On Tap: BrainDead Brewing Company’s Dr. Dreipricot.

BrainDead Brewing Company’s Dr. Dreipricot Is A Kettle-Soured Brew That Sort Of Tastes Like You’re Drinking A Buttery Yogurt.

Welcome to On Tap! Each week in this recurring feature, we’ll take an in-depth look at one of the many beers now available in the suddenly crowded North Texas brew scene. The goal here is to look at these area beers without our local goggles on and to wonder aloud, “Is this beer good or do I just like it because it’s local?” Should be a fun experiment, no? Cheers to that!

This week, we sipped on Braindead Brewing Company’s Dr. Dreipricot.

Fast Facts on Braindead Brewing Company Dr. Dreipricot.

Style: Brett Beer (kettle soured).
ABV: 4.6 percent.
International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 15.
Color: Orange-gold.
Availability: Limited – brewery only.

Overview.
For those of you scoring along at home, this marks back-to-back reviews on beers from Braindead Brewing Company. Sorry, not sorry. While I was visiting BDBC working on my review for P-Wing, I wrapped up my session with a Dr. Dreipricot. And goodness gracious, this was one of the funkiest beers that I have tried in quite some time. And with all due respect where respect is due, I mean that in the best of ways. I appreciate a good and weird Brett or otherwise tart or sour-tasting beer. And because Dr. Dreipricot made me do a quadruple-take, I had to grab a growler of it for a closer look. Side note: if you’re into sour-tasting and barrel-aged beers, check out Braindead’s upcoming Festicle event.

Background on Brett Beer.
On its menu, Braindead has this beer labeled as a sour. Specifically, BDBC’s menu calls this beer a “fruited sour with Apricot puree, orange peel and lemon peel.” So we’re clear, this beer – in my mind –is a Brett Beer and also sort of a sour. For the Beer Judge Certification Program’s sake, this beer straddles the styles somewhere between a Brett Beer and a Mixed Fermentation Sour. So chill out, style sticklers, this one is a bit of a wild card. I reached out to Andrew Huerter, head brewer at BDBC, to get a clearer picture of how this beer was produced. He tells me that this beer was kettle-soured using Lactobacillus Acidophilus. After the kettle sour step, the wort was boiled and then steeped with citrus peel. And for fermentation, this beer is fermented using 100 percent Brett var. Drei., with apricot puree added at the end of fermentation. Simple enough, am I right? Whatever style beer this is, it’s very interesting.

A Brett Beer is typically a beer fermented solely with some variant of Brettanomyces yeast. While not all Brettanomyces are created equal, they are known to create some more interesting flavor combinations compared to your run-of-the-mill Saccharomyces yeasts used in other beers. Brett var. Drei (sometimes also spelled Drie) is a highly aromatic strain and its tart and sometimes-sour-tasting character shines through more with aging. So a bottled beer fermented with Brett var Drei will likely change its character over time. Brett beers can be perceived as being a bit lighter on the mouthfeel to a comparable base beer. But even this trait has some wiggle room. Overall, the BJCP guidelines for this style leave a ton of room for interpretation; it’s the fermenting yeast that matters with this style.

Appearance.
Dr. Dreipricot pours a medium orange color in to the glass. I got a growler fill about a week ago and the carbonation is still nice and bright on this beer. Foam doesn’t hang around for very long, but that’s expected with a wacky beer like this. Clarity is so-so.

Aroma.
The aroma department is where things get interesting. Both with my in-brewery pour as well as this growler pour both give off waves of fruity, weird, warming funk. The first but maybe faintest aroma I perceive is a round dairy sort of thing like a buttery yogurt. Then the dairy aroma intensifies as the sniff gets all the way inside my nostrils and it takes on a subtle – and also inviting – movie theatre popcorn and hints of blue cheese. Just as the moo-cow situation crests, I sense a sweet and bitter fruit thing hanging out in the background. The aroma on Dr. Dreipricot, while totally off the wall, smells amazing. And don’t let the dairy thing throw you, gentle imbiber. Stay with me here!

