| aardvark |
An ant-eating African animal, not normally associated with brewing.
|
| adjunct |
Any unmalted grain or other fermentable ingredient added to the
mash.
|
| aeration |
The action of introducing air into the wort at various stages of the brewing
process.
|
| air lock |
See fermentation lock.
|
| air space |
See ullage.
|
| alcohol |
A colorless, volatile, pungent liquid, used in various forms as a fuel, an intoxicating ingredient in
fermented liquors.
A by-product of fermentation.
|
| alcohol by volume (v/v) |
The percentage of volume of alcohol per volume of beer.
To calculate the approximate volumetric alcohol content, subtract the final gravity
from the original gravity and divide the result by 0.75.
For example: 1.050 - 1.010 = 0.040 / 0.75 = 0.053, or 5.3% ABV.
|
| alcohol by weight |
The percentage weight of alcohol per volume of beer.
For example: 3.5% alcohol by weight = 3.5 grams of alcohol per 100 centiliters of beer.
|
| ale |
A fermented beer drink made from malt and
hops.
The distinguishing characteristic of ale is that the strain of yeast used in its
making prefers higher temperatures, and works at the top of the fermentation vessel.
|
| alpha acid |
A complex organic chemical found in hops that imparts a bitter flavor to
beer.
|
| attenuation |
The reduction in specific gravity in the wort caused
by the transformation of sugars into alcohol and
carbon dioxide gas.
|
| barley |
A cereal grass; the grain most commonly used for brewing.
|
| beer |
An alcoholic, fermented drink made from malt and hops.
All beer types can be categorized into ales, lagers, and
stouts.
|
| bitter wort |
Wort after it has been boiled with hops.
|
| boiling |
The rapid evaporation of a liquid.
|
| carbonation |
The process of dissolving carbon dioxide gas into a liquid.
|
| carbon dioxide |
A heavy, colorless, odorless gas: it passes out of the lungs in respiration.
|
| carboy |
A large glass, plastic, or earthenware bottle.
|
| CO2 |
See carbon dioxide.
|
| cold break |
Material that precipitates from the wort as it cools after being boiled.
|
| conditioning |
The processing performed on beer after fermentation has
completed to prepare it for serving by dissolving carbon dioxide into the liquid
to give it "sparkle".
|
| cooling |
A rapid reduction in temperature.
|
| decoction |
The mashing technique in which a portion of the grain is
removed, heated to a boil, and then returned.
|
| enzyme |
A protein like substance, formed in plant and animal cells, acting as a catalyst in chemical reactions.
Enzymes in barley that affect the malting and
mashing processes are cytase, diastase, invertase,
maltase, and zymase.
|
| fermentation |
The breakdown of complex molecules in organic compounds, caused by the influence of
yeast.
|
| fermentation lock |
A device that allows carbon dioxide to escape from the
fermentation vessel without allowing other gasses to enter.
There are two types available as shown to the right.
|
| fermenting |
The breaking down of complex molecules in organic compounds, caused by the influence of
yeast.
|
| final gravity |
The specific gravity of a beer after
fermentation has completed.
|
| flocculation |
The behavior in which yeast cells join into masses and settle out toward the end
of fermentation.
|
| grain |
The small, hard seed of any cereal plant, such as barley, wheat, corn, and so
forth.
|
| gypsum |
A sulfate of calcium used for making plaster of Paris, in treating soil, and so forth.
|
| hops |
A twining vine (humulus lupulus) with small, cone-shaped flowers.
The dried, ripe cones are used in beer for its preservative and flavoring properties.
|
| hot break |
Material that precipitates from the wort as it begins to boil.
|
| hydrometer |
An instrument for determining the specific gravity of a liquid.
One simple device to make such a measurement is a glass tube with a weight on one end.
The tube will sink into the liquid until the weight of the liquid displaced is equal to its own weight.
The reading is taken from scale at the surface level of the liquid, and adjusted according to temperature.
The specific gravity of wort is used to determine the amount of sugar
it contains.
An alternative instrument to determine the amount of sugar dissolved in a liquid is
a refractometer.
|
| intermediate gravity |
The specific gravity of a beer after the
primary fermentation has completed.
|
| iodine |
A nonmetallic chemical element used in medicine, and so forth.
|
| lager |
A fermented beer drink made from malt and
hops.
