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=Modern Method - Fast Fermentation=
==Introduction==
The short fermentation method refers to an approach for making sour beers that involves successive inoculation of microbes by the brewer, to a wort designed for faster attenuation. This approach accomplishes the souring and full attenuation of the wort in a shorter time frame than the traditional method. In the traditional or long ferment method, the selective availability of carbohydrates to particular microbes allows the activity of those microbes to occur in a natural succession. As the microbes with better competitive ability run out of metabolic resources microbial groups with lower competitive advantage, but wider access to metabolic resources, begin their primary activity. In the short fermentation method, the brewer controls the phases of microbial activity. This allows the brewer to introduce the microbes with the lowest competitive ability to the wort first, allowing them to act on the simplest sugars and establishing their population in the absence of better competing microbes. The order of primary microbial activity in the short fermentation method is. therefore, often the opposite of the order typically observed in the long fermentation method. Further, this approach allows the brewer to maintain temperature profiles that are optimal for each microbial phase. Since the phases are controlled by the brewer, there isn't a need for the longer chain sugars that are generally included in the wort designed for long fermentation because the microbes with lower competitive ability have already been established in the beer by the time the better competing microbes are introduced. For this reason, the beer can fully attenuate within 3-4 weeks of it's final inoculation in many cases. It is important to note however that care should be taken in the decision to bottle these beers in such a short time frame (Intro needed; define "Fast Fermentation"See bottling section below). Once the beer has reached full attenuation the beer can be packaged, in some cases this can be only 6-8 weeks from brew day. A number of biochemical reactions that effect flavor and aroma may still take place over a period of weeks, to months or even years, however, most of these reactions do not involve the evolution of carbon dioxide so these reactions may take place in the bottle.
==Wort Production==