FYI: > Association of Brewers' Glossary > > [Image] > > This Glossary contains excerpts from the Dictionary of Beer and > Brewing (Brewers Publications, 1988) which contains 1,929 definitions > of brewing terms. The Dictionary of Beer and Brewing lists for $19.95, > but is available for a limited time for the price of $14.95 plus S&H. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > [Image] > A a B b C c D d E e F f H h M m O o P p R r S s T t W w Y y Z > z > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Copyright )1995 Brewers Publications > PO Box 1679 * Boulder, CO 80306-1679* U.S.A > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > HOME PAGE | CONTENTS | CALENDAR | GLOSSARY | ORDER > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > A a > > alcohol > A synonym for ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Etym: From the Arabic al > kohl meaning like kohl (an eye cosmetic paint) because the method > of distillation by vaporizing was similar to that for producing > kohl. > > alcohol by volume > A measurement of the alcohol content of a solution in terms of > the percentage volume of alcohol per volume of beer. To > approximately calculate (margin of error 115%) the volumetric > alcohol content, subtract the terminal gravity from the original > gravity and divide the result by 7.5. Abbrev: v/v. > > alcohol by weight > A measurement of the alcohol content of a solution in terms of > the percentage weight of alcohol per volume of beer. Example: > 3.2% alcohol by weight = 3.2 grams of alcohol per 100 centiliters > of beer. The percent of alcohol by weight figure is approximately > 20% lower than the "by volume" figure because alcohol weighs less > than its equivalent volume of water. Abbrev: w/v. > > all-grain beer > A beer made entirely from malt as opposed to one made from malt > extract, or from malt extract and malted barley. > > B b > > bacteria > A group of unicellular microorganisms lacking chlorophyll and > reproducing rapidly by simple fission. They are classed according > to their shape: bacilli (singular: bacillus) are rod-shaped, > cocci (singular: coccus) are spherical or ovoid, vibro are > comma-shaped and spirillum are curved and rod-like, or on the > basis of their oxygen requirements: aerobic bacteria require > atmospheric oxygen while anaerobic bacteria cannot live in the > presence of oxygen. Bacteria develop under strict conditions of > pH (6 to 9), temperature, and humidity (above 90%) and may be > killed by disinfectants. They are responsible for the degradation > and spoilage of food and for disease. > > barley > A cereal of the genus Hordeum, a member of the Gramineae or grass > family of plants that also includes wheat, rye, oats, maize, > rice, millet and sorghum. There are two varieties of barley > classed according to the number of rows and grains on each of the > ears of the plant: two- and six-rowed barley. Barley is the > cereal grain preferred for brewing because the corn (or grain) is > covered by a straw-like husk that protects the embryo (or germ) > during malting and helps to filter the wort during lautering by > forming a filter bed. The essential qualities for brewing barley > are high starch content, sufficient diastatic power to transform > the starch into sugar, low protein content, germinative power > close to or above 98%. Because carbohydrates, especially starch, > constitute the bulk of the extract, a high nitrogen content > automatically means a reduced amount of starch and sugars; hence, > the higher the nitrogen content of the barley, the lower the > extract that can be obtained from its malt. The average weight of > the barley grain is 35 mg. Substitute cereal grains used in > brewing are called adjuncts. > > barrel > 1. A large cylindrical container of greater length than breadth > and with bulging sides once made of wood coated with tar (pitch) > to prevent infection, now made of aluminum or stainless steel. 2. > A standard liquid measure: in the U.S. 31 1/2 gallons (119.2369 > liters) although Federal tax laws are based on a 31 gallon > (117.344 liter) capacity. In Britain, a beer barrel has a > capacity of 36 imperial gallons (163.65 liters), while an ale > barrel has a capacity of 32 imperial gallons (146.472 liters). > Abbrev: bbl. > > beer > 1. A generic name for alcoholic beverages produced by fermenting > a cereal or a mixture of cereals. 