% wild fermentation carried out by Brettanomyces. Everything changed that day. Now when you get close to the reeds and listen you can hear them croaking in unison… Mo Betta Bretta. And for that, we’re thankful these frogs have great taste in beer.
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