Beer Vocab

Question 1

Specific Gravity

Answer 1

The ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water. This method is used to determine how much dissolved sugars are present in the wort or beer.

Question 2

Reinheitsgebot

Answer 2

The German beer purity law passed in 1516, stating that beer may only contain water, barley and hops. Yeast was later added after its role in fermentation was discovered by Louis Pasteur.

Question 3

IPA

Answer 3

India Pale Ale, a hop-focused beer style that originated in England

Question 4

IBU

Answer 4

International Bittering Units, the measure of the bittering substances in beer (analytically assessed as milligrams of isomerized alpha acid per liter of beer, in ppm). This measurement depends on the style of beer. Light lagers typically have an IBU rating between 5-10 while big, bitter India Pale Ales can often have an IBU rating between 50 and 70.

Question 5

SRM

Answer 5

Standard Reference Method, an analytical method and scale that brewers use to measure and quantify the color of a beer. The higher the SRM is, the darker the beer. In beer, SRM ranges from as low as 2 (light lager) to as high as 45 (stout) and beyond.

Question 6

Ester

Answer 6

Volatile flavor compounds that form through the interaction of organic acids with alcohols during fermentation and contribute to the fruity aroma and flavor of beer. Esters are very common in ales.

Question 7

Phenol

Answer 7

A class of chemical compounds perceptible in both aroma and taste. Some phenolic flavors and aromas are desirable in certain beer styles, for example German-style wheat beers in which the phenolic components derived from the yeast used, or Smoke beers in which the phenolic components derived from smoked malt. Higher concentrations in beer are often due to the brewing water, infection of the wort by bacteria or wild yeasts, cleaning agents, or crown and can linings. Phenolic sensory attributes include clovey, herbal, medicinal or pharmaceutical (band-aid).

Question 8

ABV

Answer 8

Alcohol By Volume, the measurement of alcohol content in a beer

Question 9

Wort

Answer 9

The bittersweet sugar solution obtained by mashing the malt and boiling in the hops, which becomes beer throughfermentation.

Question 10

Trub

Answer 10

Wort particles resulting from the precipitation of proteins, hop oils and tannins during the boiling and cooling stages of brewing.

Question 11

Lautering

Answer 11

The process of separating the sweet wort (pre-boil) from the spent grains in a lauter tun or with other straining apparatus.

Question 12

Lager

Answer 12

Lagers are any beer that is fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at colder temperatures. Lagers are most often associated with crisp, clean flavors and are traditionally fermented and served at colder temperatures than ales.

Question 13

Krausen

Answer 13

The rocky head of foam which appears on the surface of the wort during fermentation.

Question 14

Hefeweizen

Answer 14

A German-style ale brewed with a high percentage of wheat and yeast that tend to contribute banana- and clove-like flavors.

Question 15

Wit

Answer 15

A Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with coriander and orange peel.

Question 16

Rauchbier

Answer 16

A category of beer brewed with malt that has been dried over an open flame, imbuing it with smoky flavor.

Question 17

Lacing

Answer 17

The lacelike pattern of foam sticking to the sides of a glass of beer once it has been partly or totally emptied.

Question 18

Sparging

Answer 18

An operation consisting of spraying the spent mash grains with hot water to retrieve the liquid malt sugar and extract remaining in the grain husks.

Question 19

Flocculate

Answer 19

The behavior of suspended particles in wort or beer that tend to clump together in large masses and settle out. During brewing, protein and tannin particles will flocculate out of the kettle, coolship or fermenter during hot or cold break. During and at the end of fermentation, yeast cells will flocculate to varying degrees depending on the yeast strain, thereby affecting fermentation as well as filtration of the resulting beer.

Question 20

Zymurgy

Answer 20

The branch of chemistry that deals with fermentation processes, as in brewing. Also the name of the American Homebrewers Association bi-monthly magazine.

Question 21

Isinglass

Answer 21

A gelatinous substance made from the swim bladder of certain fish that is sometimes added to beer to help clarify and stabilize the finished product.

Question 22

Irish Moss

Answer 22

Used as a clairifier in beer. Modified particles or powder of the seaweed Chondrus crispus that help to precipitate proteins in the kettle by facilitating the hot break.