2. More specifically, an > alcoholic beverage made by fermenting malt with or without other > cereals and flavored with hops. Etym: From the latin bibere > meaning to drink. > > bitterness > The quality or state of being bitter. In beer, the bitter flavor > and aroma are caused by the tannins and the isohumulones of hops. > When tasting beer a distinction is made between the first > bitterness, when the liquid touches the tastebuds, and the > post-bitterness felt at the back of the mouth when the beer is > swallowed. > > bottle > A glass container with a narrow neck for holding liquids. > > bottle-capper > 1. A general name for instruments used for capping (sealing) beer > bottles, usually with crown seals. 2. Often refers to a hand tool > used with a hammer as opposed to a two-handled capper or > hand-lever capper. Syn: capper. > > bottled beer > Beer sold in bottles, as opposed to casked or canned beer. > Bottled beer is frequently chilled, filtered, carbonated, > pasteurized, and sterilized by the addition of inhibitory > materials. > > brew > 1. Generally speaking, to make beer. 2. More specifically, the > infusion and boiling stages of the beermaking process; i.e., > preparing the bitter wort. > > brewer > A person or industrialist who makes beer. Etym: From the Gallic > word brai (or brace) originally meaning barley, and later barley > mixed with water. > > C c > > canned beer > Beer sold in cans. An enameled can suitable for packaging beer > was first introduced by the American Can Company in 1934-1935 who > tested it with the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company in Richmond, > Virginia. It met with immediate success, and Pabst and Schlitz > came out with canned beer the following year. > > carbonation > The process of injecting or dissolving carbon dioxide gas in a > liquid to create an effervescence of pleasant taste and texture. > In beermaking, one of three methods is used: 1. injecting the > finished beer with the carbon dioxide collected for this purpose > during the primary fermentation; 2. kraeusening, or adding young > fermenting beer to finished beer to induce a renewed > fermentation; 3. especially in homebrewing, priming (adding > sugar) to fermented wort prior to bottling or to each bottle > prior to capping to create a secondary fermentation within the > bottle. Fermentation is a sealed bottle or container creates > carbon dioxide gas which, being trapped, dissolves in the beer. > The adjective carbonated usually refers to beers artificially > injected with carbon dioxide; when caused by priming, the > expression bottle-conditioned is more common. Beers intended to > be consumed at low temperatures are usually highly carbonated to > compensate for the low temperature and visa versa for beers to be > drunk at high temperatures. Bottled beer is always carbonated; > U.S. draft beers are usually carbonated, while British draft ales > are for the most part cask-conditioned. > > carboy > A large, narrow-necked glass, plastic or earthenware bottle > sometimes encased in wicker or in a plastic or wood frame. Glass > carboys, such as those used in homebrewing for secondary or > single-stage (blow-by) fermentation, should never be filled with > hot wort (980C, 2100F) because they cannot withstand sudden > changes in temperature or temperatures above 660C (1500F). > > crown cap > A metal cap with a cork or plastic lining and a crown-shaped > contour (skirt) which is crimped around the mouth of a bottle to > form an airtight seal that retains carbon dioxide gas. The first > crown stopper was invented in 1892 by William Painter, founder of > the Crown Cork and Seal Company. In 1920 the cork lining was > replaced by pressed cork and later by plastic. Syn: crown seal; > crown cork; crown stopper. > > D d > > dagger ale > An old English expression for strong ale. > > draft beer > Beer drawn from casks or kegs rather than canned or bottled. > Draft beer stored (usually under pressure) in metal kegs is often > non-pasteurized and minimally filtered, served from the tap and > preferably consumed within one week of brewing (30 days at the > limit.) Syn: tap beer; United Kingdom: draught beer; beer from > the wood; beer on tap. > > E e > > effervescence > The bubbling-up or fizz in beer caused by dissolved carbon > dioxide gas. > > Eighteenth Amendment > See prohibition. > > F f > > Fahrenheit > A thermometer scale in which the freezing point of water is 