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====Fourth Stage: Maturation====
The fourth and last phase of spontaneous fermentation, also known as the extended maturation phase, is dominated by ''Brettanomyces'' yeast, which is a genus of yeasts that are highly tolerant of low pH, high alcohol, and can survive in low-nutrient conditions (see ''[[Brettanomyces]]'' for more information), as well as lactic acid bacteria from the genera ''[[Pediococcus]]'' and to a lesser extent ''[[Lactobacillus]]'' and certain other yeast species. The most abundant species of ''Brettanomyces'' found in spontaneously fermented beer are strains of ''B. bruxellensis'' (''B. lambicus'' is often found, but has been reclassified as a strain of ''B. bruxellensis''). ''B. bruxellensis'' was first isolated from English stock ales in 1904 and then first isolated from lambic in 1921 by Belgian researchers Kufferath and Van Laer. ''B. anomalus'' and ''B. custersianus'' have also been found, but to a lesser extent than ''B. bruxellensis''. ''Pichia membranifaciens'', ''Debaryomyces hansenii'', and ''Wickerhamomyces anomalus'' are examples of other yeast species that have been found to a lesser extent in lambic during the maturation phase <ref name="Van Oevelen et al., 1977" /><ref name="Roos_2018" /><ref name="Roos_2018_2" /><ref name="Bongaerts_2021" /><ref name="Roosa_2024" />. In some but not all lambic, a shift from ''B. bruxellensis'' to ''B. custersianus'' can occur during the end of maturation, which seems to occur in more porous barrels that have more oxygen ingress and correlates with its preference for a more aerobic environment <ref name="Bongaerts_2021" />.
This phase generally begins somewhere around month four to eight, with these microbes completely dominating at around 9-13 months <ref name="Roos_2018_2" /><ref name="curtain_asbc_2018" />(~26 minutes in). Additional attenuation occurs very slowly for another 7-18 months. De Roos et al. (2018) reported a gradual drop from 4 Plato to 0.5 °Plato during the maturation phase. <ref name="Roos_2018_2" />. During this extended maturation phase, ''Brettanomyces'' continues to ferment the residual sugars leftover in the beer using intra- and extracellular alpha-glucosidase, and produces most of the final aromatic and flavor compounds in the form of esters, phenols, and fatty acids found in finished Belgian lambic and other spontaneously fermented beers (see [[Brettanomyces#Brettanomyces_Metabolism|''Brettanomyces'' metabolism]]). During the maturation phase, a [[pellicle]] is formed from the ''Brettanomyces'', as well as oxidative yeasts from the genera ''Pichia'', ''Candida'', ''Cryptococcus'', and ''Torulspsis'' <ref name="Van Oevelen et al., 1977" /><ref name="Roos_2018" /><ref name="Roos_2018_2" /><ref name="Bongaerts_2021" />. It is thought that the pellicle and the presence of these oxidative yeasts might reduce oxygen influx, and thus assist in inhibiting the growth of acetic acid bacteria <ref>[https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8c12/9985b9f1264179fe2e2f779bae1ff3e51a54.pdf Jacques De Keersmaecker. "The Mystery of Lambic Beer". Scientific American, Inc. 1996.]</ref>, however, this has not been proven in a scientific manner that we know of.