Glossary of Beer Terms

Ale is the World’s oldest style of beer that is top fermented, usually at 60-70°F.

Amber describes the style or color of a beer between pale and dark, sometimes with a reddish hue.

Body is texture or viscosity in the mouth as a result of malt proteins and dextrins that have not been fermented.

Character is a beer of any quality, which has unmistakable and distinctive features.

Crisp is a desirable feature in Weiss beers and pils; firm, refreshing, positive acidity.

Fermentation is scientific term for the process that converts sugar into alcohol and CO2.

Flat is dull, insipid, lacking carbonation and/or acidity.

Full-bodied is an abundance of flavors, especially malt, in the taste of beers. Not necessarily high in alcohol.

Head is the foam on top of a glass of beer. The best beers can have a head composed of small, tightly packed bubbles, or a large, billowing, uneven head. The head can easily be ruined by using a glass that is not "beer clean" (thoroughly rinsed with cold water until no soap residue remains).

Hops is the female flowers of the perennial hop plant, Humulus Lupulus.

Lager is a brew that undergoes a secondary 'cold' fermenting process; from the German word meaning 'store'. The cold-conditioning encourages the yeast to settle out, increases carbonation, and produces a smooth, clean-tasting beer.

Lambic is of Belgian origin, a beer made by spontaneous fermentation. Often includes fruits as adjuncts.

Malting is the process of moistening grain, allowing it to germinate, and then stopping germination by heating or drying in a kiln. Malting converts insoluble starch in barley into sugars that can be fermented.

Pilsner or Pilsner or Pils, an international brand name for a light lager. In the Czech republic, the term is meant only for beers brewed in Pilsen or Pilzen where the style was perfected.

Porter is a dark brown or black beer originating in London; its name comes from the street-market porters who originally drank it.

Stout was once an English term to mean the "stoutest" beer of a brewery; early origins identified it with porter style beer. Now generally considered an Irish style of a sweet, very dark and rich beer.

Styles is the traditional categorization of classic beer tastes based on different recipes.

Trappist are ales brewed by monks originally of the Trappist order now mostly located in Belgium; known for their old open fermented yeasts. A subject of itself; try a Chimay "blue" for an explanation.

Wort is the liquid resulting from sparging, or rinsing of the malt with water to come up with a fermentable sugar solution. The wort is heated to destroy bacteria, then cooled and mixed with yeast to attain the desired outcome of beer.

Yeast is an organic compound that feeds on the sugars present in the sweet wort and creates two by-products: alcohol and carbon dioxide. Louis Pasteur first discovered its true role in the late 19th century. In the Middle Ages, it was known as "God is good."

*directly lifted from:

• http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/2_ale_university/aleu_bt_glossary.html

• http://www.bitterrootbrewing.com/beer_terms.html

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