[akr71]

I'm thinking now that my first sour brew should be a Berlinner Weisse.  I intend on using a lacto culture, rather than a sour mash - the sour mash sounds like a fun experiment, but I want a reliable outcome the first time, so I know what to aim for when I do start playing with sour mashes.

Will lactobacillus permenantly infect my equipment?  What if I ferment in glass?

[dmtaylor]

I don't use glass, so I can't really speak for that.  But... you do need to worry about the plastic and rubber.  After my first sour batch, I had several non-intentional contaminated batches when I reused the same old plastic bucket fermenters.  I tried very hard to kill the bugs, to no avail.  In the end I had to completely replace all plastic and rubber equipment.  Haven't had any issues since.

[tankdeer]

While you CAN get away with reusings plastics, it's just easier not to. Especially considering how cheap tubing and buckets are. Your carboys will be fine however. Same with kegs (replace the seals though if you're paranoid). Basically any porous has a chance of becoming a permanent home to your bugs (plastic, wood), whereas non-porous materials are fine with a good cleaning and sanitizing (glass, stainless)

[akr71]

On another note, if I toss some oak cubes in there, I have a permanent supply of lacto bugs (although maybe unreliable)?

[tankdeer]

I don't know about "permanent". But certainly sustainable, yeah.