The phrase "a brief instance" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a short or momentary occurrence of something.
Example: "During the meeting, there was a brief instance when everyone paused to reflect on the previous discussion."
Alternatives: "a short moment" or "a fleeting occurrence."
In a brief instance when it does wade into politics, "Too Hot Not to Handle" hears from a hybrid-car enthusiast who says it's conservative to conserve fuel.
Each image is composed of 10,000 photos of a brief instance.
Sampling as an element of research method leads to sampling in a second sense: in many cases thesis work forms a brief instance of what operational public health action might be.
And yet, despite his many flaws, he possessed a rabid, ungovernable ambition that in a few brief instances enabled him to transcend his limitations.
In that brief instance, "London Road" surges with feeling.
"After this closure -- which the Judge explained was not occasioned by any actual spillage of classified information -- the unredacted transcript of what was said during this brief instance was released to the public in less than 48 hours.
It says: the plywood Millenium Falcon was convincing enough to make me forget – at least for one brief instance – the trudging futility of my life, but that disbelief was suspended when I had to break a tenner just for a burger with salsa on it.
In rare (and brief) instances, justified by overwhelming historical interest, Mr. Scarduelli includes material from a seriously defective source.
The tape from radar approach control also captures three brief instances at about the time of the crash in which someone on the frequency appears to click on a microphone, but there are no intelligible words.
The F.C.C. said that it had filed a motion in the federal appeals court in New York, asking for 60 days to decide again whether the shows, which included brief instances of objectionable language, were indecent.
