Centuries ago when brewers were first learning to wrangle wild yeasts, many came to prize the staid and predictable Saccharomyces yeast that worked such wonders in bread, beer and wine. But Saccharomyces had a cousin that could not be saddled named Brettanomyces, or “the British yeast.” Brett instead made beers that smelled like tropical fruits and horse blankets, imbued with a leathery, earthy funk. This yeast had no interest in being “normal.”

Brett gained praise for the extra complexity it brought to the dark porters that built the great breweries of Britain and powered the American Revolution. It lingered in the sour beers of Belgium. But after the 1800s, tastes became mild, and people shied away from Brett’s funky kick. Brewers and winemakers alike banished it back out into the pastures whence it came.

Now, Brett comes thundering back home. The Wild Horse Porter starts off with a full Brett fermentation, which is then finished with a late addition of Brooklyn Brewery's house ale yeast. The result is an intriguing, full-bodied beer with a hay-forward funk on the nose preceding flavors of chocolate, coffee, fruit and caramel. Brooklyn Brewery is riding on the wild side. Are you ready?