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North American Brewers - Brewing glossary Category: Food and Drink > Beer brewing Date & country: 08/09/2014, USA Words: 76

F
Abbreviation for Fahrenheit, the scale used to measure temperature in the United States.

Top-fermenting
Describes yeast that flocculates relatively early in the fermentation and is carried up into the head of foam in the wort by carbon dioxide bubbles.

Wild Yeast
Any yeast that is introduced accidentally into wort or beer from the environment.

Wort
A sugar solution derived from grain by mashing and sparging.

Yeast
A relatively large and complex single-celled microorganism

Terminal Gravity
The specific gravity of beer after fermentation is completed

Strain
Yeast which shares a common genetic makeup and specific traits, such as flavoring properties.

Style
The whole sum of flavor and other sensory characteristics by which individual beers may be placed in categories for purposes of comparison, tasting and judging

SRM
Standard Research Method

Specific Gravity
A measure of density

Reinheitsgebot
German Purity Law allowing only water, malted barley, malted wheat, hops and yeast to be used in the brewing of beer.

Respiration
The process in which living things oxidize sugar in order to obtain energy.

Sanitize
To make clean and free of microorganisms.

Sparge
To rinse the grain bed in the lauter tun with hot water in order to recover the residual sugar.

Rack
To transfer beer from one vessel to another, leaving the sediment behind.

Protein
Any complex organic compound containing nitrogen.

Original Gravity
The specific gravity of the wort before fermentation begins.

Oxidation
Any chemical reaction involving oxygen

pH
The measure of acidity of alkalinity

Phenolic
Any compound based on a ring of six carbon atoms joined by alternating single and double bonds

Polyphenols
Complex compounds based on two or more phenolic rings joined together.

Mouth feel
The sensation of fullness in the mouth created by dextrins and proteins in the beer

Mash
1.(verb) To make a thick mixture of hot water with crushed malt and in some cases, adjuncts, in which the grain starches are converted to sugar

Lupulin Glands
The tiny yellow sacs found at the base of the petals of the hop cone

Malt
Barley or other grain which has been soaked with water, allowed to sprout, and then dried

Lovibond
The scale, in degrees, on which American brewers measure the color of malt, wort and occasionally the color of beer

Lauter Tun
A vessel used to strain the sweet liquor or wort off the spent grains after mashing.

Infection
The growth of any microorganism in wort or beer, except for the the brewer

Infusion
Single vessel heating used to break down the stored starches within the grain into fermentable sugars.

Isomertization
The extraction of hop bitterness.

Lactic Acid
A tart acid, produced by yeast and by certain types of bacteria that infect beer.

Lager
Beer that is fermented cool using lager yeast (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) and stored cold for a period of weeks in order to give it a clean smooth flavor

Haze
An undesirable cloudiness in beer, caused by tiny particles that form in the beer during chilling

High-Alpha Hops
Hops varieties bred primarily for maximum bittering power

Hops
The cones or flowers of the female Humulus lupulus plant

Hot Break
The flocculation of protein and polyphenol molecules during boiling.

IBU
International Bittering Units

Grist
The crushed malts and adjuncts that are mixed with hot water to form the mash.

Finings
Any substances used to help yeast flocculate and settle out after fermentation.

Finishing Hops
Hops added to the wort late in the boil, to impart a hoppy aroma rather than bitterness.

Flocculation
The process in which yeast cells clump together to form large visible particles, which can then fall out of suspension.

Endosperm
The nonliving part of the barley grain which contains starch and protein to feed the growing acrospire.

Enzyme
A complex protein which has the ability to form or break a particular chemical bond.

Esters
A class of compounds formed by joining an alcohol and an acid; many have powerful fruity aromas.

Fermentation
The metabolism of sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol, performed by yeast and some bacteria.

Fermenter
A vessel used to contain wort during fermentation.

Dry
Opposite of sweet

Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS)
A powerful aromatic compound which imparts a sweet creamed corn scent to lager mashes

Conversion
The process in which natural malt enzymes change grain starch into sugar during the mash.

Decoction
A method of mashing which boosts temperature from one step to the next by removing a portion of the mash, boiling it, and returning it to the main brew kettle.

Dextrins
Complex carbohydrates that contribute to the mouthfeel of beer.

Diacetyl
A compound that gives beer a butterscotch-like taste.

Diastatic Power
A measure of the total amylase content of a given sample of malt; usually expressed in degrees Lintner.

Cold Break
The flocculation of protein and polyphenol molecules during wort cooling.

Clarifier
A substance used to remove or prevent chill haze.

Chill Haze
Tiny particles that form in beer when it is chilled and make the beer appear cloudy

Bottle-fermenting
Describes yeast that flocculates late in the fermentation and sinks to the bottom of the fermenter.

Break
Visible particles of protein and other matter that form in wort during boiling and cooling.

Brewing
The process of making wort, boiling it with hops and fermenting it into beer.

Carbonation
The process of dissolving carbon dioxide gas in a liquid, such as beer.

Beta Acid
A soft, bitter hop resin; harsher in flavor than alpha acid but almost insoluble at normal wort pH values.

Bittering Hops
Hops added to the wort early in the boil to cause bitterness.

Body
The sensation of fullness or viscosity in the mouth, imparted by malt proteins in beer.

Bottle-conditioned
Carbonated by a second fermentation that takes place in the bottle as a result of yeast left in the mixture after bottling.

Attenuation
The drop in specific gravity that takes place as the wort ferments.

Autolysis
A process in which starving yeast cells feed on each other by excreting enzymes; causes an unpleasant, rubbery stench in beer.

Bacteria
Primitive microorganisms smaller than yeast

Amylase
Any enzyme which breaks the bonds that hold starch molecules together.

Appearance
The overall look of a particular beer sample.

Aroma
The smell produced by the raw ingredients, not the bittering compounds, in beer.

Aroma Hops
Hops used to impart aroma, as opposed to bitterness, in beer.

Aromatic Hops
Hops varieties known for their fine aroma and flavoring properties

Acrospire
The embryonic barley plant which grows inside the husk during germination.

Adjunct
Any unmalted grain used as a source of sugar in brewing.

Ale
Beer made with ale yeast (Saccharomyces cerevesia), often with a fruity aroma caused by fermenting at warmer temperatures.

Alpha Acid
A sticky, bitter resin found in hops, which imparts bitterness to the finished beer.