Brettcave 02: Elderflower

BrettCave is the series of wild sour beers which we launched in 2023.

It is named after our basement, in which we pioneered this style of beer and embarked on our journey into the world of wild sour beers.

After this Brettcave had aged in oak, we started thinking about what could further enhance it. We remembered Stjepan Fišić, a fellow member of the beer community and owner of a small organic farm. He had once told us about the berry fruits and haskap (honeyberry) he grows – and also, elderflower.

We gave him a call to check how the season went. He told us that while the fruit harvest wasn’t ideal that year, the elderflower bloomed beautifully. At first, we thought: “We could just pick some wild elderflower ourselves.” But after a short visit to Stjepan’s countryside farm, it became clear that his elderflower had a far more intense and expressive aroma than the wild ones found near the edges of the city.

The beer was spontaneously fermented, aged for 12 months in Slavonian oak barrels, with no commercial yeast and no temperature control. After that, it refermented in bottle for another 12 months on its own wild yeast, following the principles of the champagne method – but without disgorgement.

The elderflowers contributed both native yeasts and delicate floral aromas, layering themselves onto the beer’s funky Brett character, dry acidity and subtle volatile notes. The result is a complex, refreshing wild ale, ideal for lovers of natural fermentation and unfiltered expressions of fruit and place.