Flavor.
Where dairy arrives first on the aroma scene, the fruit takes over on the taste. I do get a sense that this beer is a kettle soured beer, but I don’t get that Jamie Lee Curtis probiotic commercial vibe that some kettle soured beers have. The Lacto addition feels intentional here, and its mild acidity imparts a little bit of extra tartness and dials up the bitterness from the citrus peel. The bitter peel seems to hang back on the sniff, but it’s here in a major way on the taste. Along with the peel flavor, there is some residual fruit that hangs around in the background. After the swallow, I sense a gentle hello from that buttery yogurt sensation when I breathe the aftertaste through my nose.

Mouthfeel.
Dr. Dreipricot has a medium amount of carbonation. For all of its flavor, the beer finishes very dry. It’s likely that the Brett in this beer just went nuts, even with the late apricot puree addition, and just gobbled up almost all of the available sugar here. With its dry finish, the sugar gets out of the way of to let all of the other elements shine through.

Overall Impression.
Of DFW beers, this is one of the weirdest ones. Dr. Dreipricot pulls double-duty from a sensory perspective. The nose tells me one story and then the taste tells me another. The kettle souring is a nice touch, but it doesn’t get in the way of the rest of what’s going on here. The peel additions feel on point and they shine through most on the sip. The aftertaste is a strange but enjoyable medley of buttery cheese and bitter citrus. This doesn’t sound like it works, but it totally does.

One thing that this beer might need is some education. As this is a more advanced, out-there sort of beer, it’s likely to face a bit of an uphill climb with some consumers. Keven White, front end doer-of-things at Braindead, told me that this beer gets some send-backs. As in, people take a sip of this beer and send it back. In my eyes, those people are crazy. But, hey, I get it… this beer is a bit atypical and maybe even fringy. But for me, that’s what makes this beer such a success. Beer me.

Score. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give Dr. Dreipricot a 9.

