Brute very holy? Minimally good (3)
I believe the answer is:
pig
'brute' is the definition.
(I know that pig is a type of brute)
'holy? minimally good' is the wordplay.
'holy?' becomes 'pi' (pi can mean pious).
'minimally' suggests taking the first letters (minimal amounts of the word).
The first letter of 'good' is 'g'.
'pi'+'g'='PIG'
'very' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for pig that I've seen before include "Quantity of metal" , "Empress of Blandings?" , "Boar or sow" , "& 16 Animal pen" , "Hog" .)