320 > and the boiling point is 2120. Abbrev: 0F. To convert degrees > Fahrenheit to degrees Centigrade and vice versa: > 0F=(0C x 9/5) + 32 or (0C x 1.8) + 32 > 0C=(0F - 32) x 5/9 or (0F - 32) / 1.8 > > fermentation > The chemical conversion of fermentable sugars in the wort into > approximately equal parts of ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide > gas, through the action of yeast, resulting in a drop in the > specific gravity of the beer as the alcohol content increases. > There are two basic systems of fermentation in brewing, top > fermentation and bottom fermentation, each of which is divided > into two basic phases, primary and secondary fermentation. Etym: > From the Latin fervere meaning to boil. > > fermenter > A generic name for any open or closed vessel in which primary and > secondary fermentation take place. Syn: fermentor; fermentation > bin; fermentation vessel. > > fermentation lock > In homebrewing, a one-way valve, usually made of glass or > plastic, fitted into a centrally pierced cork or rubber bung and > attached to the mouth of the carboy or secondary fermenter to > allow carbon dioxide gas to escape from the fermenter while > excluding ambient wild yeasts, bacteria and contaminants. A > fermentation lock is particularly useful for lagers which require > long, closed fermentation. Is also serves as a guide to the > fermentation process. Syn: airlock; bubbler; fermentation valve; > water lock; water seal. > > H h > > homebrewer > One who brews beer for personal consumption. > > homebrewing > The art of making beer at home. In the United States, homebrewing > was legalized by President Carter on February 1, 1979, by an act > of Congress introduced by Alan Cranston. The Cranston Bill allows > a single person to brew up to 100 gallons of beer annually for > personal enjoyment and up to 200 gallons in a household of two > persons or more aged 18 and older. In England, homebrewing was > again legalized in 1963 by Chancellor Reginald Maudling who > lifted all restrictions on homebrewing, providing it was not > sold. > > hop(s) > > Hops are added at the beginning of the boiling stage (called > flavoring, boiling or bittering hops) to give the brew its bitter > flavor and at the end of the boil (called finishing or aromatic > hops) to give aroma and hop character. A perennial climbing vine, > also known by the Latin botanical name of Humulus lupulus, a > member of the natural family of Cannabinaceae; hence, a close > relative of Cannabis sativa. The female plant yields flowers of > soft-leaved pine-like cones (called strobile) measuring about an > inch in length. Only the female ripened flower is used for > flavoring beer. Because hops reproduce through cuttings, the male > plant is not cultivated and is even routed-out to prevent them > from fertilizing the female plant, the cones of which would then > become weighed-down with seeds. Seedless hops have a much higher > bittering power than seeded ones. There are presently over one > hundred varieties of hops cultivated around the world. The best > known are: Brewer's Gold, Bullion, Cascade, Cluster, Comet, > Eroica, Fuggles, Galena, Goldings, Hallertauer, Nugget, Northern > Brewer, Perle, Saaz, Styrian Goldings, Tettnanger, Willamettes, > Wye Target. Hops are grown in Czechoslovakia, Bavaria (Germany), > Kent (England), Tasmania (Australia) and Yakima Valley, > Washington (United States). Apart from contributing bitterness, > hops impart aroma and flavor, reduce the surface tension during > the boiling stage, assist in forming a yeast head during ale > fermentation and inhibit the growth of bacteria in wort and beer. > In commercial brewing, about 200 to 700 grams of hops are > required for every hectoliter of wort. The addition of hops to > beer dates from between the 10th and 7th century BC; however, > hops were used to flavor beer in pharaonic Egypt at least 600 > years BC. They were cultivated in Germany as early as the 3rd > century AD and were used extensively in French and German > monasteries in medieval times and gradually superseded other > herbs and spices around the 14th and 15th centuries. Pipin le > Bref, ruler of the Franks, gave hop gardens (called humlonaria) > to the Abbey of St. Denis, near Paris, in 768. Hop fields were > also cultivated at the Abbey of St. Germain des Pris in 800 and > at the Abbey of Corvey sur le Wesser in 822. In Flanders, Jean > Sans Peur founded the Ordre du Houblon in 1409 to encourage the > use of hops in beermaking. Prior to the use of hops, beer was > flavored with herbs and spices such as juniper, coriander, > romarin, cumin, nutmeg, oak leaves, lime blossoms, cloves, > rosemary, gentian, guassia, camomille and others. > > hydrometer > A glass instrument for measuring the specific gravity of liquids > as compared to that of water, consisting of a graduated stem > resting on a weighted float. Most hydrometers are calibrated for > use at 15.60C (600F) and tables or charts are provided listing > corrections for variations in temperature. The accuracy of a > hydrometer is tested in water at 15.60C (600F) where it should > read 1.000. > > M m > > malt > Processed barley that has been steeped in water, germinated on > malting floors or in germination boxes or drums and later dried > in kilns for the purpose of converting the insoluble starch in > barley to the soluble substances and sugars in malt. Three > factors determine the value of good malt: (1) its protein content > must be as low as possible (preferably below 12.8%), (2) its > starch content must be as high as possible, (3) its germinative > power must be superior to 98%. Syn: malted barley. > > malt extract > 1. A thick, sugary syrup or dry powder prepared from malt. > Basically it is a sweet wort reduced to a syrup or powder form by > removing most or all of the water by low vacuum evaporation and > packaged in cans. 2. A dark and thick beer-like malt drink of low > alcohol content. > > mash > A mixture of ground barley malt and how water that forms the > sweet wort after straining. Syn: mash goods. > > O o > > Oktoberfest > 1. A beer festival held annually in M|nich's Theresienwiese > (Theresa's Meadow) for sixteen days and nights in late September > and early October. The festival originated with the wedding > festivities of the Bavarian heir prince Ludwig to the princess > Theresa in 1810. 2. A bottom-fermented Vienna- or Mdrzen-style > beer originally brewed especially for the Oktoberfest but now > available year round. Oktoberfest beer, brewed from an original > wort gravity of 1.050 to 1.060 is copper-colored, malty, and > sweet. > > P p > > pitch > 1. To pitch with yeast: the action of adding yeast to the cooled > wort. 2. A black sticky substance derived from coal tar. It is > sprayed into casks and barrels as a protective layer against > moisture and infections. 3. To spray the inside walls of a cask > or barrel with pitch to protect the beer from infection. > > primary fermentation > The first stage of fermentation carried out in open containers > and lasting from two to seven days during which time the bulk of > the fermentable sugars are converted to ethyl alcohol and carbon > dioxide gas. Syn: principle fermentation; initial fermentation. > > primary fermenter > An open vessel in which primary fermentation is carried out. Syn: > primary fermentor; primary fermentation bin; primary; primary > fermentation vessel. > > Prohibition > A law instituted by the Eighteenth Amendment (after the Volstead > Act) on January 18, 1920, forbidding the sale, production, > importation and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the > Unites States of America. It was repealed by the Twenty-first > Amendment on December 5, 1933 (at 5:32 P.M.). > > R r > > rack > To transfer beer from one vessel into another or into bottles and > casks while leaving the dregs at the bottom of the first > container. > > Reinheitsgebot > A German law the title of which signifies "pledge of purity" or > "order of purity." This purity law governs the production and > quality of beer in Germany. Inspired by an earlier law instituted > in 1487 by Duke Albert IV, William VI, the Elector of Bavaria, > decreed in 1516 that only water, malted barley, malted wheat and > hops could be used to make beer. Yeast was not included but taken > for granted. This law is still effective today in Germany and was > adopted by some neighboring countries. German law prohibits the > use of adjuncts, including sugar, in brewing. A priest also would > admonish "reinheitsgebot" to girls to remain pure-virgins. > > S s > > secondary fermentation > 1. The second, slower stage of fermentation carried out in closed > containers at 4 to 80C (39 to 460F) for top-fermenting beers and > at 0 to 20C (32 to 360F) for bottom-fermenting beers and lasting > from a