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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 120,000+ liter Foudres. Each brewer has their preference for their ideal barrel size. These barrels are typically made from oak or chestnut.
Barrel cleaning is important for lambic production; however, the exact methods used vary among individual brewers and blenders. Some basic steps are fairly universal. First, any sediment is removed from the barrels by spraying with hot water and, in some cases, scrubbing. Some brewers (such as Cantillon) scrape barrels clean by putting sharpened chains in 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 empty rather than being reused promptly, the barrels are allowed to dry and sulfur is burned in them to preserve their sanitation. Even with this extensive cleaning, the barrels still carry microbes and contribute to the fermentation 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). [https://www.lambic.info/[The_Microbial_Diversity_of_Traditional_Spontaneously_Fermented_Lambic_Beer.|The Microbial Diversity of Traditional Spontaneously Fermented Lambic Beer.]] PLOS One, 9(4), e95384.</ref> and only superficial cleaning of barrels can alter the progression of lambic fermentation.<ref name='Spitaels et al 2015'>F. 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, 23-32.</ref>
==Turbid mashing==