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A: There are many different opinions on this, but we will state here the best balance between practical and cautious advice. [[Brettanomyces|''Brettanomyces'']] can be cleaned and sanitized just like regular yeast, and if a brewery is using a saison yeast known for causing contamination issues like [[Saccharomyces#Diastatic_strains_of_Saccharomyces_cerevisiae|diastatic strains of ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'']] without contaminating other beers, then they will probably be successful using other wild yeast as well. Bacteria such as ''Pediococcus'' and ''Lactobacillus'' can be a little hardier, but they also still die from intense cleaning and sanitizing. Maintain a very good cleaning and sanitizing regiment, and if you can, use heat treatment of 185°F140°F+ for 30 or 45 minutes. If you can do this, you shouldn't need different fermenting vessels if they are glass, stainless steel, or kegging equipment. Plastic is prone to microscopic scratches and often can't withstand heat treatment, which can help bacteria survive cleaning/sanitizing regiments, so separate plastic fermenters for beers that have bacteria ([[Lactobacillus|''Lactobacillus'']] or [[Pediococcus|''Pediococcus'']]) in them should be considered, but may not be necessary. Since cold side plastic equipment such as auto siphons and hosing are cheap, it is recommended to go ahead and get separate plastic racking equipment, airlocks, bungs, keg tap tubing lines, etc. Equipment that can be boiled can be re-used for clean and sour beers.

See [[Mixed_Fermentation#Quality_Assurance_and_Avoiding_Cross_Contamination|Quality Assurance and Avoiding Cross Contamination]] for advice on brewing sours and clean beers together in a commercial brewery, as well as chapter 2, "Sanitation and safety" in "American Sour Beers" by Michael Tonesmeire. You can also make a [[Wort_Souring|Kettle Sour]] to avoid risking cold side equipment getting contaminated.

A: It Yes, but keep in mind that sometimes it is difficult to preserve the exact character of a blend, as the ratio of organisms will vary over time. Try repitching and see how you like the results. Pitching a fresh pitch of [[Saccharomyces]] yeast is a good idea. Read [[Mixed_Fermentation#Reusing_a_Sour_Yeast_Cake|this wiki page]] for more information.

A: For first time sour beer brewers, no one can tell you when your beer will be ready; this is determined on a case by case basis due to the many variables involved. Only you can determine this. Despite internet rumors, sour or mixed/Brett fermentation beers don't always end up at or below 1.000 final gravity (some can end up quite a few points above that depending on the microbe selection and the wort composition) . There is also no set time frame when the beer will be ready to package. The best guide is a long-term stable gravity: if your gravity has remained stable between several readings, then your beer may be ready for packaging. However, since the different organisms involved in sour beer production grow at different rates, a beer that was stable over a short period may begin fermenting again. Ideally, you should look for stable gravity readings over a period of two months.  When blending (especially with a non-sour beer such as a clean Saison), it is best to rest the blend in a fermenter for two months to make sure the gravity is stable. Don't assume that a low gravity clean beer , such as a very dry Saison , won't further attenuate once blended with a sour beer with Brett in it.  If kegging instead of bottling, packaging after most of the wort has fermented but before the final gravity is reached is ok since kegs can hold the additional pressure, and the carbonation can be adjusted. Using a [https://byo.com/project/build-your-own-spunding-valve-to-carbonate-in-the-keg/ spunding valve] with a keg can help achieve the desired carbonation. See the [[Packaging]] page for details on how to package your beer.

The other factor to consider is : how does the beer taste? If it tastes good, and the gravity is stable, then you can package it. If the beer does not seem to have a mature flavor from the ''Brettanomyces'' and has off-flavors that need to age out, then feel free to age it longer. Some off-flavors will change even when bottled or kegged, but others (such as sulfur-based compounds) will need to dissipate out of the fermenter slowly over time.

For more information on bottling, see See the [[Packaging]] pagefor details on how to package your beer.