few weeks to many months depending on the type of beer. 2. > A renewed fermentation in bottles or casks engendered by priming > or re-yeasting. > > secondary fermenter > Any closed container in which secondary fermentation is allowed > to occur. Syn: secondary fermentation bin; secondary fermentor; > secondary. > > siphon > 1.In homebrewing, clear plastic tubing four to six feet long with > an inside diameter of about 3/8 of an inch used to draw beer from > one container to another. Syn: siphon tube. 2. To use a siphon > tube to draw beer from one container to another using gravity. > The bottom of the container being siphoned from must be higher > than the top of the container being siphoned to. The siphon is > started by filling the tube with liquid, either by immersing it > in the liquid or sucking liquid into the tube. While keeping one > end of the tube sealed, place each end of the filled tube in each > container and then release the seal. The siphon should then start > flowing. > > W w > > water > 90% of beer is made of water. The flavor of the beer can be > affected by the source of the water used to make the beer. > wort > Pronunciation: wert. The bittersweet sugar solution obtained by > mashing the malt and boiling in the hops before it is fermented > into beer. > > Y y > > yeast > During the fermentation process, yeast converts the natural malt > sugars into equal parts of alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. Yeast > are Microscopic, unicellular, vegetal organisms of the fungus > family (Eumycophyta) distinct from bacteria since they possess a > true nucleus. Yeasts are classed in one of three categories > depending on their ability to sporulate and the method of > sporulation: Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Fungi imperfecti. > Brewing yeast (or brewer's yeast) are classed into three > categories: bottom-fermenting yeast or Saccharomyces > carlsbergensis, reclassified Saccharomyces uvarum; top-fermenting > yeast or Saccharomyces cerevisiae; and wild yeasts such as > Saccharomyces candida and other species. Each category is further > subdivided into strains. Since yeasts belong to the plant family, > they are named according to the International Code of Botanical > Nomenclature; each yeast is know by a binomal combination, the > first name being that of the genus (or family), the second that > of the species. Over 500 types of yeast have been isolated, not > including the numerous wild strains. The rate of reproduction of > yeasts in wort varies with the temperature and reaches a maximum > at about 300C (860F). The reproduction rate of Saccharomyces > cerevisiae is greater than that of Saccharomyces uvarum at high > temperatures and the opposite holds at lower temperatures. > Brewer's yeasts are sensitive to heat and may be killed by > exposure to temperatures of 520C (125.60F) or above for ten > minutes or more. Yeast was first viewed under a microscope in > 1680 by the Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and later, in > 1867, by Louis Pasteur, (Itudes sur le vin, 1866, Itudes sur la > bihre, 1876), discovered that yeast cells lack chlorophyll and > that they could develop only in an environment containing both > nitrogen and carbon. > > Z z > > Zymurgy > 1. The science or study of fermentation. 2. The title of a > magazine published by the American Homebrewers Association.. Syn: > zymology. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > [Image] For a limited time the Dictionary of Beer and Brewing is > available for only $14.95 (U.S., usually $19.95) plus $4.50 > postage and handling. Additional shipping charges will be added for > foreign orders. > > When ordering by phone, FAX, or e-mail, please include your credit > card number, expiration date, name, address, country, e-mail address > and telephone number. Dealer inquiries are welcome. > Brewers Publications > PO Box 1679 > Boulder, CO 80306-1679 > U.S.A. > Phone (303) 447-0816 > Fax (303) 447-2825 > E-mail orders: [log in to unmask] > Automated info: [log in to unmask] > Customer Service: [log in to unmask] > > Phone orders are taken from 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > HOME PAGE | CONTENTS | CALENDAR | GLOSSARY | ORDER > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > )1995 Association of Brewers > Shawn Steele, [log in to unmask] > Customer Service, [log in to unmask] > http://www.aob.org/aob