If you, like me, are new to brewing, this list may help you get used to the different terms used in brewing.. Mods feel free to add to or adjust the following:
Ale - A beer brewed from a top-fermenting yeast with a relatively short, warm fermentation.
Alpha Acid Units (AAU) - A homebrewing measurement of hops that quantifies the amount of alpha acids (bittering agents) going into the beer before fermentation. Equal to the weight of hops in ounces multiplied by the percent of Alpha Acids.
Aroma hops - A hop variety chosen for its enhanced bouquet.
Attenuation - The degree of conversion of sugar to alcohol and CO2.
Balance - When a beer's elements, including the bouquet and palate are in perfect proportionate agreement with one another.
Barley wine - A dark, rich, bittersweet beer with higher alcohol content.
Beer - Any beverage made by fermenting malted barley and seasoning with hops.
Caramel Malt - see Crystal Malt
Cold Break - Proteins that coagulate and fall out of solution when the wort is rapidly cooled after the boil.
Conditioning - The method of warm or cold secondary fermenting or maturing, which can develop a beer’s carbonation or complexity of flavor.
Crystal Malt - A specialty grain that can be steeped or mashed to provide body, color, and sweetness to the beer. There are many different colors of Crystal Malt and are measured in °Lovibond. A full description and break down of each color can be found
here. Dopplebock - A version of bock, meaning “double bock,” with a stronger alcohol content, varying from 8 to 13 percent by volume.
Dry-hopping - The method of adding dry hops to fermenting or aging beer to increase hop quality or aroma.
Fermentation - The conversion of wort to beer, defined here as three parts, Lagtime, Primary, and Secondary.
Gravity - Like density, gravity describes the concentration of malt sugar in the wort. The specific gravity of water is 1.000 at 59F. Typical beer worts range from 1.035 - 1.055 before fermentation (Original Gravity). The finished beer gravity (FG) will range from 1.005 - 1.015, depending on the OG and type of yeast.
Hefeweizen - A refreshing, frothy wheat beer that is lighter in body, flavor, and alcohol content.
Hops - Hop vines are grown in cool climates and brewers make use of the cone-like flowers to add bitterness and balance the sweetness of the malt sugar. The dried cones are available in pellets, plugs, or whole.
Hot Break - Proteins that coagulate and fall out of solution during the wort boil.
IBU (International Bitterness Units) - A system that measures hop bitterness in beer.
Iodophor - An iodine-based sanitizing solution which does not require rinsing,
India Pale Ale (IPA) - A pale ale that is profusely hoppy.
International Bittering Units (IBU) - A more precise method of measuring hop bitterness. An IBU is a measure of the amount of alpha acid in the beer after fermentation. Various equations have been devised to estimate the IBUs in a beer based on the AAUs and factors for percent utilization, wort volume and wort gravity.
Krausen (kroy-zen) - Used to refer to the foamy head that builds on top of the beer during primary fermentation. Also an advanced method of priming.
Lager - A beer brewed from a bottom-fermenting yeast and given a long cool fermentation.
Lagering - The method of maturing at cold temperatures.
Lagtime - The period of time from pitching the yeast until primary fermentation is evident. The lagtime should preferably be less than 12 hours.
Lovibond rating abbreviated (L) - The color of malts ranging from 1-600 on the scale. Higher numbers mean darker color.
Malt extract - The processed mash now in the form of syrup or powdered sugar, with maltose and dextrins, which is then reactivated with water for fermentation.
Mead - Substance produced when honey, water, yeast, and other possible additives like spices, herbs, or fruit are fermented.
Pale ale - A highly hopped beer made from high-quality malt that’s dry in flavor.
Pilsner - A beer brewed from bottom-fermenting yeast. Very pale in color with a dry, hoppy flavor and aroma.
Pitching - Term for adding the yeast to the fermenter.
Porter - Ale brewed from well-roasted barley. Dark brown in color, full-bodied in texture, and bittersweet or chocolaty in flavor.
Primary Fermentation - The high activity phase marked by the evolution of carbon dioxide and krausen. Most of the attenuation occurs during this phase.
Priming - The method of adding a small amount of fermentable sugar prior to bottling to give the beer carbonation.
Pulling a Wilson - the act of making a silly mistake while home brewing
Racking - The careful siphoning of the beer away from the trub.
Secondary Fermentation - A period of conditioning and settling of the yeast after primary fermentation and before bottling.
Sediment - The yeasty substance at the bottom of a bottle of conditioned beer.
Stout - A rich beer brewed from full-flavored roasted malts andtop-fermenting yeast, sometimes with caramel sugar and high hop content. Dark brown in color, full-bodied in texture, and slightly burnt in flavor.
Top-fermenting yeast - One of two strains of yeast used in brewing beer, essentially ales, that responds best at warmer temperatures, ferments fewer sugars for a sweeter flavor, and sustains higher alcohol concentrations.
Trub (trub or troob) - The sediment at the bottom of the fermenter consisting of hops, hot and cold break material, and dormant (sometimes dead) yeast.
Wheat beer - A beer brewed with wheat malt. Pale in color, medium-bodied in texture, and slightly tart in flavor.
Wort (wart or wert) - The malt-sugar solution that is boiled with hops prior to fermentation.
Yeast - A fungi that is added to wort, which aids in turning fermentable sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Zymurgy - The science of Brewing and Fermentation.
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