Impress your friends.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
N
Non-Alcoholic
A beer that less than .5% alcohol by volume. It can be made by introducing oxygen to the beer during fermentation. The sterile oxygen causes the yeast to revert to the respiration stage and therefore produces no alcohol (trace levels).
O
Oats
Oats are a grain that is used in some specialty beers, such as oatmeal stout.
P
Pale Ales
Pale Ales are an English style of beer that is amber in color, and drier and more hoppy than bitters.
Party Keg
11-liter metal kegs popular in the European market. They are also used by homebrewers as a low cost method of kegging.
Pilsners
Pilsners are light colored, dry hoppy and complex lagers that are styled on those first brewed in Pilsen, a Czech town famed for its beers.
Pitch
A term used to mean adding yeast to an unfermented wort or must
Polyclar
Polyclar is a fining agent that electrostaticly bonds to tannins and causes them to settle out of the beer. This space-age plastic compound is added at bottling time. Use 2 teaspoons per 5 gallon batch.
Pressure Barrels
Pressure barrels are made specifically for the homebrew market as a low cost kegging system.
Primary Fermentation
The initial fermentation, usually lasting about one week, during which most of the sugar is converted to alcohol.
Primary Fermenter
A vessel in which the primary fermentation takes place.
Priming sugar
Priming sugar is added to a fermented beverage just prior to bottling. It provides the sugar necessary for the yeast to carbonate the beverage
Q
Quaff
Def: (i)To drink heartily; (ii) A hearty drink
R
Racking
The act of transferring a fermented liquid from one container to another by means of siphoning. Beer, wine, and mead makers wanting to clear the mixture will rack it into a secondary fermentation vessel. Wine and mead makers will rack their brews many times, over a long period of time, to reduce suspended particulate matter and to allow time for the flavors to age.
Raspberries
This fruit is from the berry family. It's sweet and tart clusters of juice can be added to a mead, wine, or beer to act as a flavoring. Raspberry extracts can also be used, however, most would agree that fresh fruit is better tasting.
Rice
Rice is used in the making of some beers. Sake is also made from fermented rice, but you already know this if you have been reading ahead.
Rice Syrup
Extracted from rice much the same manner that malt is extracted from barley. A liquid sugar mixture made from rice.
S
Sake
A Japanese beverage made from fermented rice.
Saaz hops
Saaz hops are a variety of hop that originated in Czechoslovakia and are used in Pilsners and other beers, where they are noted for their spicy flavor.
Sanitize
As opposed to sterilization, sanitizing your equipment clears the area of unwanted bacteria.
Seasonal brews
Beers that are made to coincide with certain times of the year.
Secondary Fermentation
Secondary Fermentation takes place after the primary fermentation. It is during this process that clearing takes place, and many new flavors crop up.
Seltzer
Carbonated water.
Seltzer Chargers
Seltzer chargers contain pressurized CO2, they are used by party kegs, and pressure barrels to dispense beverages.
Sherry Like Flavor
A winey flavor found in oxidized or strong beers, sometimes it is a desired flavor and sometimes its not.
Siphon Tubing
Siphon tubing is flexible food grade plastic tubing that is used to siphon fermented beverages from one container into another.
Soda
Soda, that sweet carbonated drink you loved as a kid and can make at home.
Soda Keg
Soda Kegs Are five gallon kegs used by restaurants to dispense seltzer for making fountain soda. They also make great, reliable kegs for homebrewers.
Sodium Metabisulfite
Also known as Campden Tablets. Is used as a preservative. You might have seen it on the label of a bottle of wine as " sulfites ".
Sparging bag
A nylon mesh bag that is used to allow the homebrewer to easily remove spent grains from beer.
Specific Gravity
Specific gravity is a measure of the density of a liquid. It is used to determine alcohol content.
Spicy
A sharp zesty flavor usually created by particular recipes or flavoring ingredients.
Starter
A starter is used with liquid yeasts to increase the amount of yeast cells present when the yeast is pitched.
Sterilize
The act of killing all living organisms. A doctor's Autoclave sterilizes the dental tools. When it comes to brewing, sanitizing is the closest one can achieve.
Stouts & Porters
Stouts and Porters are dark ales first made in the British isles. Stouts are darker and sharper, while porters are smoother and sweeter.
Strain(s)
Just like humans come in all sizes, colors, and personalities, so does brewing yeasts. A strain is a variety of yeast. I just hope the yeast doesn't start talking to me too.
Strong Ales
Strong ales, such as Barley wines and Scottish ales are high in alcohol content, and complex in flavor.
Stuck Fermentation
A condition where fermentation stops before the yeast has consumed its food. Yeast Hulls or Yeast Energizer can be added to "kick start" to a stuck ferment.
Sulfites
Also known as Sodium Metabisulfite. A salt or ester of sulfuric acid. These are used to preserve fruit beverages such as wine or mead. Sulfites sometimes cause allergic reactions with some asthmatics. Caution should be taken if you are allergic to this.
T
Tartic Acid
A fruit acid used to improve the balance in wine.
Temperature Controlled Mashing Bucket
Uses a thermostat to allow for precise control of the temperature, useful during mashing.
U
Uric Acid
Basically it's piss. Go figure? The dictionary describes it as a chemical composition: C 5H4N4O3 , made up of white crystalline powder; The end product of purine metabolism. It was used in a mead recipe from Roger Morse's book, Making Mead (Honey Wine).
V
Vitamin C
(see Ascorbic Acid)
W
Water
The water you use in brewing is important to your final results. For a brew to be successful, certain minerals must be present in trace amounts. For this reason, many fine beers are made with hard water.
Wheat
Wheat is second only to barley in its use in brewing. Wheat is grown in abundance in North America. Its soft fruity flavors are sought after when making wheat beers.
Wheat beers
There are a variety of beers made that use wheat in place of, or in addition to barley.
Whole hops
Whole hops are fresh, uncompressed hop cones. They are preferred by some brewers over pellets, but can be more difficult to work with.
Wine
A mixture of fruit, yeast and other combined ingredients which when fermented and stored create a refreshing, complex, and alcoholic beverage. Common to many cultures. Has been consumed as a beverage for a great many years.
Wine yeast
Wine yeast includes many varieties of yeast that contribute to the flavor of the final wine.
Wort
Wort is unfermented beer, it's the stuff that's in your brewpot.
Wort Chiller
A wort chiller is used in all grain brewing to quickly cool the wort to room temperature.
X
Xylidine
Any of six toxic isomers, (CH(3))(2)C(6)H(3)NH(2), derived from xylene, used chiefly as dye intermediates. Any of various mixtures of xylidine isomers. Not relevant at all, of course, but the X was looking so lonely with nothing under it.
Y
Yeast
The microbes used in brewing which converts sugars into alcohol & CO2.
Yeast Energizer
Yeast energizer is a super yeast nutrient containing additional vitamins not present in regular yeast nutrient. Use ¼ tsp. per gallon to restart a stuck fermentation.
Yeast Extract
Yeast extract is an all natural nutrient made of yeast cell walls. For a "stuck" fermentation, add ¼ to ½ ounce of yeast extract along with a fresh packet of yeast.
Yeast Hulls
(See yeast extract)
Yeast Nutrient
Yeast nutrient is a combination of ingredients needed by yeast for vigorous growth and vitality. It is recommended when brewing beers with sugar or other adjuncts. Use one tsp. per gallon prior to the start of fermentation.
Z
Zymurgy
The science of beer making.
|
