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A beechwood twig brush called a ramon Barrel cleaning is important for lambic production; however, the exact methods used to scrub out vary among individual brewers and blenders. Some basic steps are fairly universal. First, any sediment is removed from the sedimentsbarrels by spraying with hot water and, andin some cases, scrubbing. Some brewers (such as needed, the barrel can be scraped Cantillon) scrape barrels clean by spinning putting sharpened chains inside itin the barrels and spinning them. The barrels are then washed extensively with with very hot water and /or steamed to sanitize and prepare them for use. If they are to be stored emptyrather than being reused promptly, the barrels are allowed to dry and sulfur is burned in them to preserve their sanitation. Because wooden Even with this extensive cleaning, the barrels tend to still carry microbiological agents, the extent microbes and contribute to which the barrel is cleaned significantly impacts the beer that it producesfermentation of subsequent batches of lambic<ref name='Spitaels et al 2014'>F. Spitaels, A.D. Wieme, M. Janssens, M. Aerts, H.M. Daniel, A. Van Landschoot, L. De Vuyst, P. Vandamme (2014). The Microbial Diversity of Traditional Spontaneously Fermented Lambic Beer. PLOS One, 9(4), e95384. Sanitation </ref> and only superficial cleaning of barrels is extremely important as can alter the process used lead to substantial variation in the beer producedprogression of lambic fermentation.<ref name=LambicTreasure'Spitaels et al 2015'>Lambic: Belgium's Unique TreasureF. Spitaels, A.D. Wieme, M. Janssens, M. Aerts, H.M. Daniel, A. Van Landschoot, L. De Vuyst, P. Vandamme (2015). The microbial diversity of an industrially produced lambic beer shares members of a traditionally produced one and reveals a core microbiota for lambic beer fermentation. Food Microbiology, 49, http://morebeer23-32.com/articles/lambicbrewing</ref>
re-writing barrel section
The Royal Decrees of May 20, 1965 and March 31, 1993 required that lambic brewers use at least 30% wheat.<ref name=“GeuzeKriek”>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref> Today's modern lambic is brewed using a grain bill of roughly 30-40% raw (ungerminated) wheat and 60-70% malted barley (2-row or a combination of 2-row and 6-row). Recipes from the 1800s actually called for even more unmalted wheat.<ref name=Lacambre> G. Lacambre, Traité complet de la fabrication des bières et de la distillation, 1851.</ref> In most cases, both the wheat and the barley are coming from Belgian or German farms. The goal is to create wort that is rich in protein, amino acids and dextrins in order to provide nourishment to the microorganisms for months and years of fermentation.
Aged hops also play an important role in lambic. Hops are necessary to regulate the growth of bacteria; however higher doses of fresh hops could add an unwanted level of bitterness. This is why hops over a year old are used; they have lost the majority of their bittering properties but not their bacteriostatic properties.<ref name=PalmBoon>Boon Brewery, Brewing Process http://palmbreweries.com/en/boon</ref> Traditionally, hops containing low amounts of alpha acids are aged for anywhere between a year and three years; although some bales of hops wind up aging much longer. The hops are typically stored in an environment where they are susceptible to oxygen and drastic temperature changes, such as in sacks in an attic, rather than the vacuum sealed and cold storage common for beers using un-aged hops.
==Equipment==
===Barrels===
Lambic breweries do not like fresh barrels. Used red or white wine barrels are preferred. Most of the oak character has been stripped from the barrel, so not much oak flavor will come through in the final lambic. Barrels vary widely in size, including sizes such as 267 liter Tonnes, 550-650 liter Pipes, and 3,000 to 20120,000 + liter Foudres. Each brewer has their preference for their ideal barrel size. These barrels are typically made from oak or chestnut.
==Turbid mashing==