Beer Terminology Level 1 Flashcards
An organism, such as top fermenting ale yeast, that needs oxygen to metabolize.
Aerobic
Varieties of hop chosen to impart bouquet.
Aroma Hops
Scale indicating density of sugars in wort. Devised by C J N Balling.
Balling degrees
A unit of measurement used by brewers in some countries. In Britain, a _____ holds 36 imperial gallons (1 imperial gallon = 4.5 liters), or 1.63 hectoliters. In the United States, a barrel holds 31.5 US gallons (1 US gallon = 3.8 liters), or 1.17 hectoliters.
Barrel
The perception of a flavor in beer from iso-alpha-acid. It is measured in International Bitterness Units (IBU).
Bitterness
The stopper in the hole in a keg or cask through which the keg or cask is filled and emptied.
Bung
Specific gravity of a beer when fermentation is complete (that is, all fermentable sugars have been fermented).
Final specific gravity
Flavor and aroma of bananas, strawberries, apples, or other fruit; from high temperature fermentation and certain yeast strains.
Fruity/Estery
A mechanical device used to rapidly reduce the temperature of the wort.
Heat exchanger
Sieve-like vessel used to strain out the petals of the hop flowers.
Hop-back
Beers produced with bottom fermenting yeast strains, Saccharomyces uvarum (or carlsbergensis) at colder fermentation temperatures than ales. This cooler environment inhibits the natural production of esters and other byproducts, creating a crisper tasting product.
Lager
The brewer’s word for water used in the brewing process, as included in the mash or, used to sparge the grains after mashing.
Liquor
A tank where grist is soaked in water and heated in order to convert the starch to sugar and extract the sugars and other solubles from the grist.
Mash tun
Chemical or phenolic character; can be the result of wild yeast, contact with plastic, or sanitizer residue.
Medicinal
Moldy, mildewy character; can be the result of cork or bacterial infection.
Musty
A brewery that produces more than 15,000 barrels of beer annually, with its largest selling product a specialty beer.
Regional specialty brewery
Saccharomyces carlsbergensis is a ___ ______ _________
Bottom fermenting yeast
Stage of fermentation occurring in a closed container from several weeks to several months.
Secondary fermentation
A measure of the density of a liquid or solid compared to that of water ((1.000 at 39F (4C)).
Specific gravity
Taste sensation cause by acidic flavors.
Tart
Reminiscent of wine.
Vinous
_______ness of hops or malt husks; sensation on back of tongue.
Bitter
A device for dispensing draft beer. The use of a _____ ______ allows the cask-conditioned beer to be served without the use of pressurized carbon dioxide.
Hand pump
Skunklike smell; from exposure to light.
Light-struck
The owner or manager of a pub.
Publican
Sherrylike flavor; can be caused by warm fermentation or oxidation in very old beer.
Winy
The solution of grain sugars strained from the mash tun. At this stage, regarded as “sweet ____”, later as brewed ___, fermenting ___ and finally beer.
Wort
An aid to clarification: a substance that attracts particles that would otherwise remain suspended in the brew.
Fining
________ ________ ____. A system of indicating the hop bitterness in finished beer.
IBU - International Bittering Units
Synonym for final specific gravity.
Terminal gravity
_____ refers to a beer made exclusively with barley malt and without adjuncts.
All malt
An ___ scale is used to indicate colors in malts and beers.
EBC - European Brewing Convention
Tastes like cereal or raw grain.
Grainy
Brewers’ term for a square fermenting vessel.
Squares
One of the two types of yeast used in brewing. ____ ______ _____ works better at warmer temperatures and are able to tolerate higher alcohol concentrations. It is unable to ferment some sugars, and results in a fruitier, sweeter beer. Also known as “ale yeast”.
Top-fermenting yeast
The process of dispensing beer from a bright tank, cask or, keg, by hand pump, pressure from an air pump or, injected carbon dioxide inserted into the beer container prior to sealing.
Draft (Draught)
Reminiscent of rotten eggs or burnt matches; a by-product of some yeast’s.
Sulfurlike
Aroma or flavor reminiscent of flowers or fruits.
Estery
One-half barrel, or 15.5 U. S. gallons.
Keg
A cereal grain that is malted for use in the grist that becomes the mash in the brewing of beer.
Barley
A volatile compound in beer that contributes to a butterscotch flavor, measured in parts per million.
Diacetyl
____ are produced by the fermentation of honey, water, yeast and optional ingredients such as fruit, herbs, and/or spices. According to final gravity, they are categorized as: dry (0.996 to 1009); medium (1010 to 1019); or sweet (1020 or higher). Wine, champagne, sherry, mead, ale or lager yeasts may be used.
Meads
Term for a green apple aroma which is a byproduct of fermentation.
Acetaldehyde
Regional specialty brewery
A brewery that produces more than 15,000 barrels of beer annually, with its largest selling product a specialty beer.
The vessel in which wort from the mash is boiled with hops. Also called a copper.
