Changes

Lactic acid is an important component of lambic and is normally found in concentrations of 4-8 g/l in the final product. Much of the "sourness" of lambic can be directly attributed to the presence of lactic acid. Inital quantities of lactic acid are produced by the enteric bacteria in the first weeks of fermentation, usually increasing to around 1 g/l, which remains roughly constant until 4-8 months, at which point lactic acid bacteria begin to dominate the bacteria flora in the lambic <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]>. Excessive activity at this point can lead to concentrations of lactic acid of up to 13 g/l[ref] as well as sugar/protein chains that cause the Lambic to take on a "ropy" texture. Normally, these ropes are hydrolized by Brettanomyces, but in excessively ropy lambic, the condition may persist.