“white,” referring to their cloudy appearance Some American breweries now produce wheat beers on the German model, but usually without the phenol-producing yeast; they are mild, tart, and cloudy Belgian Lambic Beers The brewers of Belgium have been more inventive than any others They allow many different microbes to participate in the fermentation; they ferment some beers for years, either continuously or by restarting them; they flavor their beers with spices and herbs, and even re-ferment them with fresh fruits to make a hybrid beer and fruit wine They generally used aged hops, which are less harmful to the unusual brewing microbes, less bitter, and higher in drying, slightly astringent, wine-like tannins The most unusual Belgian beers are the lambics The hallmark of brewing traditional lambic is a spontaneous and months-long fermentation of the wort in wood barrels Once the wort has been boiled, it is cooled in a broad open tank, where it picks up microbes from the ambient air The cool wort is then poured into wooden casks that contribute microbes from previous batches, and ferments in the casks for 6 to 24 months The fermentation proceeds in four stages: an initial growth of wild yeasts (Kloeckera and others) and various bacteria (Enterobacter and others) that takes 10–15 days and produces acetic acid and vegetable aromas; the main alcohol-producing growth of Saccharomyces yeasts, which dominate for several months; at 6 to 8 months, the acid-producing growth of lactic and acetic bacteria (Pediococcus, Acetobacter); and finally the growth of Brettanomyces yeasts, which produce a range of fruity, spicy, smoky, and animal aromas (see box, p 730) The resulting brew may then be blended with other lambics and aged to make gueuze, with a wine-like acidity and complexity; or blended with some ordinary ... microbes from previous batches, and ferments in the casks for 6 to 24 months The fermentation proceeds in four stages: an initial growth of wild yeasts (Kloeckera and others) and various bacteria (Enterobacter and others) that takes 10–15 days and produces... lactic and acetic bacteria (Pediococcus, Acetobacter); and finally the growth of Brettanomyces yeasts, which produce a range of fruity, spicy, smoky, and animal aromas (see box, p 730) The resulting brew may then... others) that takes 10–15 days and produces acetic acid and vegetable aromas; the main alcohol-producing growth of Saccharomyces yeasts, which dominate for several months; at 6 to 8 months, the acid-producing growth of