The Beginners Brewpot

by Richard Grzelak

(January 1994)

Glossary

Those of us who have been brewing for some time often forget that new people are joining the hobby all the time. This column will be devoted to those people just joining the hobby.
Each area of knowledge has its own specialized language, and brewing is no exception. So that we may speak a common language, this basic glossary of terms is provided.

ALE-a beer made with top fermenting yeast.

BEER-a fermented beverage made with, but not limited to, malted grain, water, and yeast. Most beers are hopped.

BOTTOM FERMENTATION-a yeast which grows at the bottom of the fermentation vessel. Lager beers are made with this process.

FERMENTATION-the process by which sugar is converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide.

HOPS-an herb used to flavor beer. Hops are used to provide a bitter component to balance against the native sweetness of the beer, as well as having certain aromatic characteristics. Hops are believed to have anti-biotic qualities which inhibit the growth of undesirable organisms in beer.

KRAUSEN(ING)-Secondary fermentation by use of partially fermented wort.

LAGER-a beer made with bottom fermenting yeast. Such beers are generally fermented at cold temperatures.

MALT-the fermentable sugar extracted from partially germinated grain. In beer, barley is the most common base malt, however, all grains have been malted for beer production at one time or other.

MASH-the process by which fermentable sugar is extracted from grain.

PRIMARY FERMENTATION-the initial fermentation characterized by rapid production of yeast. In most cases, primary fermentation is completed in about the first week

SECONDARY FERMENTATION-the stage at which the beer matures.

WORT-Unfermented beer.

YEAST-the micro-organism, which, as a result of its biology, causes fermentation.