Glossary · Sensory
Brett character
Also written Brett, funk. Each is a name for the same thing, which is why none of them has an entry of its own.
Definition
The aroma complex produced by Brettanomyces: farmyard, horse blanket, leather, clove and sticking plaster, from 4-ethylphenol, 4-ethylguaiacol and related compounds.
- Subject
- Sensory
- Also written
- Brett, funk
In more detail
At low intensity it can add savoury depth to a tannic cider; at higher intensity it flattens fruit and dominates. Perception varies between individuals, and the ratio between the phenols shifts the character from spicy to medicinal, so two Brett-affected ciders can smell quite unlike each other.
Where this is covered properly
The glossary defines; these pages explain. Each is described in its own words.
Fault
Brettanomyces character
Farmyard, horse-blanket, smoky and sticking-plaster aromas from *Brettanomyces* yeast converting hydroxycinnamic acids into volatile phenols.
Sensory
Farmyard
The composite animal-and-straw note of volatile phenols with short-chain fatty acids, central to traditional farmhouse character.
Sensory
Sticking plaster
The sharp antiseptic-and-adhesive note of 4-ethylphenol, the principal volatile phenol of *Brettanomyces* activity in cider.
Related terms
Terms that belong to the same part of the subject, or that this one is routinely confused with.
Microbiology
Brettanomyces
A genus of slow-growing yeasts, *Dekkera* in its sexual form, that survive in wood and in finished cider and produce volatile phenols smelling of farmyard, leather, spice and sticking plaster.
Sensory
Farmyard
A descriptor for the animal, stable-like aroma associated chiefly with *Brettanomyces* ethylphenols, and sometimes loosely applied to any rustic character in traditional cider.
Sensory
Sticking plaster
A descriptor for the sharp medicinal, antiseptic note of volatile phenols, most often from *Brettanomyces* and occasionally from chlorophenol contamination in packaging or premises.
Fermentation
Barrel ageing
Maturing cider in wood, either in neutral casks used purely as vessels or in barrels chosen to contribute oak, spirit or wine character.
Sensory
Oxidative
Showing the character that oxygen exposure brings — bruised apple, nuts, dried fruit, sherry and toffee — with fresh fruit aromas diminished. It may be a fault or a deliberate style.
Where to go next
- Cider glossary — The whole vocabulary, by subject and A–Z.
- Comparisons — Terms that are only really clear when set against the thing they are not.
- Search — Finds terms by their aliases and by their spellings in other languages.
Sources
What this page rests on. Where a source is marked as registered rather than read, CiderHQ is recording that the body is authoritative on the subject without claiming to have worked through the document itself. See our evidence policy for what each state means.
Peer-reviewed literature on cider fermentation microbiology
Various journals · peer-reviewed literature · registered as competent for this subject
Covers the microbial succession of spontaneous cider fermentation, the role of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in the early stages, malolactic conversion by Oenococcus and Lactobacillus species, and the organisms behind the principal spoilage faults.
The Science of Cidermaking and associated technical writing
Andrew Lea · reference work · passage verified 2026-08-24
Written by a food chemist who worked at Long Ashton on apple phenolics. Unusual among specialist cider writing in that it is primary-research-adjacent: the author is describing work he did, and cites the literature. This is why it is registered at tier 1 for chemistry while a general cider book is not.
BJCP Beer Style Guidelines — cider and perry categories
Beer Judge Certification Program · classification framework · retrieved 2026-08-24
Opened on 2026-08-24, and the edition matters. CiderHQ registered the 2015 cider guidelines; BJCP has since published a 2025 cider edition, and the old URL now redirects into the current guidelines index. A competition style guide is a dated framework rather than a standing definition, and citing the wrong edition of one is the same class of error as citing a superseded specification. CiderHQ treats BJCP as one competition framework among several and never as the universal cider taxonomy.