Glossary
Mixed fermentation
Fermentation by a deliberately chosen combination of organisms — typically Saccharomyces with Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus.
The full record
Mixed fermentation has its own catalogue entry with the detail this page summarises — causes, thresholds, related styles and evidence.
Mixed fermentation — Ferment with a deliberately chosen combination of organisms — Saccharomyces with Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus — over months or years.
The distinction from spontaneous fermentation is control: the brewer selects and pitches the culture rather than accepting whatever the air provides. The results overlap, which is why the two are frequently confused.
Related
- Spontaneous fermentation — The uncontrolled equivalent.
- Brettanomyces — The organism most associated with it.
More vocabulary
Arrested fermentation · Barrel ageing · Batch sparging · Biotransformation · Blending · Bottle conditioning · Bottom fermentation · Burtonisation · Cask conditioning · Centrifugation
See every term on the glossary index.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.