Spontaneous Fermentation

Spontaneous Fermentation, for the purposes of this article, refers to the fermentation of wort by inoculating it in a coolship where the wort is left exposed to the air. Wild yeast and bacteria are introduced into the wort as it cools over night. It is the traditional method of brewing Lambic .

Brewing Methods

(To do) - link back page: Turbid Mash

Coolship

Coolship (Anglicized version of the Dutch/Flemish koelschip) is a type of fermentation vessel used in the production of beer. Traditionally, a coolship is a broad, open-top, flat vessel in which wort cools. The high surface to mass ratio allows for more efficient cooling. Contemporary usage includes any open fermentor used in the production of beer, even when using modern mechanical cooling techniques. Traditionally, coolships were constructed of wood, but later were lined with iron or copper for better thermal conductivity.

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  Homebrew 15 Gallon Coolship

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  Homebrew 15 Gallon Coolship

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  30 Barrel Coolship from Funk Factory

Defining Spontaneous Fermentation

(To do)

Spontaneous Fermentation versus Mixed Fermentation

(To do) - talk about the differences between spontaneous fermentation and Mixed Fermentation, and the arguments for using different methods.

External Resources

A list of external internet resources and articles for spontaneous fermentation.

• Link 1
• Link 2
• Link 3

See Also

• Lambic
• Gueuze
• Fruit Lambic
• Flanders Red Ale
• Oud Bruin
• Mixed Fermentation