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== Brewing == [[File:Bockorkoelschip.jpg|thumb|A [[coolship]] at {{Ill|Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste|nl}}]] [[File:Kriek Beer 1.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Kriek lambic|Kriek]] is a variety of lambic aged with cherries.]] Lambic is generally brewed from a [[grist]] containing about 60–70% [[barley]] [[malt]] and 30–40% unmalted wheat. The [[wort (brewing)|wort]] is cooled overnight in a shallow, flat, metal pan (generally copper or [[stainless steel]]) called a [[coolship]], where it is left exposed to the open air so more than 120 different types of microorganisms may [[Inoculated yeast|inoculate]] the wort.<ref name=Atlantic>{{cite news|last1=Risen|first1=Clay|title=American Beer the Belgian Way| url= https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/12/american-beer-the-belgian-way/31694/|access-date=12 December 2014|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=14 December 2009}}</ref> This cooling process requires night-time temperatures between {{Convert|-8 and 8|C|F}}.<ref name=":1" /> While this cooling method of open-air exposure is a critical feature of the style, the key yeasts and bacteria that perform the fermentation reside within the breweries' timber fermenting vessels.<ref>Spitaels, Freek, et al. "The Microbial Diversity of Traditional Spontaneously Fermented Lambic Beer." ''PLoS ONE'' 9.4 (2014): e95384. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095384</ref> Over 80 microorganisms have been identified in lambic beer, the most significant being ''[[Saccharomyces cerevisiae]]'', ''[[Saccharomyces pastorianus]]'', and ''[[Brettanomyces bruxellensis]]''. The process is generally only possible between October and May as in the summer, too many unfavourable organisms that are in the air could spoil the beer.<ref>{{cite web| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070911200315/http://www.lindemans.be/start/lambik/en| archive-date= 11 September 2007 |url-status= dead| url= http://www.lindemans.be/start/lambik/en |title=The birth of lambic |website=lindemans.be |access-date=9 June 2010}}</ref> In Brussels dialect, lambic produced after this traditional brewing season is referred to as ''bezomerd'', meaning that it has had "too much summer".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/10/belgium-sour-lambic-beer-climate-change-risk|title=One of world's oldest beer varieties 'at risk from climate change'|last=Boffey|first=Daniel|date=10 September 2018|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> [[Climate change]] is further shortening this limited brewing window; in the early 1900s, lambic brewers enjoyed roughly 165 days a year in the ideal temperature range, whereas by 2018, that number has shrunk to 140.<ref name=":1" /> [[Image:Crushed hop.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Aged, dried hops]] Since at least the 11th century, and probably earlier, [[hops]] have been used in beer for their natural [[preservative]] qualities and for the pleasant bitterness, flavour, and aroma they impart. Since the method of inoculation and long fermentation time of lambic beers increases the risk of [[Food spoilage|spoilage]], lambic brewers use large amounts of hops for their antibacterial properties. Lambic in the early 19th century was a highly hopped beer, using 8–9 g/L of the locally grown [[Aalst, Belgium|'Aalst']] or '[[Poperinge]]' varieties.<ref>Lacambre, G. ''Traité de la Fabrication des Bières et de la Distillation des Grains, etc.'', Vol. 1. 1851.</ref> Modern lambic brewers, however, try to avoid making the beer extremely hop-forward and use aged, dry hops, which have lost much of their bitterness, aroma, and flavour.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lambic and the spontaneous fermentation|url=http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_11|website=Cantillon.be|publisher=Brasserie Cantillon|access-date=6 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106200618/http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_11|archive-date=6 November 2014}}</ref> Consequently, lambics often have a strong, cheese-like, "old hop" aroma, in contrast to the resiny, herbal, earthy hop bitterness found in other styles.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fletcher|first=Janet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvyyB5LexioC&q=lambics++cheese+old+hop+aroma&pg=PA57|title=Cheese & Beer|date=16 April 2013|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=978-1-4494-3141-9|pages=57|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Assess Your Ingredients (II:Hops and Yeast)|url=https://beerandwinejournal.com/assess-hops-yeast/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=beerandwinejournal.com|archive-date=26 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626214521/https://beerandwinejournal.com/assess-hops-yeast/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The favourite hop used for lambic in the nineteenth century was a variety called [[Coigneau]] which was cultivated in the Aalst-Asse area in Belgium.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Kat|title=Why You Should Drink Lambics, One of Belgium's Best and Wildest Beers|url=https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/what-is-lambic-beer-the-fermented-sour-belgian-beer-you-need-to-try|access-date=3 September 2020|website=Thrillist|date=10 June 2019 }}</ref> After the fermentation process starts, the lambic is siphoned into barrels, mostly old [[port wine]] or [[sherry]] barrels (of [[chestnut]] or [[oak]]) from [[Portugal]] or Spain. Some brewers prefer used wine barrels. The lambic is left to ferment and mature for one or several years. It forms a ''[[flor|velo de flor]]'' of yeast that gives some protection from oxidation, in a similar way to ''[[vin jaune]]'' and sherry; the barrels are not topped up.
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