Changes

In the EU, lambic must be a spontaneously fermented product. That means that any beer receiving any pitched microbes (from lab cultures or bottle dregs) cannot be called lambic. Some lambic brewers claim that the microbial terroir within Belgium is what gives Belgian lambic it's unique flavor profile, and this is another reason that lambic can only be brewed in Belgium. However, one study has shown that American coolship beers brewed at Allagash in Maine, USA, contain a very similar set of microbial players (see [http://www.lambic.info/Culture_vs._Chemistry#Terroir lambic.info for more information]). While lambic has no legal protection outside of the EU and EU laws do not give lambic a regional designation (unlike other alcoholic products such as Champagne and Kölsch), many brewers outside of Belgium chose not to call their spontaneous beers lambic out of respect for the Belgian lambic tradition. Some brewers choose names alluding to lambic such as Sonambic or label their spontaneously fermented beers with the term Coolship to convey to consumers that their lambic-inspired beers are spontaneously fermented and follow parts of the lambic tradition without actually using the terms lambic or gueuze <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUa0QH6niiQ Sour Beer Panel, Firestone Walker International Beer Fest] </ref> (~6 min in). See also [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNgc5Nu46Q Dan's youtube video discussing using the term lambic]. There are also arguments that are contrary to the idea that only spontaneous beer brewed in Belgium should be labeled as "lambic". This includes [http://phdinbeer.com/2014/07/27/beer-pendantry-1-what-is-lambic/ Matt Humbard's argument that lambic brewers themselves aren't upholding their own traditions], and that "if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is a duck, regardless of what nest it was in when the egg hatched." [http://www.funkfactorygeuzeria.com/p/about-me.html Funk Factory Gueuzeria also makes an argument] for using the term "American Lambic" for it's spontaneously fermented beers. In summary, there are many differing opinions both inside and outside of Belgium as to what can be called "lambic". While most commercial brewers in the USA choose to respect the wishes of Belgian brewers and avoid using the term "lambic", we encourage all brewers to educate themselves on all sides of the argument.  Recommended MTF threads which include comments from many commercial brewers, including Pierre Tilquin:* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1014121931949354/ Thread by Devin Bell with thoughts from Wayne Wambles on style guidelines.]* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1222969677731244/ Discussion about the effects of the coolship versus barrels, including thoughts from Pierre Tilquin.] ===What About Homebrew?===Noticeably, homebrewers tend to have a habit of calling any homebrewed blond sour beer a "lambic". This might stem from lack of education about Belgian lambic and why many people respect the wishes of Belgian lambic brewers to not use the label of "lambic" for beer brewed outside of Belgium, as well as the BJCP Guidelines. However, the BJCP makes no claim that protected appellations should not be respected, and clearly states that the style guidelines are strictly for competition purposes only (see section .iv of the [http://bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf 2015 BJCP Guidelines]).  As with the naming of commercial beers as "lambic", there are many opinions on whether or not homebrewed sour beer should or should not be labeled as "lambic". While using the label "lambic" is an easy way for homebrewers to communicate what style of beer they have brewed, such labels are often harshly criticized by traditionalists in the sour brewing and fans of lambic communities. Ironically, another sign of this potential misuse of the term "lambic" by homebrewers is that when a homebrewer makes a 100% spontaneously fermented beer, they usually will not call it a "lambic" so as to avoid confusion with the typical sour brewing process which involves pitching lab cultures. Successfully homebrewing a 100% spontaneously fermented sour beer is not an easy feat, and great pride is taken by homebrewers when achieving success with these traditional methods.  * [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1222370691124476/?comment_id=1222797634415115&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R3%22%7D See this MTF thread for comments about the BJCP and homebrewers calling their sour beer "lambic".]