ABV (Alcohol by Volume)

ABV indicates the alcohol content in beer, typically ranging from 3% to 13%, with most beers falling between 4% and 7%. The higher the ABV, the more bitter the beer may taste.

Adjunct

An adjunct refers to any unmalted grain or fermentable ingredient used during brewing. Common adjuncts include rice, corn, honey, and syrups, often found in mass-produced American lagers.

Ales

Ales are beers brewed with top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures than lagers. They are often served at a warmer temperature as well. Contrary to popular belief, “ale” does not equate to a stronger alcohol content.

Barley

Barley is a cereal grain used primarily as a base malt in brewing beer. It also serves as food for both humans and animals and is a key ingredient in some distilled spirits.

Bottom Fermenting Beers

In these beers, the yeast used in fermentation settles at the bottom, requiring cooler and slower fermentation. Pilsners, Bocks, and Oktoberfest beers fall into this category.

Fermentation

Fermentation is the chemical process where fermentable sugars are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide by yeast. The two primary methods are top fermentation (for ales) and bottom fermentation (for lagers).

Growler

A growler is a container, typically 64 oz (½ gallon) or 2L, used to transport draft beer. Brewpubs often sell growlers for beer to-go, though regulations vary by state.

Hops

Hops are the cone-like flowers of the female Humulus lupulus plant. They add bitterness, flavor, and aroma to beer, while also inhibiting bacterial growth. Hops have been used in brewing since ancient times, and there are numerous varieties cultivated worldwide.

IBU (International Bitterness Unit)

IBU measures the bitterness of beer, with a scale ranging from 0 to over 100. A lower IBU indicates less bitterness. High IBU beers can have their bitterness masked by adding more malt.

Lager

Lager refers to beer brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast at cooler temperatures, known for their crisp, clean taste.

Malt

Malt is processed barley that has been soaked, germinated, and dried. It’s essential in brewing as it converts starch into fermentable sugars.

Microbrewery

A microbrewery produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer annually, with at least 75% of it sold off-site.

Noble Hops

Noble hops are traditional European varieties prized for their flavor and aroma, typically grown in specific regions of Germany and the Czech Republic.

Spontaneous Fermentation Beers

These beers are left to ferment naturally by exposure to wild yeast and bacteria from the surrounding environment.

Top Fermenting Beers

Beers brewed with top-fermenting yeast, which ferments at warmer temperatures and is often used for IPAs, stouts, and wheat beers.

Wort

Wort is the bittersweet liquid extracted from mashing malt and boiling hops, which becomes beer after fermentation.

Yeast

Yeast is the microorganism responsible for converting sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation, a discovery crucially advanced by Louis Pasteur in the 19th century.