Brew kettle
Beers distinguished by use of top fermenting yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The top fermenting yeast perform at warmer temperatures than do yeast’s used to brew lager beer, and their byproducts are more evident in taste and aroma. Fruitiness and esters are often part of an ________s character.
Ale
The removal of designated impurities by passing the wort through a medium, sometimes made of diatomaceous earth ( made up of the microscopic skeletal remains of marine animals). Yeast in suspension is often targeted for removal.
Filtering
Small brewery generally producing less than 15,000 barrels per year. Sales primarily off premises.
Micro-brewery
A measurement of the density of fermentable sugars in a mixture of malt and water with which a brewer begins a given batch.
Original gravity
From the German word for storage. Refers to maturation for several weeks or months at cold temperatures (close to 0C /32F) to settle residual yeast, impart carbonation and make for clean round flavors.
Lagering
A micro-organism of the fungus family. Genus Saccharomyces.
Yeast
A sweet, coppery-colored malt. Imparts both color and flavor to beer. _____ _____ has a high concentration of unfermentable sugars that sweeten the beer and, contribute to head retention.
Caramel malt
Cask holding 54 imperial gallons ( 243 liters ).
Hogshead
A general term covering off-flavors such as moldy, musty, woody, lactic acid, vinegar, or microbiological spoilage.
Bacterial
(Verb) To release malt sugars by soaking the grains in water. (Noun) The resultant mixture.
Mash
An organization in England that was founded in 1971 to preserve the production of cask-conditioned beers and ales.
CAMRA - The CAMpaign for Real Ale.
A fermented beverage made from apples.
Hard cider
Cloudiness caused by precipitation of protein-tannin compound at low temperatures, does not affect flavor.
Chill haze
Beer treated to allow it to withstand cold temperatures without clouding.
Chill proof
Saccharomyces uvarum is a ___ ______ _________
Bottom fermenting yeast
Conversion of sugars into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide, through the action of yeast.
Fermentation
An organism, such as a bottom-fermenting lager yeast, that is able to metabolize without oxygen present.
Anaerobic
The percentage that measures the conversion of sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the fermentation process. The percentage is calculated by comparing weight or specific gravity of the extract before and after fermentation.
Attenuation
“Purity Law” originating in Bavaria in 1516 and now applied to all German brewers making beer for consumption in their own country. It requires that only malted grains, hops, yeast and water may be used in the brewing.
Reinheitsgebot
Expresses the specific gravity as the weight of extract in a 100 gram solution at 64F (17.5C). Refinement of the Balling scale.
Plato, degrees
Exhaustive system of mashing in which portions of the wort are removed, heated, then returned to the original vessel.
Decoction
Brewers’ term for milled grains, or the combination of milled grains to be used in a particular brew. Derives from the verb to grind. Also sometimes applied to hops.
Grist
The addition of yeast and/or sugar to the cask or bottle to aid secondary fermentation.
Dosage
Volatile flavor compound naturally created in fermentation. Often fruity, flowery or spicy.
Ester
Pub that makes its own beer and sells at least 50% of it on premises. Also known in Britain as a home-brew house and in Germany as a house brewery.
Brewpub
What does IBU stand for?
International Bittering Units
Fermentable material used as a substitute for traditional grains, to make beer lighter-bodied or cheaper.
Adjunct
The amount of wort brewed each time the brew house is in operation.
Length
Secondary fermentation and maturation in the cask at the point of sale. Creates light carbonation.
Cask-conditioning
Any large vessels used in brewing. In America, “tub” is often preferred.
Tun
A water soluble, fermentable sugar contained in malt.
Maltose
The addition of sugar at the maturation stage to promote a secondary fermentation.
Priming
Period of maturation intended to impart natural carbonation. Warm ________ further develops the complex of flavors. Cold _______ imparts a clean, round taste.
conditioning
Tastes tinny, bloodlike or coinlike; may come from bottle caps.
Metallic
Spicy character reminiscent of cloves; characteristic of some wheat beers, or if excessive, may derive from wild yeast.
clovelike
The collective equipment used to make beer.
Brewhouse
Heating of beer to 60-79C/140-174F to stabilize it microbiologically. Flash-_________ is applied very briefly, for 15-60 seconds by heating the beer as it passes through the pipe. Alternately, the bottled beer can be passed on a conveyor belt through a heated tunnel. This more gradual process takes at least 20 minutes and sometimes much longer.
Pasteurization
A legal term used in the U.S. to designate a fermented beverage of relatively high alcohol content (7%-8% by volume).
Malt liquor
A drying, puckering taste; tannic; can be derived from boiling the grains, long mashes, over sparging or sparging with hard water.
Astringent
Stale flavor of wet cardboard, paper, rotten pineapple, or sherry, as a result of oxygen as the beer ages or is exposed to high temperatures.