Question 23

Alpha Acid

Answer 23

One of two primary naturally occurring soft resins in hops (the other is Beta Acid). Alpha acids are converted duringwort boiling to iso-alpha acids, which cause the majority of beer bitterness. During aging, alpha acids can oxidize (chemical change) and lessen in bitterness.

Question 24

Body

Answer 24

The consistency, thickness and mouth-filling property of a beer. The sensation of palate fullness in the mouth ranges from thin- to full-bodied.

Question 25

Hopback

Answer 25

A device that is filled with hops and inserted in line as the beer is transferred and cooled from the hot boiler into the fermenter. The main purpose of a hop back is to transfer delicate hop oils and aromas that would otherwise be boiled off in the boiler.

Question 26

Autolysis

Answer 26

A process in which excess yeast cells feed on each other producing a rubbery or vegetal aroma.

Question 27

Skunked (lighstruck)

Answer 27

Appears in both the aroma and flavor in beer and is caused by exposure of beer in light colored bottles or beer in a glass to ultra-violet or fluorescent light.

Question 28

Noble Hops

Answer 28

Traditional European hop varieties prized for their characteristic flavor and aroma. Traditionally these varieties are Hallertau, Spalt, Tettnang (all grown in Germany) and Saaz (grown in the Czech Republic).

Question 29

Final Gravity

Answer 29

The gravity of a beer as measured when fermentation is complete (when all desired fermentable sugars have been converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide gas). Can be used to determine ABV. AKA terminal gravity.

Question 30

Dry Hopping

Answer 30

The addition of hops late in the brewing process to increase the hop aroma of a finished beer without significantly affecting its bitterness. Dry hops may be added to the wort in the kettle, whirlpool, hop back, or added to beer during primary or secondary fermentation or even later in the process.

Question 31

Fresh/Wet Hopping

Answer 31

The addition of freshly harvested hops that have not yet been dried to different stages of the brewing process. Fresh hopping adds unique flavors and aromas to beer that are not normally found when using hops that have been dried and processed per usual.

Question 32

Bottle Conditioning

Answer 32

A process by which beer is naturally carbonated in the bottle as a result of fermentation of additional wort or sugar intentionally added during packaging.

Question 33

Cask

Answer 33

A barrel-shaped container for holding beer. Originally made of iron-hooped wooden staves, now most widely available in stainless steel and aluminum.

Question 34

Decoction Mash

Answer 34

A method of mashing that raises the temperature of the mash by removing a portion, boiling it, and returning it to themash tun. Often used multiple times in certain mash programs.

Question 35

Growler

Answer 35

A jug- or pail-like container once used to carry draught beer bought by the measure at the local tavern. Growlers are usually ½ gal (64 oz) or 2L (68 oz) in volume and made of glass. Brewpubs often serve growlers to sell beer to-go. Often a customer will pay a deposit on the growler but can bring it back again and again for a re-fill.

Question 36

Malt

Answer 36

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 stopping the germination and converting the insoluble starch in barley to the soluble substances and sugars in malt.

Question 37

Mash Tun

Answer 37

The vessel in which grist is soaked in water and heated in order to convert the starch to sugar and to extract the sugars, colors, flavors and other solubles from the grist.

Question 38

Mashing

Answer 38

The process of mixing crushed malt (and possibly other grains or adjuncts) with hot water to convert grain starches to fermentable sugars and non-fermentable carbohydrates that will add body, head retention and other characteristics to the beer. Mashing also extracts colors and flavors that will carry through to the finished beer, and also provides for the degradation of haze-forming proteins. Mashing requires several hours and produces a sugar-rich liquid called wort.

Question 39

Mouthfeel

Answer 39

The textures one perceives in a beer. Includes carbonation, fullness and aftertaste.

Question 40

Cask/Real Ale

Answer 40

A style of beer found primarily in England, where it has been championed by the consumer rights group called the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Generally defined as beers that have undergone a secondary fermentation in the container from which they are served and that are served without the application of carbon dioxide.

Question 41

Session Beer

Answer 41

A beer of lighter body and alcohol of which one might expect to drink more than one serving in a sitting.

Question 42

Whirlpool

Answer 42

A method of collecting hot break material in the center of the kettle by stirring the wort until a vortex is formed. Also a brewhouse vessel designed to separate hot break trub particles from boiled wort.

Question 43

Yeast

Answer 43

During the fermentation process, yeast converts the natural malt sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.