Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Brett) is a yeast which can cause significant spoilage in beverages through the production of volatile phenol compounds. These compounds are associated with undesirable sensory characters such as ‘Band-Aid’, ‘medicinal’, ‘horsy’ and ‘barnyard’. Beverage producers should be aware of the prevalence of Brett and have a prevention strategy in place, even if spoilage

Background Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Brett) is a major wine spoilage yeast responsible for producing volatile phenol compounds. These compounds; 4-ethylphenol (4-EP), 4-ethylguaiacol (4-EG) and 4-ethylcatechol (4-EC), impart characteristics described as “horsy”, “Band-Aid”, “barnyard” and “sweaty saddle”. Collectively these are known as “Brett character”. More information on mitigation and control strategies can be found in the AWRI