On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1418

“white,”referringtotheircloudyappearance.
SomeAmericanbreweriesnowproduce
wheatbeersontheGermanmodel,butusually
withoutthephenol-producingyeast;theyare
mild,tart,andcloudy.
Belgian Lambic Beers The brewers of
Belgium have been more inventive than any
others.Theyallowmanydifferentmicrobesto
participate in the fermentation; they ferment
some beers for years, either continuously or
by restarting them; they flavor their beers
with spices and herbs, and even re-ferment
them with fresh fruits to make a hybrid beer
andfruitwine.Theygenerallyusedagedhops,
whicharelessharmfultotheunusualbrewing
microbes, less bitter, and higher in drying,
slightlyastringent,wine-liketannins.
ThemostunusualBelgianbeersarethe
lambics.Thehallmarkofbrewingtraditional
lambicisaspontaneousandmonths-long
fermentationofthewortinwoodbarrels.


Oncetheworthasbeenboiled,itiscooledin
abroadopentank,whereitpicksupmicrobes
fromtheambientair.Thecoolwortisthen
pouredintowoodencasksthatcontribute
microbesfrompreviousbatches,andferments
inthecasksfor6to24months.The
fermentationproceedsinfourstages:an
initialgrowthofwildyeasts(Kloeckeraand

others)andvariousbacteria(Enterobacterand
others)thattakes10–15daysandproduces
aceticacidandvegetablearomas;themain
alcohol-producinggrowthofSaccharomyces
yeasts,whichdominateforseveralmonths;at
6to8months,theacid-producinggrowthof
lacticandaceticbacteria(Pediococcus,
Acetobacter);andfinallythegrowthof
Brettanomycesyeasts,whichproducearange
offruity,spicy,smoky,andanimalaromas
(seebox,p.730).Theresultingbrewmaythen
beblendedwithotherlambicsandagedto
makegueuze,withawine-likeacidityand
complexity;orblendedwithsomeordinary