Glossary

Glossary of terms used in brewing

Term	Definition
ABV	Alcohol by volume; percentage of alcohol in beer
IBU	International Bitterness Units; measures beer bitterness
Mash	Process of steeping grains in hot water to extract sugars
Wort	Unfermented beer; liquid extracted from the mash
Fermentation	Yeast converting sugars to alcohol and CO₂
Hops	Flower cones used for beer bitterness, aroma, and flavor
Yeast	Microorganisms fermenting wort into beer
Lager	Beer fermented at cooler temperatures with bottom-fermenting yeast
Ale	Beer fermented at warmer temperatures with top-fermenting yeast
Gravity	Density of wort relative to water, indicating potential alcohol
Attenuation	Percentage of sugars fermented by yeast
Conditioning	Beer maturation stage after primary fermentation
Krausen	Foamy layer formed atop wort during active fermentation
Sparge	Rinsing grains after mashing to extract residual sugars
Adjunct	Unmalted grain or fermentables added to beer recipe
Pitching	Adding yeast into cooled wort to start fermentation
Trub	Sediment of hops and proteins left after boiling wort
Priming Sugar	Sugar added before bottling to carbonate beer
Secondary Fermentation	Second-stage fermentation used for clarification and aging
Dry Hopping	Adding hops during or after fermentation for aroma
Diacetyl	Buttery off-flavor produced by incomplete fermentation
Esters	Fruity aromas/flavors created by yeast during fermentation
SRM	Standard Reference Method; indicates beer color
EBC	EBC (European Brewery Convention) is a standardized method used primarily in Europe to quantify the color of beer.
Mash Tun	Vessel used for the mashing process
Malt Extract	Concentrated malt sugars in syrup or powder form
Head Retention	Beer foam stability after pouring
Cold Crash	Rapid chilling of beer to clarify before packaging
Session Beer	Lower ABV beer suitable for extended drinking sessions
Whirlpool	Post-boil stirring to concentrate hop debris centrally
Flocculation	Yeast clumping and settling at fermentation's end
Alpha Acid	One of the substances in hops that create bitterness. These need to be boiled to 'isomerise' them to make them more soluble in the wort