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AADJUNCTS
Any unmalted cereal, such as rice or corn, added to beer as a starch substitute
for malted barley or malted wheat. In Germany, the use of adjuncts is strictly
forbidden by the Reinheitsgebot, the country's so-called Beer Purity Law,
a part of the federal tax code.
ALCOHOL
A product of fermentation. The type of alcohol produced by the yeast varies
with yeast strain, yeast health, fermentation temperature and fermentation
method. The desirable form of alcohol in beer is ethanol. So-called higher
alcohols have a higher boiling point than ethanol and can leave a "fusel"
flavor in the beer.
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
A measure of the percentage of alcohol in beer in proportion to the total
amount (as opposed to weight) of beer in which it is in solution. It is
often abbreviated as ABV. Numerically, the amount of alcohol by volume is
larger than the amount of alcohol by weight for the same beer, because alcohol
is lighter than water, which is about 90% of a beer's content. To convert
ABV to an approximate ABW-value, multiply it by 0.8.
ALCOHOL BY WEIGHT
A measure of the percentage of alcohol in beer in proportion to the total
weight of the beer in which it is in solution. It is often abbreviated as
ABW. Alcohol by weight is used almost exclusively in the United States to
express the alcoholic strength of beer, wine and spirits, while in the rest
of the world alcohol by volume (ABV) measurements are preferred. Numerically,
the amount of alcohol by weight is smaller than the amount of alcohol by
volume for the same beer, because alcohol weighs less than water (water
making up 90% of a typical beer). To convert ABW to an approximate ABV-value,
multiply it by 1.25.
ALE
A beer fermented by so-called top-fermenting yeast strains (Saccharomyces
cerevisiae). These yeasts (see German
Beer Primer for Beginners) work best at temperatures between
approximately 60-75°F (16-24°C). Altbiers, Kölsch, and all
Weissbier varieties are ales. Lagers, by contrast, which make up about 90%
of all German beers, are fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast strains.
The group of ales and lagers together are called "beer."
ATTENTUATION
The brew-technical term for the percent of sugar that has been converted
by the yeast into alcohol and carbon dioxide, i.e., a measurement of the
amount or progress of fermentation.
BARLEY
The most common brewing grain in the world.
BARREL
In brewing, a US barrel holds 31 US gallons (1.17 hectoliters), whereas
a British barrel holds 36 imperial gallons (1.63 hectoliters).
BEER
A beer is an undistilled alcoholic beverage fermented from grain extract
(any grain!). These grains may include barley, wheat, rye, emmer, dinkel,
oats, sorghum, millet, corn, and rice. Technically, even Japanese Saki and
Chinese rice wine are beers, because they are fermented from rice, a grain.
Alcoholic beverages fermented from grape juice are called "wine."
All beers are either ales or lagers. Ales are fermented by so-called top-fermenting
yeast strains (see German
Beer Primer for Beginners), while lagers are fermented with bottom-fermenting
yeast strains. Most yeast strains go dormant once they have produced 14
to 16% alcohol by volume, even if there is more fermentable sugar left in
the brew. Any alcoholic beverage with more than this level of alcohol are
either fortified with pure spirits or are distilled. Distilled beer (made
without hops) is called whiskey — Scotch, if the whiskey is barley-based;
rye, if it is rye-based; burbon, if it is corn-based; vodka or schnapps,
if it is wheat-based; gin if it is vodka flavored with juniper beeries;
aquavit, if it vodka flavored with caraway seeds; rum, if it is sugar cane
based. An alcoholic beverage is called liqueur, if sugar syrup is added
at the end of fermentation ... And this is how beer fits into the universe
of alcoholic beverages.
BIERSTEUERGESTZ
The German beer tax law. The Reinheitsgebot (Beer Purity Law) is now part
of the federal German beer tax law.
CARBONATION
The amount of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) that is dissolved in finished beer.
The more carbon dioxide is in the beer, the more effervescent it is. Excessive
carbonation produces a "burpy," gassy beer. Too little carbonation
produces a flat, pallid beer. Carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of the
yeast's fermentation. In a normal wort, yeast produces more carbon dioxide
than is needed for the finished beer. At the beginning of fermentation,
therefore, carbon dioxide is allowed to escape the fermenter. At the end
of fermentation, brewers often "cap" (that is, close) the fermenter
to develop pressure in the beer tank and keep the remaining carbon dioxide
dissolved in the beer. In German, such "capped" beers are called
"gespundet." Un-pressurized beers, similar to British cask-conditioned
ales, are called "ungespundet." Before bottling or kegging beers,
brewers usually correct the carbon dioxide content to the proper level by
either bleeding off any excess carbon dioxide or injecting additional amounts
under pressure.
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
A gas composed of carbon and oxygen. Next to alcohol, carbon dioxide is
the most plentiful product of yeast fermentation.
CEREVISIA
Latin word for beer. Still used in the scientific name for ale yeast, Saccharomyces
cerevisiae.