Oxidized
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a ___ ______ _________
Top fermenting yeast
A vessel in which beer is placed after primary fermentation where the beer matures, clarifies and, is naturally carbonated through secondary fermentation. Also called bright beer tank, serving tank and, secondary tank.
conditioning tank
One of the two types of yeast used in brewing. _____ ______ ______ works well at low temperatures and ferments more sugars leaving a crisp, clean taste and then settles to the bottom of the tank.
Bottom-fermenting yeast
Reminiscent of acetone or lacquer thinner; caused by high fermentation temperatures.
Solvent-like
To spray grist with hot water in order to remove soluble sugars (maltose). This takes place at the end of the mash.
Sparge
The addition of hops to fermenting or aging beer to increase its hop character or aroma.
Dry-hopping
A German word meaning “yeast”. Used mostly in conjunction with wheat (weiss) beers to denote that the beer is bottled or kegged with the yeast in suspension (____-weiss). These beers are cloudy, frothy and, very refreshing.
Hefe
Enzymes, preservatives and antioxidants which are added to simplify the brewing process or prolong shelf life.
Additive
Sparkle caused by carbon dioxide, either created during fermentation or injected later.
Carbonation
A flavor that is a result of yeast in suspension or beer sitting too long on sediment.
Yeasty
A cooked sugar that is used to add color and alcohol content to beer. It is often used in place of more expensive malted barley.
Caramel
Lingering bitterness or harshness.
Hang
To run the wort from the mash tun. From the German word to clarify. A _____ tun is a separate vessel to do this job. It uses a system of sharp rakes to achieve a very intensive extraction of malt sugars.
Lauter
Describes the number of days a beer will retain it’s peak drinkability. The _____ _____ for commercially produced beers is usually a maximum of four months.
Shelf life
Aroma of hops, does not include hop bitterness.
Hoppy
Taste and aroma of sweet corn; results from malt, as a result of the short or weak boil of the wort, slow wort chilling, or bacterial infection.
DMS - Dimethyl sulfide, a sulfur compound.
A sensation derived from the consistency or viscosity of a beer, described, for example as thin or full.
Mouthfeel
Partially malted barley roasted at high temperatures. _____ gives a dark color and roasted flavor to beer.
Black malt
The unfermentable carbohydrate produced by the enzymes in barley. It gives the beer flavor, body, and mouthfeel. Lower temperatures produce more ______ and less sugar. While higher temperatures produce more sugars and less ______.
Dextrin
The addition of a small proportion of partly fermented wort to a brew during lagering. Stimulates secondary fermentation and imparts a crisp, spritzy character.
Krausening
Aroma and taste of cooked vegetables; often a result of wort spoilage bacteria killed by alcohol in fermentation.
Cabbage like
Flavor and aroma of medicine, plastic, Band-Aids, smoke, or cloves; caused by wild yeast or bacteria, or sanitizer residue.
Phenolic
conditioning tank
A vessel in which beer is placed after primary fermentation where the beer matures, clarifies and, is naturally carbonated through secondary fermentation. Also called bright beer tank, serving tank and, secondary tank.
Warming taste of ethanol and higher alcohol’s.
Alcoholic
Ethyl alcohol or ethanol. An intoxicating by-product of fermentation, which is caused by yeast acting on sugars in the malt. ________ is expressed as a percentage of volume or weight.
Alcohol
A closed, barrel-shaped container for beer. They come in various sizes and are now usually made of metal.
Cask
Secondary fermentation and maturation in the bottle, creating complex aromas and flavors.
Bottle-conditioned
Beer made by one brewery and then marketed by a company calling itself a brewery. The latter uses the brewing facilities of the former.
Contract beer
Tastes like sugar; experienced on the front of the tongue.
Sweet
Herb added to boiling wort or fermenting beer to impart a bitter aroma and flavor.
Hops
A plasticlike aroma; caused by chemical combination of chlorine and organic compounds.
Chlorophenolic
Vinegarlike or lemonlike; can be caused by bacterial infection.
Sour/acidic
Flavor like table salt; experienced on the side of the tongue.
Salty
To add yeast to wort.
Pitch
Thickness and mouth-filling property of a beer
body
The process by which barley is steeped in water, germinated, then kilned to convert insoluble starch to soluble substances and sugar. The foundation ingredient of beer.
Malting
Simplest form of mash, in which grains are soaked in water. May be at a single temperature, or with upward or (occasionally) downward changes.
Infusion
Catalysts that are found naturally in the grain. When heated in mash, they convert the starches of the malted barley into maltose, a sugar used in solution and fermented to make beer.
Enzymes
An establishment that serves beer and sometimes other alcoholic beverages for consumption on premise. The term originated in England and is the shortened form of “public house”.
Pub
The condensed wort from a mash, consisting of maltose, dextrins and, other dissolved solids. Either as a syrup or powdered sugar, it is used by brewers, in solutions of water and extract, to reconstitute wort for fermentation.
Malt extract
Balling degrees
Scale indicating density of sugars in wort. Devised by C J N Balling.
