Glossary
ABV (Alcohol by Volume) Standard measurement of the amount of alcohol present in a beverage.
ABW (alcohol by weight) Alternative to ABV for measuring alcohol content. Beware, these two measures are not created equal. To convert from ABW to ABV, multiply the ABW by 1.25.
Adjunct (1) Unmalted grain (such as oats, rye, or wheat) and other sugar sources added as a supplement to malted barley for brewing. (2) A starch used in brewing other than malted barley, sometimes used for flavor, sometimes for mouthfeel, sometimes instead of an amount of malt, making the beer cheaper to make.
Airlock and stopper Device used during fermentation to allow the escape of carbon dioxide from the fermentation vessel, while preventing inflow of air and potential contaminants.
Ale Beer made with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures.
All-grain or full mash A brew made with all grains and raw malted barley, instead of malt extracts. This requires space and time and is quite advanced in the brewing world. This is often the practice of professional brewers.
Alpha acids Compounds in hops that cause their characteristic bitterness.
Alt Old German; refers to a German style of beer similar to a Pale Ale.
Aroma hops Added last to the boil, meant to lend hop aromas without bitterness or flavor.
Attenuation Amount of fermentation that has occurred and how much the Original Gravity has decreased. Refers to the final ABV.
Auto-siphon Siphoning hose attached to a one-way valve for easy transfer of liquid between containers.
Bacteria Single-celled organisms responsible for a vast diversity of human experience, from disease to digestion, medicine, cheese making, pickling, and fermentation.
Barrel Traditionally made of wood, a cylindrical vessel with a 31-gallon capacity (this capacity is particular to barrels intended for beer). Can also be filled with monkeys.
Base malt Malt used as the main source of sugar for fermentation.
Bavarian From the German state of Bavaria, an area thickly populated with breweries.
Beer geek Us. And possibly you.
Beer snob One who uses his or her knowledge of beer to exclude, alienate, and judge, rather than share, guide, and spread the love.
Bittering hops Used early in the boil to bitter the beer, not for aroma.
Blow-off tube Large tube attached to the top of a carboy as an alternative to an airlock; very useful in the case of overflows during fermentation.
Bottle conditioned Carbonated by living yeast in the bottle.
Brettanomyces Genus of yeast often employed in brewing.
Campden tablets Used for removal of chlorine and undesirable wild yeast and bacteria from wort.
Caramel/Crystal malt Malt that is heated while wet to caramelize its starches.
Carboy Glass or plastic narrow-mouthed container, usually with a 3- to 5-gallon capacity, used for primary fermentation and as a secondary vessel.
Cask Wooden barrel used to ferment or mature beer, wine, and other potent potables.
Cask conditioned Carbonated by a second fermentation in the barrel.
Chill haze Cloudy appearance of beer caused by proteins and tannins clumping together at cold temperatures.
CO2 Carbon dioxide.
Cold break Sediment that settles to the bottom of the vessel when wort is cooled.
Cold crash Refrigeration of a brew to force suspended particles to sink to the bottom, resulting in a clearer beer.
Coupler Connecter that joins a tap to a keg.
Decoction Mashing technique by which a portion of the mash is removed and boiled, then returned to the whole to raise the temperature.
Devout Believer in beer. In this book: A brewer who’s really into it and ready for slightly more advanced recipes.
Dextrins Unfermentable sugars that contribute to sweetness and mouthfeel.
Diacetyl Volatile compound produced during fermentation that in very low doses provides a slick mouthfeel and in larger doses a buttery or off-flavor. Acceptable in some beer styles, incorrect in others.
Dry hopping Process of adding hops after fermentation to lend supplementary hoppy character.
Dunkel German for “dark.”
Esters Compounds responsible for most fruity aromas in beer.
Fermentation Metabolic process by which yeast converts sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Fermenter Vessel in which fermentation occurs; usually a large lidded bucket or glass carboy with an airlock.
Final Gravity Measurement of the density of the wort after fermentation. By comparing the Original Gravity and Final Gravity, you can calculate the ABV.
Flavor hops Used later in the boil to add some aroma and flavor.
Flavorings Extras added to some beers solely for flavor, such as fruits, some spices, and coffee.
Flocculation Clumping together of yeast into sediment toward the end of fermentation.
Gluten Protein present in many grains, such as wheat and barley.
Grain bag Fine-mesh bag for containing grain during boiling or steeping.
Grain bill All the grains that will go into the mash.
Gravity Measure of the amount of sugar and dissolved solids in beer.
Grist Mixture of grains that are crushed in a mill and prepared for mashing.
Growler Take-home container for beer, allowing for the transport of beer from pubs or breweries for home consumption.
Gruit Medieval herb blend used to flavor beer before the widespread use of hops.
Half-barrel Vessel with the standard capacity of 15.5 gallons of beer.
Hefe German for “yeast.”
Helles or heller German for “pale.”
Hop pellets Little things that look like gross vitamins, used by most homebrewers in lieu of dried or fresh hops.
Hophead A person addicted to the bitterness characteristic of hoppy beers.
Hops Flower cones of the hop plant, used in brewing for their aroma and bitterness. They also have a preservative quality.
Hot break Sediment that settles to the bottom of the vessel while wort is hot.
Humulus lupulus Scientific name of hops.