CHILL HAZE
Cloudiness in certain beers caused by suspended proteins, phenols, and tannins,
especially when chilled. Chill hazes are harmelss, have no effect on the
flavor of the beer, and disappear, if the beer is allowed to warm up slightly.
Very sharply filtered beers do not develop chill hazes.
COLOR
Beer color comes mostly from the color of the malt used to make the beer.
The darker (that is, the more highly kilned) the malted grain, the darker
the beer.
DECOCTION
A mashing process in which a mix of malt and water (the mash) is boiled.
Mashed that are not boiled are called infusion mashes. After either decoction
or infusion, the water is drained off the malt, carrying with it malt sugars.
This sweet extract is called wort. Once boiled and fermented, it is beer.
ESTERS
A fermentation byproduct generated by the yeast. Esters contribute a fruity
flavor to beer. Ales tend to have more esters than lagers.
EXTRACT
The sugary run-off from the mash. Extract also contains proteins, minerals,
vitamins, flavor substances and other trace elements from the grain.
FERMENTATION
The process by which yeast converts (or metabolizes) sugars mostly into
alcohol and carbon dioxide.
FINISH
The long-lingering aftertaste of a beer, usually dominated by a balance
between malty sweetness and hops aromas. The less malty the finish, the
"drier" is the beer.
FLOCCULATION
The process by which yeast cells sttle as sediment to the bottom of the
tank after fermentation. Different yeast strains have different propensities
to flocculate. Non-flocculating yeasts are often called "dusty."
GERMINATION
The sprouting of steeped grain at or slightly below room temperature at
the malting plant. Germination usually takes several days, during which
the grain produces enzymes that later convert starches to sugars. After
germination, the grain is called "green malt," and is now ready
for kilning.
GERSTE
German word for barley.
GRIST
Milled or cracked grain, before it is placed in the mash tun.
HEAD
The foamy, white layer on top of the brew after it is poured into a glass.
The head is made up mostly of proteins, dextrins (see Sugars) and carbon
dioxide. A good head is considered essential in a quality German beer.
HEFE
German word for yeast and the first part of the term Hefeweizen, the name
for the German wheat beer.
HOPFEN
German word for hops.
HOPS
A clinging vine whose female flowers are used to give beer bitterness, flavor,
and aroma.
INFUSION
The process by which grain is "infused" with hot water during
mashing. During step-infusion, the grain bed is infused twice or several
times with water at different temperatures. The object is usually to activate
different enzymes, each of which peak at a different temperatures in succession.
Some enzymes change large proteins into smaller ones, which are reponsible
for the beer's sturdy head. Other enzymes convert unfermentable grain starches
into fermentable sugars.
JUMP MASHING
A mash process by which the brewer starts the mash at a relatively low temperature,
often around 100°F (38°C), which is called an acid rest, and than
increases the temperature to what is called the mash-out temperature, usually
around 170°F (77°C).
JUNGBIER
Literally: "young beer." The term for boiled, unfermented wort.
KILNING
The process of drying the grain after malting. The longer the kilning time
and the higher the kilning temperature, the darker is the resulting brewing
grain (and the beer made from it) and the smaller is the number of enzymes
that can be reactivated in the mash tun. Highly kilned malt must always
be mixed in the mash tun with enzyme-rich pale malt to ensure a sufficient
concentration of enzymes for diastatic and proteolytic conversion. See diastatic
enzymes and proteolytic enzymes.
KRÄUSEN
Pronounced "kroi-zen," the process of conditioning or bottle-fermenting
finished beer with yeast in suspension by adding fresh, unfermented wort
to it.
LAGER
From the German "lagern" for "to store." Any beer fermented
with strains of Saccharomyces uvarum (see yeast), which work
best at temperatures below 50°F (10°C). After fermentation, lagers
are aged, or cold-conditioned, for several weeks to several months. Lagering
near the freezing point helps to precipitate yeast and proteins and generally
mellows the beer's taste. In Germany, Altbier and Kölsch — though
ales — are also lagered.
LAUTERING
From the German läutern, "to clear or clarify." The process
of draining the sugar-rich extract from the grain bed in the mash tun.
MALT
Grain that has been malted (steeped, germinated, and dried). See germination,
kilning, and malting.
MALTING
The process of steeping grain and allowing it to partially germinate. Germination
is interrupted by kiln drying the grain. During malting, a portion of the
grain's enzymes are activated. During the mashing of the grain in the brew
house, the activation of the grain's enzymes resumes.
MALZ
German word for malt.
MASHING
The process of steeping malted, kilned grain in hot water in the mash tun
to re-hydrate carbon-based and nitrogen-based substances, to degrade haze-forming
proteins (see chill haze) and to convert unfermentable starches into
fermentable sugars.
NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER
Defined by law as any beer with an alcohol content at or below 0.5% by volume.
NOSE
The bouquet that radiates from a glass of beer.
OKTOBERFEST
The annual Munich fall fold fest, the world's largest party, attracting
about 7 million visitors each year.
pH
An abbreviation for "potential hydrogen." The pH-scale runs from
1 to 14 and indicates tthe degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution.
