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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.
BJCP styles that can be brewed using this method include [[Berliner Weissbier]] and the subcategories of [[American Wild Ale]], which include [[Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer]] and [[Soured Fruit Beer]] <ref>[http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2014%20BJCP%20Style%20Guidelines%20%28DRAFT%29.pdf BJCP 2014 Style Guidelines Draft.]</ref>. Belgian sour styles such as [[Lambic]], [[Gueuze]], and [[Fruit Lambic]], technically can only be produced by [[Spontaneous Fermentation]], however for beer competitions process is less important than what the resulting beer tastes like. [[Flanders Red Ale]] and [[Oud Bruin]] styles can be brewed using pure cultures, but can also be brewed using spontaneous fermentation or a mix of using pure cultures and spontaneous fermentation.
==Traditional Method - Long Fermentation==