Hydrometer Device that measures the density of a liquid against the density of water. You will need to take an initial measurement of the density of the beer before and after fermentation. This will help you figure out the ABV of your beer.
IBU (International Bitterness Units) Scale for the measurement of bitterness in beer.
Iodophor Sanitizer commonly used by homebrewers.
Irish moss Variety of red algae used as a clarifying agent in beer.
Kolner Stangen or Stange German for “stick” or “rod.” Refers to the traditional glass used to drink Kölsch.
Kraeusen Foam layer produced by yeast during fermentation.
Lactobacillus Common bacteria sometimes used to add sourness to beer, though some strains can be responsible for beer spoilage.
Lager Beer made with bottom-fermenting yeast at cold temperatures. The term lagering traditionally refers to a prolonged, cold-storage maturation.
Lightstruck Term used to describe a beer that has off-flavors caused by exposure to light.
Lovibond Scale used to measure degrees of color, such as in roasted grain or beer.
Malt Grain (usually barley) that has germinated and been dried or roasted.
Malt extract Concentrated liquid formed from wort that contains the sugars needed for brewing. This is what most homebrewers use as an alternative to all-grain brewing.
Maltose Sugar produced by enzymes from malted barley starch.
Mash Process in which the crushed grains are mixed into hot water and enzymes change the starch into fermentable (sometimes unfermentable) sugars for the yeast to eat.
Mash tun Vessel that contains the mash during all-grain brewing.
Microbrew The product of a brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels per year.
Mouthfeel Sensation in the mouth exclusive of flavor, as texture, body, and carbonation.
Neophyte Beer newbie. In this book: a brewer who’s totally new to brewing and needs to start out slowly.
Nitrogen tap Tap system that introduces nitrogen into beer during the pour, resulting in a creamy texture and weighty mouthfeel.
Noble hops Refers collectively to four hop varieties from central Europe: Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Tetramer, Saaz, and Spalter.
Original Gravity Measurement of the density of the liquid wort before fermentation, important for later ABV determination.
Oxidation Degradation of beer caused by exposure to oxygen over time.
Partial mash A wort made partially from grain and partially from malt extract.
Pasteurization Process of terminating microbial growth by means of heat.
Phenols Compounds producing certain flavors and aromas, sometimes desirable (as in the clove notes imparted by certain yeast), sometimes undesirable (as in the medicinal/plastic flavors imparted by contaminants like chlorine).
Pitch Term for adding the yeast to the cooled wort, as in “time to pitch the yeast!”
Primary fermentation The initial stage of fermentation, in which yeast converts the sugar in the wort into alcohol and CO2.
Priming Addition of sugar (priming sugar) to beer that has already fermented. This occurs as the beer is being bottled to promote more flavor nuances and/or alcohol and carbonation.
Priming sugar Sugar added to beer in the bottling phase, to activate yeast for production of CO2.
Prohibition The bad time.
Promiscuous Experimenting with beer. In this book: a brewer who’s up for anything and ready for advanced recipes.
Rack Process of moving beer at different stages of homebrewing.
Rauch German for “smoke”; usually refers to smoked malts.
Roasted malt Malt that has been toasted until brown to produce color and flavor in beer.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast employed in brewing. Also known as brewer’s yeast.
Schwarz German for “black”; usually refers to a very dark Lager.
Secondary Additional aging process for beer that has been separated from the trub after primary fermentation.
Session or sessionable Beer with moderate to low alcohol content, suitable for drinking in quantity over a leisurely stretch of time.
Sophomore The newly initiated. In this book: a brewer who’s moving up in the homebrew world and ready for recipes just above the neophyte brewer’s level.
Sparge Rinsing of grains to extract remaining wort and flavors.
Specialty malts Small amounts of malt used for flavoring and nuance. These can be steeped like tea instead of turned into a mash.
Specific gravity A measure of sugar content, and therefore, ultimately the alcohol content of beer.
Spent grain Grain left behind after the mashing process is completed.
SRM (standard reference method) A measurement of beer and malt color much like Lovibond.
Starch Carbohydrate present in grains that is converted to sugar by enzymes.
Star San Sanitizer commonly used by homebrewers.
Steeping grains Used to add flavor, nuance, and/or color for brewers using a malt extract. These do not need to be converted to sugar and can be steeped like tea.
Strike water Water added to malted grains in the formation of mash.
Tannin Bitter or astringent chemical.
Trub Sediment that accumulates at the bottom of the boiling vessel, and later the fermenter, composed mostly of grain and hop particles, yeast and protein.
Weisse German for “white”; refers to a Wheat beer. See also Weizen.
Weizen German for “wheat”; refers to a Wheat beer. See also Weisse.
Wet hopped Beer made with the addition of fresh, undried hops.
Whirlfloc tablet Easy-to-use tablet composed of Irish moss and carrageenan, used for clarifying beer.
Wit Flemish for “white”; usually refers to Belgian-style Wheat beer.
Wort Gross name chosen for the liquid that is extracted from the mash. Pronounced “wert.”
Yeast Single-celled fungi responsible for the fermentation process.
Yeast Smack-pack Style of yeast packaging in which a small pouch of nutrients is broken open inside of a larger pack of yeast to awaken the yeast.
Yeast starter Kind of mini wort solution of malt extract and water, used to encourage a large viable colony of yeast.