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→Saccharomyces dominance
[[file:Saccharomyces_micrograph.jpg|thumb|right|Saccharomyces cerevisiae]]
After the pH falls below ~4.5 and the alcohol content rises over ~2%, [[Saccharomyces| Saccharomyces species]] take over as the dominant organisms in the wort, though Saccharomyces is present in large numbers well prior to the disappearance of the enterobacteria. Saccharomyces will remain dominant until at least 6 to 8 months into fermentation, and will maintain a presence, though no longer active, throughout fermentation. Despite Saccharomyces' importance to the fermentation of lambic, its concentrations remain below 10<sup>7</sup> cells per /mL of wort, which is considerably lower than the 10<sup>8</sup> cells/mL found in commercial beers.<ref name=Oevelen77 >D. Van Oevelen, M. Spaepen, P. Timmermans and H. Verachtert, [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1977.tb03825.x/abstract|MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SPONTANEOUS WORT FERMENTATION IN THE PRODUCTION OF LAMBIC AND GUEUZE], 1977</ref><ref name="Guinard">Jean-Xavier Guinard, [[Books#Classic Beer Styles: Lambic|Classic Beer Styles: Lambic]], 1990</ref>
As in controlled fermentation, Saccharomyces is responsible for most ethanol production and attenuation in lambic. The yeasts consume all the major sugars found in lambic wort (glucose, maltose, and some maltotriose). By the end of the Saccharomyces phase around 8 months, the ethanol content of the beer stabilizes at 5 to 7% by volume and will remain around that value until the end of fermentation.<ref name="Guinard">Jean-Xavier Guinard, [[Books#Classic Beer Styles: Lambic|Classic Beer Styles: Lambic]], 1990</ref><ref name=Oevelen77 >D. Van Oevelen, M. Spaepen, P. Timmermans and H. Verachtert, [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1977.tb03825.x/abstract|MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SPONTANEOUS WORT FERMENTATION IN THE PRODUCTION OF LAMBIC AND GUEUZE], 1977</ref> Attenuation after Saccharomyces fermentation reaches 60 to 65%, which is known as the "attenuation limit" for conventional beers. Despite being responsible for most of the ethanol in lambic, yeasts of the Saccharomyces genus are not responsible for most of the aroma and flavor compounds that give lambic its distinct sensory characteristics.<ref name = Witrick1> K. A. T. Witrick [https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/19203| Characterization of aroma and flavor compounds present in lambic (gueuze) beer], 2012 </ref>