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Microbial community and flavor-affecting metabolite variability across commercially available lambic and gueuze beers in Flanders
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DOI：10.1007/s00217-026-05239-w.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Lambic and gueuze beers are Flemish artisan-style beers produced through spontaneous fermentation and maturation in wooden barrels, involving successive microbial communities of Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces yeasts, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and acetic acid bacteria. Although these beers generate culinary enthusiasm due to their complex flavor profiles and traditional character, information on the microbial and biochemical diversity among marketed end products is limited. This study explored 15 commercially available lambic and gueuze beers from different breweries and two purchase years (2023 and 2025) to provide an overview of the viable microbial consortia still present in the bottles at the time of consumption, while examining the diversity of residual carbohydrates and flavor-affecting molecules. Most bottled commercial beers remained both microbiologically viable and biochemically diverse at the time of purchase, while inter-brand differences were consistent with the non-standardized nature of lambic beer refermentation and storage. Across the beer samples examined, the viable microbial communities were predominated by Brettanomyces and certain LAB species. The metabolite profile showed high levels of lactic acid and appreciable contributions from acetic acid and Brettanomyces-derived ethyl esters, with very low residual fermentable saccharides. One outlier among the beer brands showed markedly elevated residual saccharides (glucose and fructose), which is not a property of gueuze beers, whereas another one was characterized by a distinct metabolite signature and substantially higher organic acid concentrations, indicating a strongly acidic chemical profile. These findings contributed to a deeper understanding of artisan fermented alcoholic beverage systems and their variability across commercial products.
Keywords:
Sour beer
Bottle refermentation
Lactic acid bacteria
Acetic acid bacteria
Yeasts
Metabolomics
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