The distinguishing characteristic of lager is that the strain of yeast used in
its making prefers lower temperatures, and works at the bottom of the fermentation
vessel.
In general, it is aged for several months at low temperature before it is consumed.
|
| lauter tun |
The vessel that holds the mash during the sparging process.
|
|
| malt |
Barley or other grain soaked and then kiln-dried: used in brewing
and distilling.
|
| malting |
The process of converting raw seed grain into malt.
|
| mash |
Crushed malt or meal soaked in hot water for making wort.
|
| mashing |
The process of converting the starch within the mash
into sugar.
|
| mash temperature |
The temperature at which the mash is performed.
|
| mash tun |
The vessel that holds the mash during the mashing process.
|
| milling |
The process of crushing the grains of malt in preparation for
mashing.
|
| original gravity |
The specific gravity of a beer before
fermentation has begun.
|
| oxygen |
A colorless, odorless, gaseous chemical element: it is essential to life processes and to combustion.
|
| pH |
Potential of hydrogen.
A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
|
| pitch |
To throw or toss.
|
| primary fermentation |
The initial, vigorous stage of the fermentation process.
|
| refractometer |
An instrument used to determine the amount of sugar dissolved in a liquid.
It uses the fact that light bends (refracts) as it passes through a liquid.
The amount of refraction is changed by the amount of material dissolved in the liquid.
|
| Reinheitsgebot |
A German purity law established in 1516 stating that beer can be made only from
malt, hops, and water.
The existence of yeast was unknown at that time.
|
| salt |
A chemical compound derived from an acid by replacing hydrogen with a metal.
|
| sanitize |
To remove common bacteria and other living organisms.
A sanitized item is more than "clean" but less than "sterile".
|
| secondary fermentation |
The latter, less vigorous stage of the fermentation process.
|
| semprini |
A very naughty word that shall not appear again in this web site!
|
| sparge |
To rinse additional sugar from the mash by sprinkling hot
water onto the top of the grain bed.
|
| sparging |
The process of rinsing additional sugar from the mash by
sprinkling hot water onto the top of the grain bed.
|
| specific gravity |
The ratio of the density of a liquid to that of pure water at 60°F.
|
| spooge |
A euphemistic term used to describe the spent hops and other solid materials
present in the wort after it has been cooled to a temperature suitable for
fermentation.
|
| spooging |
The process of removing the spooge from the cooled wort prior
to fermentation.
|
| starch |
A white, tasteless, odorless food substance found in potatoes, cereals, and so forth.
|
| starch test |
Placing a drop of iodine onto a substance to determine if any
starch is present.
|
| steep |
To soak, saturate, imbue, etc..
|
| stout |
A fermented beer drink made from malt and
hops.
While characteristically similar, the recipe formulation, water requirements, and other subtle handling
differences distinguish stout from ale.
|
| strike temperature |
The temperature of the water as it is introduced into the mash.
|
| sugar |
Any of a class of sweet, soluble carbohydrates, as sucrose, glucose, and so forth.
|
| sweet wort |
Wort before it has been boiled with hops.
|
| trub |
Material that precipitates to the bottom of the vessel during fermentation.
|
| ullage |
The empty space between a liquid and the top of its container.
Also called air space or head space.
|
| water |
The colorless liquid of lakes, rivers, and so forth.
|
| wort |
A liquid prepared with malt which after fermentation,
becomes beer, ale, and so forth.
|
| wort chiller |
A device for rapidly reducing the temperature of wort.
|
| yeast |
A yellowish, moist mass of minute fungi that cause fermentation: used in making
beer, etc., and as in leavening.
A top-fermenting strain (saccharomyces cerevisiae) is used for making ales and
stouts; a bottom-fermenting strain (saccharomyces carlsbergensis) is used for
making lagers.
|
| yeast starter |
A small amount of wort containing active yeast.
It is pitched into a large volume of liquid in order to promote a rapid start of
fermentation.
|
| zymurgy |
The chemistry of fermentation as applied in brewing.
|
|
