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Pellicle
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[[File:Brussels brett blend pellicle1.jpg|thumb|Pellicle from The Yeast Bay Brussels Brett Blend; courtesy of Dan Pixley]][[File:Lactobacillus pellicle.jpg|thumb|Lactobacillus pellicle; courtesy of Matt Humbard]]
A '''pellicle''' is a type of biofilm which appears on the surface of beer that (the classification of pellicles as a type of biofilm is up for debate. See [[Pellicle#Scientific_Terminology|Scientific Terminology]]). It consists of an aggregation of cells, proteins, and polymers <ref name="Branda"></ref><ref name="matt"></ref>. The "bubble" formations are caused by trapped CO2 beneath the pellicle film. Pellicles are often formed by [[Brettanomyces]], [[Pediococcus]], and [[Lactobacillus]], as well as ''Acetobacter spp'' <ref name="Perumpuli">[http://ir.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/bitstream/10232/21479/4/Diss_Perumpuli+Arachchige_Buddhika+Niroshie_RNK999_2014.pdf.pdf Pellicle of thermotolerant Acetobacter pasteurianus strains: Characterization of polysaccharide and induction patterns. Perumpuli Arachchige Buddhika Niroshie. 2014-09-30.]</ref> and other gram-negative bacteria <ref name="Armitano">[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25756106 Gram-negative bacteria can also form pellicles. Armitano J, Méjean V, Jourlin-Castelli C. Environ Microbiol Rep. 2014 Dec.]</ref>. It can also be formed by [[Saccharomyces]] in rare occasions <ref name="matt">[http://phdinbeer.com/2015/01/30/beer-microbiology-what-is-a-pellicle/ Beer Microbiology – What is a pellicle? A PhD in Beer blog. Dr. Matt Humbard. 01/30/2015. Retrieved 04/26/2015.]</ref>. Note that pellicles in brewing have not been scientifically defined, and there have been objections to defining them as a type of biofilm. See [[Pellicle#Scientific_Terminology|Scientific Terminology]] for more information.
==Characteristics==