AA -
apparent attenuation, giving an indication of levels of residual sugar. Calculated from original gravity minus final gravity
abbey-style -
a range of strong ale styles originating from Benelux monastic brewing traditions (see also enkel, dubbel, tripel, quadrupel)
ABV -
alcohol by volume; the most common measure of the strength of an alcoholic beverage
ABW -
alcohol by weight; can be calculated from original and final specific gravities of the brew
adjuncts -
unfermentable additives that add to the flavour or texture of the finished brew
ale -
beer brewed with a top-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
alt bier -
copper coloured, top-fermented beer made almost exclusively in Dusseldorf. Hoppy, slightly bitter beer - famous example is from Zum Uerige Brauhaus Definition: Barry Shirfield
aroma hops -
hops chosen for their aromatic qualities. Generally added to the brew by dry-hopping, e.g. Goldings
barleywine -
an exceptionally strong style of old English ale, typically dark, rich, fruity and malty
BCA -
see bottle-conditioned ale
beer engine -
mechanism used in traditional British pubs to pump beer from keg to glass, avoiding false CO2 carbonation Definition: Craig Druitt
bière de garde -
lit. 'keeping beer'; a style of strong beer (normally but not always lager) from northern France.
bittering hops -
hops chosen for their bitter flavour. Generally added to the wort by boiling, e.g. Fuggles
black and tan -
a layered mixture of stout and lager or ale. The stout goes on top. Exists in many vareties, Guinness and Harp or Guinness and Bass being the best known Definition: Tommy Forslund
bock, bok -
originally a dark German lager brewed with travelling in mind ... strength of around 6.5 in a dark beer
bottle-conditioned ale (BCA) -
an ale that is bottled as a live product with conditioning yeast. Technically classed as a real ale
Burtonising -
the process of treating water in order to add calcium carbonate to it (originally to make it more similar to the water of Burton-on-Trent, UK)
CAMRA -
Campaign for Real Ale; UK organisation devoted to the promotion and protection of real ale (see also Craft Brewers Guild, Les Amis de la Bière)
cask-conditioned ale -
an ale that has its final fermentation in the cask from which it is dispensed
copper -
vessel in which additives such as hops and adjuncts are added to the liquor from the mash tun
Craft Brewers' Guild -
represents US craft brewed beers sold in and around New York. Owned by the Brooklyn Brewery (see also CAMRA, Les Amis de la Bière)
diacetyl -
chemical often produced in the brewing process, with a characteristic butterscotch aroma or flavour
doppelbock -
a high-gravity bock
dry hopping -
the addition of hops near the end of the brewing process to impart aroma. The hops are par-boiled (so are not strictly 'dry')
dubbel -
Abbey style definition. Can mean two fermentations. Usually a dark beer
dunkelweizen -
dark German wheat beer, usually served cloudy with conditioning yeast
eisbock -
a strong German lager in which ice forms in the final stages of secondary fermentation, thus concentrating the alcohol
enkel -
Abbey style definition. Single
ester -
chemical sometimes produced in the brewing process, producing a characteristic pear-drop aroma or flavour
faro -
a sweetened young lambic, or a young lambic served with sugar that can be added 'to taste'
fermentation -
the process by which yeast turns sugar (malt) into alcohol. One by-product (in the brewing process) is carbon dioxide, which gives many beers their fizz
finings -
added to the brew to aid clarity by causing the yeast particles to coagulate. Common types are made from fish scales or seaweed
framboise, frambozen -
a lambic flavoured with raspberries
goblet -
glass that is bulbous so as to allow warming from the hand, which releases the fine aromas and flavours of the beer
golden ale -
a strong Belgian style of ale, of which Duvel is the best-known example
gueuze -
a mixture of an old and a young lambic, combining the complexity of the old lambic with the spriteliness of the young lambic
hefeweizen -
cloudy German wheat beer, originating from Bavaria
IBU -
international bittering units. Measured as parts per million of isomerised hop resins.
IPA -
India Pale Ale. Heavily hopped strong pale ale originally brewed in the UK for shipping to the colonies. Nowadays it is a hoppy, light-coloured ale
kettle -
see copper
Kräusening -
the addition of a little wort to the fermented product to add some body and sweetness, but chiefly live yeast to restart the fermentation process in order to generate carbon dioxide.
kriek -
a lambic flavoured with cherries
lacework -
mark left on side of glass by head as the beer is drunk, resembling lace
lager, lagering -
beer that has undergone a period of lagering, i.e. a long fermentation in a cold environment; brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, now classified as Saccharomyces uvarum)
lambic -
a light and fruity Belgian style of ale, which uses stale hops to avoid bitterness and ferments with wild yeast (e.g. Brettanomyces lambicus and Brettanomyces bruxellensis). This is treated as an appelation of origin
Les Amis de la Bière -
French beer-promoting body. Partly responsible for launching seasonal styles in France (see also CAMRA, Craft Brewers Guild)
liquor -
water before it has malt or hops added to it
Lovibond (L) -
colour index measured in degrees; higher number equals darker colour
mash tun -
vessel where the brewer puts the malted grains to steep in hot water to produce 'liquor', to which hops, adjuncts and other additives are later added in the copper
milk stout -
originally a stout brewed with lactose, which only partially ferments, producing a very sweet, nutritious, beer. The term 'milk stout' was outlawed in the UK because of its misleading name
old ale -
a vague UK style, covering various traditional strong, rich ales. Overlaps somewhat with barley wines
original gravity -
specific gravity of the wort before fermentation
phenol -
chemical sometimes produced in the brewing process, producing a characteristic cooling, medicinal or menthol lightness on the palate
pilsner -
the original clear, pale lagers (and originally from Pilsen). Nowadays characterised by the citrusy Saaz hops and bubbly body
plato -
a system used to measure alcohol content, relating to the ratio of fermentable malts to water.
porter -
thought to originate from the mix of sour and young beer drunk by porters working in the London stations and docks. Nowadays taken to mean a dark bitter beer, half way between a bitter and a stout
quadrupel -
Abbey style definition. Very strong (around 10%+ abv), chewy, dark and fruity beer
real ale -
ale which is a live product at the point of delivery, i.e. still containing live yeast. This includes both cask- and bottle-conditioned ales.
Rheinheitsgebot -
1516 Bavarian purity law, still adhered to: only water, hops, malt and yeast may be used in the brewing of beer
schooner -
type of glass tapering from top to bottom. Generally used for lagers. (Also a sherry glass and a boat)
sour red ale -
a Belgian style of ale, of which the best-known example is brewed by Rodenbach
specific gravity -
density of a liquid expressed as a ratio to that of water
stout -
a black or dark brown beer originating from Ireland. This is brewed with soft water like a lager, but with top fermenting yeast like an ale. Its colour comes from the highly roast barley, which also imparts its characteristic bitterness
tripel -
Abbey style definition. Pale, strong ale (around 9% abv). Can mean three fermentations
weissbier -
cloudy, pale German wheat beer
wit bier -
see wheat beer, weissbier. Wit bier is the Benelux version, brewed with added curacao zest and coriander
wort -
mix of water, malt and additives ready for fermentation