Glossary

Glossary of terms used in brewing and in the Brewfather app.

Brewing Terms

Term	Definition
ABV	Alcohol by volume; percentage of alcohol in finished beer.
Adjunct	A non-malt fermentable ingredient, such as sugar, corn, rice, or honey.
Ale	Beer typically fermented at warmer temperatures with ale yeast.
Alpha Acid	Hop compounds that isomerize during the boil and contribute bitterness.
Attenuation	Percentage of fermentable sugars consumed by yeast during fermentation.
Bottle Conditioning	Natural carbonation in the package by fermenting priming sugar after bottling.
Cold Crash	Rapidly cooling beer near the end of fermentation to help yeast and solids settle.
Conditioning	Maturation stage after primary fermentation where beer stabilizes and clears.
Diacetyl	Buttery or butterscotch flavor compound that can remain if fermentation cleanup is incomplete.
Dry Hopping	Adding hops during or after fermentation to boost aroma with minimal added bitterness.
EBC	European Brewery Convention color scale used to describe beer color (mainly in Europe).
Esters	Fruity aroma and flavor compounds naturally produced by yeast during fermentation.
Fermentable	Any ingredient that contributes sugars for yeast to ferment.
Fermentation	Process where yeast converts sugars into alcohol and CO2.
FG	Final Gravity; density of beer after fermentation is complete.
Flocculation	Tendency of yeast to clump together and settle out of suspension.
Gravity	Measure of wort or beer density relative to water.
Grist	Full mix of crushed malt and grains prepared for mashing.
Head Retention	How well foam persists on a poured beer over time.
Hops	Flower cones used to add bitterness, aroma, and flavor to beer.
IBU	International Bitterness Units; measurement of estimated bitterness from hop compounds.
Krausen	Foamy head formed on fermenting wort during peak fermentation activity.
Lager	Beer typically fermented at cooler temperatures with lager yeast.
Lauter Tun	Vessel used to separate wort from spent grain during lautering.
Lautering	Separating sweet wort from the grain bed after mashing.
Malt Extract	Concentrated malt sugars sold as liquid syrup or dry powder.
Mash	Mixing crushed grain with hot water so enzymes convert starches into fermentable sugars.
Mash Tun	Vessel used for mashing grain with hot water.
Mash-in	Step where crushed grain is first combined with brewing water to start the mash.
OG	Original Gravity; density of wort before fermentation starts.
Oxidation	Staling caused by oxygen exposure, often producing dull, papery, or cardboard-like flavors.
pH	Measure of acidity or alkalinity that affects mash performance, flavor, and stability.
Pitching	Adding yeast to cooled wort to start fermentation.
Plato	Scale (°P) that expresses dissolved extract concentration in wort or beer.
Primary Fermentation	Main active fermentation phase where most sugar conversion and alcohol production happens.
Priming Sugar	Sugar added before packaging to create natural carbonation.
Secondary Fermentation	Later-stage maturation phase; often referred to as conditioning in modern workflows.
Session Beer	Lower-ABV beer intended to remain flavorful and drinkable over longer sessions.
SG	Specific Gravity; base density measurement behind OG, FG, and attenuation.
Sparge	Rinsing grains after mashing to extract residual sugars.
Sparging	Rinsing the grain bed with hot water to recover remaining sugars after first runnings.
SRM	Standard Reference Method color scale used to describe beer color.
Trub	Sediment of proteins, hop matter, and solids left after boiling and cooling wort.
Vorlauf	Recirculating early runnings until wort clears before collecting full runoff.
Whirlpool	Post-boil circular flow used to collect solids in the center and support hop utilization.
Wort	Unfermented sweet liquid extracted from mash before fermentation.
Wort Boil	Boiling wort to sanitize it, drive off volatiles, and extract bitterness from hops.
Yeast	Microorganism that converts sugars into alcohol, CO2, and fermentation flavors.

Brewfather App Terms

Term	Definition
Batch	A brewed instance of a recipe that tracks real brew-day and fermentation data.
Device	A connected hardware source (for example hydrometers or controllers) that logs data to Brewfather.
Equipment Profile	Reusable setup defining brewhouse volumes, losses, and efficiency assumptions.
Fermentation Profile	Reusable temperature and timing schedule for fermentation stages.
Folder	Container used to organize recipes, batches, and other library items.
Integration	Configured connection between Brewfather and an external service or hardware platform.
Inventory	On-hand ingredient stock tracking used for planning and brewing.
Mash Profile	Reusable set of mash steps with target temperatures and times.
Notifications	App alerts and reminders for brew process events, fermentation milestones, devices, and account activity.
Premium	Paid feature tier that unlocks advanced capabilities and higher limits.
Profile	Reusable configuration object, such as water, mash, fermentation, or equipment settings.
Recipe	Core formulation containing ingredients, process steps, and brewing targets.
Subscription	Account plan status that controls access to premium features.
Tools	Built-in calculators and converters used during recipe design and brew day decisions.
Water Profile	Reusable mineral composition target for source, target, or dilution water in Brewfather.

Related docs

• Fundamentals

• References