Previous On Tap Reviews:
• Revolver’s Sangre y Miel: 10.
• Peticolas’ Royal Scandal: 10.
• Community’s Mosaic IPA: 10.
• Peticolas’ Velvet Hammer: 10.
• Collective Brewing Project’s Boysenbarrel: 10.
• Community’s Barrel-Aged Legion: 10.
• Community’s Legion: 10.
• Martin House River Horse: 9.75.
• BrainDead’s Fill in the Blancs: 9.5.
• Oak Highlands’ Freaky Deaky: 9.5.
• Braindead Brewing’s P-Wing: 9.5.
• Lakewood Brewing Company’s Coconut Temptress: 9.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Barrel Aged Four Swords: 9.5.
• Lakewood’s Saint Dymphna: 9.5.
• Peticolas’ Lost Epic: 9.5.
• Community’s Ascension Porter: 9.5.
• Lakewood’s Temptress: 9.5.
• Lakewood’s Goatman: 9.5.
• Community’s Public Ale: 9.5.
• Peticolas’ Thrilla in Brazilla: 9.5.
• Collective Brewing Project’s SMaSHY: 9.2
• On Rotation’s Lingonberry Sahti: 9.25.
• On Rotation’s Jalapeno Saison: 9.
• Woodcreek’s Bourbon Barrel Bock: 9.
• Braindead Brewing Company’s Dr. Dreipricot: 9.
• Lakewood’s Wild Manimal: 9.
• Revolver’s Blood & Honey: 9.
• Martin House’s Imperial Texan: 9.
• Community’s Trinity Tripel: 9.
• Peticolas’ Irish Goodbye: 9.
• Four Corners’ Block Party Porter: 9.
• Bankhead Brewing Co.’s Giggle Water: 9.
• Cedar Creek’s Belgian Dubbel: 9.
• Cedar Creek’s Poblano Paradise: 8.75.
• Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest: 8.75.
• Small Brewpub’s Black Pepper Pils: 8.5.
• Peticolas’ Ghost Of Alfred Brown: 8.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Easy Peasy IPA: 8.5.
• Community Beer Company’s Passiflora: 8.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Oak Cliff Coffee Ale: 8.5.
• Community Beer Company’s Wit ‘N Wild: 8.5.
• Lakewood’s Rock Ryder: 8.5.
• Rahr’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer: 8.5.
• Lakewood’s Raspberry Temptress: 8.5.
• Peticolas’ Prime Minister: 8.25.
• Lakewood’s Peach Artsy Tarsty: 8.25.
• Lakewood Brewing Grand Allowance: 8.
• HopFusion Ale Works’ Hairpin: 8
• Armadillo Ale Works’ Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale: 8.
• Community’s Texas Helles: 8.
• On Rotation’s Moar Blackberry: 8.
• Peticolas Brewing Company’s Doctor’s Orders: 8.
• Lakewood’s Thread Spinner: 8.
• Bishop Cider Co.’s Sour Cherry: 8.
• Texas Ale Project 50 Ft. Jackrabbit: 8.
• Pegasus City Brewing’ Nine Volt: 8.
• Texas Ale Project’s Payne Pils: 8.
• Noble Rey’s Bridesmaid’s Tears: 8.
• Collective Brewing’s Urban Funk House: 8.
• Pegasus City Brewery’s Cannoneer: 8.
• Lakewood’s On Call: 8.
• Oak Highlands’ Golden Mustache: 8.
• 903 Brewers’ Crackin’ Up: 8.
• Deep Ellum’s Play Date: 8.
• Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s 11th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout: 8.
• Bitter Sisters’ Belgian Tripel: 8.
• Noble Rey’s SteamPunk: 8.
• 903 Brewers’ Citra On Top: 8.
• Bitter Sisters’ Hissy Fit: 8.
• BrainDead’s Gritz: 8.
• Community’s Barrel-Aged Inspiration : 8.
• Cedar Creek’s Fisticuffs: 8.
• Lakewood’s Punkel: 8.
• Four Corners’ El Chingon IPA: 8.
• Martin House’s Day Break: 8.
• Deep Ellum’s GOURDzilla: 8.
• Peticolas’ The Duke (Aged 12 Months): 8.
• Deep Ellum’s Pale Ale: 8.
• Revolver’s Bock: 8.
• 903 Brewers’ Sasquatch: 8.
• Peticolas’ Wintervention: 8.
• Armadillo Ale Works’ Brunch Money: 8.
• Martin House’s Salsa Verde: 8.
• Cedar Creek’s Spinning Mule Robust Porter: 8.
• Lakewood’s Holiday Bonus: 8.
• Lakewood’s Hop Trapp: 8.
• Four Corners Brewing Company Homie Brew: 7.75.
• Cedar Creek’s Grapefruit Haze: 7.75.
• Martin House Brewing’s Big Hoppa: 7.75.
• TUPPS Full Grown Man: 7.75.
• 3 Nations American Wit: 7.75.
• Armadillo Ale Works’ Dapper Apple: 7.75.
• Chimera Dirty Dog: 7.5.
• Legal Draft’s Accused Amber Lager: 7.5.
• Grapevine’s Reserve Tart Cherry Berliner Weisse: 7.5.
• Martin House’s Stars Above: 7.5.
• Grapevine’s Prickly Pear Wheat Ale: 7.5.
• Texas Ale Project’s Good To Go: 7.5.
