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It is important to mention that sour brewing in general has very few well-established "rules". While we may categorize techniques for the sake of keeping some sort of manageable structure to this wiki, many methods can be used in conjunction with other [[Brewing Methods]], and new methodologies are constantly being developed that combine elements of more established techniques, as well as slight changes to established techniques. Many of the methods used are determined by the types of microbes the brewer is working with. An article of this length cannot encompass all mixed fermentation methods. Instead it will provide a "big picture" view of the general methodologies. Towards this end, we divide mixed fermentation methods into two approaches: the traditional long fermentation method and an increasingly popular, short fermentation method. They are divided here as a device to illustrate the philosophy of each and facilitate the discussion of the techniques used for each methodology. The distinction of these two methods is however somewhat artificial, indeed many brewers use elements of both approaches to achieve their desired results. Examples of how techniques can overlap to create new techniques can also be found in Michael Tonsmeire's pivotal book on sour brewing, "American Sour Beers".

Sour fermentations require at least one Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), such as ''[[Lactobacillus]]'' or ''[[Pediococcus]]'', and at least one yeast such as ''[[Saccharomyces]]'' or [[Brettanomyces]]. Many yeast companies offer [[Mixed Cultures]] that provide all of the microorganisms necessary to make a sour beer. The results of these commercial mixed cultures can be as varied as the cultures themselves. For example, some of these commercial mixed cultures produce lightly tart beer that may exhibit minimal funky flavors; others may produce intense sourness and assertive funk. This is dependent on the types of microbes in the mixed culture, their ratios, how old the cultures are, and what methods the brewer uses to encourage or discourage certain flavors. The brewer must understand that all of these microbes are complex organisms (some more complex than others). Not only do different species behave differently and produce different results under different conditions, but different strains of the same species also can also behave differently and produce different results under different conditions. Just as strains of ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' produce different results in clean beers (e.g., California Ale yeast versus Belgian Ale yeast), strains of ''Lactobacillus'' spp. and especially ''Brettanomyces'' spp. can also vary widely.