The Brewery

The Real Beer Page

Brewing Techniques Magazine

Create Your Own Recipe by Jeff Frane

1998 AHA Style Descriptions

HOPUNION U.S.A. - Hop data and information

Briess Malting Company - Product information sheets

Wyeast Laboratories - Yeast

White Labs - Yeast

Adjunct

Something added to beer other than malt, hops, water, and yeast. Like corn or sugar

Ale

Top fermenting beer brewed at room temperature. Usually 68 to 72 degrees.

All Grain

The process of making beer with just grain. You use no DME or LME.

Aerate

To force air or oxygen into the wort.

Air Lock

A one way valve that allows carbon dioxide to escape while fermentation takes place.

Autolysis

http://www.answers.com/topic/autolysis

The death of yeast due to shock or lack of nutrients.

The destruction of tissues or cells of an organism by the action of substances, such as enzymes, that are produced within the organism. Also called self-digestion.

As it relates to wine, this is the decomposition of dead yeast cells after fermentation. Through lees contact, (see sur lie), this process can impart complex flavors to wine. There is some debate as to the optimal amount of time before autolysis produces the most profound effects, so the duration of lees contact ranges from some months to many years.

Beer

Fermented beverage made from malt, water, yeast, and hops.

Blow Off

A method of expelling carbon dioxide gas by fitting tubing in the neck of the carboy and other end in pitcher of water.

Bottle Conditioned

Priming bottled beer with priming sugar and allowing to naturally carbonate.

Capper

Device used to put bottle caps on bottles.

Carbon Dioxide

Gas that is produced by the yeast as it consumes the malt sugar.

Carboy

A glass jug usually 5 to 6 1/2 gallons used to ferment beer in.

Chill Haze

Temporary cloudiness of beer when chilled.

Cider

A fermented beverage made with apple juice.

Conversion

Process where the starches in the grain are converted to sugar that can then be fermented.

Dextrose

AKA corn sugar. This is used in priming beer.

DME

Dried malt extract.

Dough In

The process of adding grain and water to the mash tun.

Dry Hopping

Adding hops to the secondary to add aroma to beer. Usually for a week to two weeks.

Fermentation

Conversion of sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The results of yeast.

FG or Final Gravity

The ending gravity of beer after fermentation.

Finings

Used to clear beer. Products such as Irish Moss, An edible North Atlantic seaweed (Chondrus crispus) that yields a mucilaginous substance used medicinally and in preparing jellies. Also called carrageen.

 and

Isinglass, isinglass (i'z?n-glas', i'zing-) A transparent, almost pure gelatin prepared from the air bladder of the sturgeon and certain other fishes and used as an adhesive and a clarifying agent.

Flocculation

This is how yeast settles out after fermentation. Yeast's have different flocculation rates ie: low, med, or high

Extract

Malt that has been processed by mashing and comes in the form of dry or liquid.

Extraction rate

This is a measurement of the starches that are converted to sugar during the mash.

Hops

Used to give beer its flavor. Some say hops spice the beer.

1. A twining vine (Humulus lupulus) having lobed leaves and green female flowers arranged in conelike spikes.
2. hops The dried ripe flowers of this plant, containing a bitter aromatic oil. They are used in the brewing industry to prevent bacterial action and add the characteristic bitter taste to beer.

Hot Break

This is the gunk that settles out in the bottom of the kettle after it is cooled.

Hydrometer

A device that measures the amount of sugar in water. A brewer uses this to estimate the alcohol content in beer.

Irish Moss

A fining that is a form of seaweed. Used to clarify beer.

An edible North Atlantic seaweed (Chondrus crispus) that yields a mucilaginous substance used medicinally and in preparing jellies. Also called carrageen.

Krausen

Foam that appears on top of fermenting beer.

Lager

Bottom fermenting beer brewed at cooler temperatures. Usually 32 to 58 degrees for several weeks or longer..

Lager

German word meaning (to store).

Lauter

To separate sweet wort from the spent grains.

Lauter Tun

This is a vessel where the malted barley and hot water convert starch to sugar.

LME

Liquid malt extract.

Lovibond

A rating system for grain from 0 to 500+. The lower the number the lighter the color.

Malt

Barley that has been soaked in water, allowed to sprout, and then dried.

Mash

This is the grain and hot water mixture.

Mashing

Starch is converted to sugar by mixing hot water and malted barley.

Mead

A fermented beverage made from honey.

OG or Original Gravity

This is the gravity reading before fermentation.

Pitch

A term used in beer making meaning to add yeast to wort.

Primary Fermenter

Usually a plastic or glass container used to ferment beer in.

Priming Sugar

AKA corn sugar. This is used in priming beer for carbonation at bottling time.

Proof

A term used to check and make sure yeast is alive and healthy.

Rack

A term used in brewing that means to move beer from one location to another.

Racking Cane

A long curved plastic tube used to transfer beer from one location to another.

Rehydrate

To add dry yeast to boiled and cooled water to slowly come back to life before pitching into wort.

Reinheitsgebot

The German purity law of 1516 that states that beer can only contain water, malt, hops, and yeast.

Rhizome

A root cutlet from a hop plant.

Rousing

To agitate or create turbulence. To mix.

Sanitizer

Solution to kill most bacteria on equipment.

Secondary Fermenter

A  container (usually glass may be stainless) used to clear beer that has been racked from the primary.

Siphon

Used to transfer beer from one place to another.

Skunky

This is a term used when a beer has been subjected to too much light.

Sparging

The process of running hot water over spent grains to extract remaining sugar.

Specialty Grain

Used to give beer color without adding much fermentables.

Starter

Small batch of beer used to increase the amount of yeast cells.

Strike temperature

This is temperature you are shooting for when doing all grain. Initial infusion of  hot water to grain.

Thermometer

A device to measure the temperature.

Trub

The junk at the bottom of your pot after the boil. You should avoid adding this to the fermenter.

Wort

Unfermented beer.

Wort Chiller

A device used to cool the wort.

Yeast

a microorganism that eats sugar and the by products are carbon dioxide and alcohol.