• Bitter Sisters’ Knock Out: 7.5.
• Four Corners’ Notorious O.A.T.: 7.5.
• Noble Rey Golden Rey With Raspberries and Ginger: 7.5.
• On Rotation Saved By The Belma: 7.5.
• True Vine’s Unicorn’s Revenge: 7.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Hop Seeker: 7.5.
• Four Corners’ El Super Bee: 7.5.
• Lakewood’s Hopochondria: 7.5.
• Three Nations GPA: 7.5.
• Martin House’s Rubberneck Red: 7.5.
• Lakewood’s Antigoon’s Revenge: 7.5.
• Community’s Texas Pils: 7.5.
• Lakewood’s Zomer Pils: 7.5.
• Cedar Creek’s Dankosaurus: 7.5.
• Cedar Creek Brewery Clover Kicker: 7.25.
• Noble Rey Sex In A Canoe: 7.25.
• Oak Highlands Brewery’s Oktoberfest.: 7.25.
• Deep Ellum Rye Pils: 7.
• 3 Nations Mango SMASH IPA: 7.
• Legal Draft Chief Justice Stout: 7.
• Manhattan Project’s Plutonium-239: 7.
• Backcountry’s Texas IPA: 7.
• Backcountry’s Double IPA: 7.
• Wild Acre Brewing Company’s Billy Jenkins: 7.
• Rahr’s Visionary: 7.
• Shannon Brewing’s Irish Cream Ale: 7.
• Oak Highlands’ Guava Good: 7.
• TUPPS Brewery’ Northbound 75: 7.
• Rahr & Sons’ Iron Joe: 7.
• BrainDead’s I Like Harvey IPA: 7.
• Martin House’s Turtle Power: 7.
• Collective’s Petite Golden Sour: 7.
• Shannon’s Chocolate Stout: 7.
• BrainDead’s Red Ale: 7.
• Community’s Razzy Raspberry Witbier: 7.
• Martin House’s Gateway Blonde Ale: 7.
• Bearded Eel’s Purple Unicorn: 7.
• Noble Rey’s Off The Leash: 7.
• Shannon Brewing Company’s Irish Red: 7.
• Texas Ale Project’s Somethin’ Shady: 7.
• Deep Ellum IPA: 7.
• Cedar Creek’s The Lawn Ranger: 7.
• Martin House Brewing Company’s Cellarman’s Reserve IPA (Amarillo).: 7.
• Lakewood’s Till & Toil: 7.
• 903 Brewers’ The Chosen One: 7.
• 903 Brewers’ Sugar On Top: 7.
• Martin House’s Gateway XPA: 7.
• Armadillo Ale Work’s Quakertown Stout: 7.
• Revolver’s High Brass: 7.
• Community’s Pale Ale: 7.
• Oak Highlands’ Chump Change: 7.
• Martin House’s River House: 7.
• Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Sir William’s Brown Ale: 7.
• Community’s Funnel Cake Ale: 7.
• Audacity’s Boss Raptor IPA: 7.
• Community Brewing Company’s Silly Gose: 6.75
• Martin House’s Queen of the Mist (Prickly Pear): 6.75.
• Three Nations Texas Xmas Hazelnut Ale: 6.5.
• Martin House’s The Juice: 6.5.
• Collective Brewing Project’s Mom Azacca: 6.5.
• Four Corners’ La Lechuza: 6.5.
• Revolver’s Ironhead IPA: 6.5.
• 903 Brewers’ Trot Line: 6.5.
• Four Corners’ Celebración: 6.5.
• Peticolas’ Operation Collaboration: 6.5.
• Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Nightwatch: 6.5.
• Peticolas’ The Duke: 6.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Double Brown Stout : 6.5.
• Cedar Creek’s Maui Wowie: 6.25.
• On Rotation’s Mexican Barleywine: 6.25.
• Wild Acre’s Tarantula Hawk: 6.
• Martin House’s Kafkaesque: 6.
• TUPPS’ Cotton Mill Gold: 6.
• Rabbit Hole’s Tweedleyum: 6.
• Rabbit Hole’s Off With Your Red: 6.
• Cedar Creek’s Elliott’s Phoned Home Pale Ale: 6
• Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Lakefire: 6
• Armadillo Ale Works’ WunderMelon: 6
• Cobra Brewing Company’s Dawn of the Dank: 6
• Deep Ellum Pale Ale: 6
• Lakewood’s Troll Toll: 5.5.
• Martin House’s Hell Below: 5.5.
• Lakewood’s La Dame Du Lac: 5.5.
• Woodcreek’s Lakeside Cerveza: 5.
• Legal Draft Beer Company’s Smash & Grab IPA: 5.
• Martin House Cuvee Pumpkin Latte: 5.
• Intrinsic’s Crunktoberfest: 5.
• Martin House’s Mind On My Money: 5.
• 903 Brewers’ The Land Of Milk And Honey: 5.
• Deep Ellum’s Numb Comfort: 5.
• TUPPS’ Day Off: 4.75.
• Four Bullets’ Black Jack Brown: 4.5.
• Audacity’s Checkered Past: 4.
• Four Corners Heart O’ Texas: 4.
• Audacity’s Sunset Boulevard: 4.
• Shannon Brewing Company’s IPA: 4.
• Grapevine’s Monarch: 4.
• Good Neighbor Brews Slim Sweetness: 3.
• Twin Peaks’ Dirty Blonde: 3.
• Franconia Wheat: 3.
• 903 Brewers’ Mythical Creatures: 2.5.
• Miller Lite: 1.

All photos by Ben Smithson.