A pH-value of 1 denotes extreme acidity, while a pH-value of 14 indicates
extreme alkalinity. A value of 7 means "neutral," of which distilled
water is perhaps the best known example.
PITCHING
The process of introducing yeast, usually drawn in a thick slurry from a
previously fermented batch, into fresh wort.
PROTEINS
Complex organic compounds, whose basic building blocks are amino acids (formed
mostly from nitrogen) and carbon skeletons. During malting and mashing,
specialized enzymes become active, whihc convert large-molecular proteins
into small-molecular proteins. This degradation of proteins plays an important
role in the formation of beer foam. It also generates amino acids that serve
as important yeast nutrients during fermentation.
QUALITY
Beer quality is at its peak when the brew leaves the brewery. Unlike wine,
but like food, beer deteriorates with age. Most beers, except for high-alcohol
beers such as Weisbock, are "over the hill" after about six months—sooner,
if they are kept in warm, well-lit environments; later if they are kept
in cool dark places. Beer past its prime tastes stale, even skunky.
RACKING
The process of transferring wort or beer from one tank to another, or into
kegs or bottles.
REINHEITSGEBOT
The German Beer Purity Law, first issued as a decree in Bavaria in 1516,
whihc decreed that only barley, hops, and water may be used in beer making.
The function of yeast in fermentation was not known at the time. Since then,
the Reinheitsgebot has been amended. It now stipulates that all barley used
in beer be "malted". It also allows for malted wheat in wheat
ales and includes yeast as a beer-making ingredient. The Reinheitsgebot
is now part of the Biersteuergesetz, the German federal beer tax law.
SESSION (BEER)
Relaxing over a couple of brews as opposed
to having just one beer with a meal, for instance. A session beers are those
that can be drunk in fair quantities without causing undue inebriation.
These quaffing brews tend to be medium in alcoholic strength. Perhaps the
archetype of all German session beers is the Bavarian Helles, the standard
brew served in liter-steins in the summer in beer gardens.
SPARGING
The process of sprinkling hot water over the grain bed during lautering
until all the sugars are extracted from the grain.
SPEISE
Unfermented wort added to fermented beer for Kräusening (see there).
STARCH
Carbohydrates in certain cereal grains. In barley, starch occurs in the
kernel's endosperm and accounts for about 60% (varies with growing year,
season, and region) of the grain's weight. Starch is the source of fermentable
and unfermentable sugars in the wort.
SUGARS
Technically known as saccharides, sugars are by far the most important brewing
carbohydrates derived from the grain. Sugars with one and two molecules
can be fermented by both ale and lager yeasts. Three-molecule sugars can
be fermented by lager yeasts only. Sugars with four or more molecules can
only be fermented by wild yeast strains, not by brewers yeast, and result
in off-flavored beer. Brewers therefore, pitch pure yeast strains only.
Glucose and fructose are the names of single-molecule sugars in wort (see
wort); maltose is a two-molecule sugar that is the most plentiful
sugar in wort. Maltotriose and raffinose are three-molecule sugars.
TANK
Fermentation vessel or conditioning vessel, now usually made of stainless
steel. Modern tanks are closed and can be pressurized. In the old days,
tanks tended to be open fermenters. In closed tanks, contamination from
airborn bacteria during fermentation can be minimized.
TUN
The shallow, usually styainless steel, pan, in which grain and hot water
are mixed to form the mash.
UNITANK
A stainless steel vessel in which the beer can be both fermented and lagered.
Unitanlks have cone-shaped bottoms for allowing excess yeast to be purged
out of the brew.
VOLATILES
Aroma substances in hops that counterbalance the malty sweetness in the
finish, the long-lingering aftertaste of the beer.
VOLLBIER
A German beer tax category designating a wort which is between 11 and 14%
sugars and solids. (See wort.) The rest is water. Ninety-nine percent
of all German beer is Vollbier.
WATER
The average beer is 90% water, about 5% alcohol and 5% dissolved solids
such as unfermentable sugars, proteins, vegetable gums, minerals and trace
elements.
WEIZEN
German word for wheat, often used to designate wheat beer or Weissbier.
WORT
The sweet extract that is boiled in the brew kettle and, after the addition
of hops, becomes unfermented (or "green") beer.
YEAST
The Latin name for yeast, Saccharomyces, means "sugar fungus."
Brewer's yeasts fall into two categories, ale yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
and lager yeasts (Saccharomyces uvarum). Under aerobic conditions
(in the presence of oxygen), yeast reproduces itself vigorously through
cell division, while under anaerobic conditions (without the presence of
oxygen), yeast "eats", or metabolizes, sugars—a process which
we call fermentation. After fermentation, yeast goes dormant, until it is
reintroduced to fresh wort with new sugar (see Pitching) to start
the cycle again.
ZYMURGY
The last word in most dictionaries, zymurgy is the science and breeding
of yeast, the agent of alcoholic fermentation.
