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'''Spontaneous Fermentation''', for the purposes of this article, refers to the inoculation of wort for fermentation with local ambient microbes. This is commonly achieved by use of open [[File:Tilquin blowoff tubes.jpeg|400px|thumb|right|Lambic fermenting at Tilquin with blowoff tubes]]cooling such as in a [[coolship]] where the wort is left exposed to the air and allowed to cool naturally over night and wild yeast and bacteria are introduced into the wort as it cools. Spontaneous fermentation is part of the traditional brewing process for [[Lambic]] <ref>[http://lambicandwildale.com/the-mystery-of-lambic-beer/ The Mystery of Lambic Beer. Jacques De Keersmaecker. Aug 1996. Retrieved 05/05/2015.]</ref>, however not all spontaneously fermented beers necessarily use other processes that lambic production methods use, and Belgian lambic producers insist that the term "lambic" can only be used for beers brewed in Belgium (see [[Lambic#Lambic_outside_of_Belgium.3F|Lambic outside of Belgium]]). Spontaneous fermentation should not be confused with the various methods of [[Wild_Yeast_Isolation|culturing wild yeast and bacteria]] because many of the microbes that might make a flavor impact during spontaneous fermentation are killed off during the wild yeast culturing processes. Spontaneous fermentation should also not be confused with [https://byo.com/mead/item/1211-open-fermentation-tips-from-the-pros "open fermentation"], which is a generic method of fermenting many styles of beers beer including English ales and lagers in a vessel that is not closed.
==Defining Spontaneous Fermentation==