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GLOSSARY OF BREW TERMS

Adjunct

An adjunct is any fermentable grain – typically rice or corn – added to barley malt for beer making. Often used in light-bodied beers, these non-malt substitutes produce cheaper fermentable sugars when added to the mash. Mass-produced (industrial) American beers often contain 30-60 percent adjunct, whereas Northwest craft brews contain no adjuncts. Oregon craft breweries typically use more malt and hops in their recipes than their industrial cousins.

Ale

Ale is a style of beer made with top-fermenting yeast in a relatively warm fermentation process. Ales tend to have a higher alcohol content, more robust flavor and fruitier aroma than lagers. This category includes alts, barley wines, bitters, brown beers, pale ales, amber ales, porters and stouts.

Altbier

Alt, which in German means old or ancient, denotes that this traditional German-style beer has been brewed for many years. Brewed from darker malts, altbiers have a deep, luminous copper color; a very hoppy aroma; and a slightly fruity, bittersweet flavor. The alcohol content varies from 3.5–4 percent.

Barley

When malted, barley is the primary grain used in producing beers. Preferred because of its high starch content, barley is germinated (malted) and mashed to extract a brewing liquid called "sweet wort." This wort contains sugars that form the basis for a good craft brew. Oregon craft brewers prefer two-row barley because of its great taste and its enhanced ability to convert into fermentable sugars.

Barley Wine

Barley wine is copper-colored to dark brown with a strong, fruity, bittersweet flavor. This thick beer has a high alcohol content (about 10 percent) and can benefit from aging (from six months to several years). Oregon brewers, particularly BridgePort Brewing Company and Full Sail Brewing Company, produce several barley wine ales.

Barrel (BBL)

This is the standard (commercial) liquid measurement for beer. One barrel (31 gallons) is equal to 119 liters of beer. A standard keg is 15.5 gallons; a pony keg is 7.75 gallons.

Bead

Beads are the bubbles in beer.

Beer

Beer is the generic name for alcoholic beverages produced by fermented cereals that are flavored with hops. The word is derived from the Latin verb bibere, which means "to drink."

Beer Engine

A beer engine is the pump-like tap used for drawing beer from the barrel or cellar to the bar. It is most often used for dispensing cask-conditioned beer. Many Oregon breweries and brewpubs feature cask-conditioned beers, which are dispensed from English beer engines.

Bitter

A bitter beer is a golden-brown or copper-colored, top-fermented ale that tends to be a medium-body brew with a dry, hoppy flavor (lightly carbonated). Bitters account for nearly 80 percent of the draft beer sold in English pubs. Many Oregon brewers produce very hoppy bitters that have become a Northwest signature.

Bitterness

Bitterness, the hoppy flavor produced by boiling hops in the wort, balances the sweetness of the malt. The level of bitterness can vary by adding hops at different stages during the brewing process. This has produced an array of craft brew styles that have made Oregon beers famous. Sometimes bitterness is distinguished between "first bitterness," when the beverage first hits the taste buds, and "post-bitterness," when the beer is felt at the back of the mouth during swallowing. Mass-produced American beers barely reach the bitterness threshold.

Bock

Bock is a strong lager, mildly hopped, that varies from a light- to a dark-bodied flavor. Bock beer is usually brewed in the spring and allowed to condition throughout the winter.

Body

Body describes the way the beer feels in your mouth. The body, consistency and thickness of a beer depend on the amount of unfermentable sugars present in the finished beer. Craft beers typically have a lot of body and are full-flavored.

Bottle-conditioned

After the beer has been through the primary fermentation process, yeast and sugars are added and the beer is bottled. The yeast and sugars naturally carbonate the beer as a secondary fermentation process takes place in the bottle itself. This gives the beer a higher gravity level and alcohol content. Bottle-conditioned beer has a shelf life of several years, whereas cask-conditioned beer should be consumed within three months. Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is one of the local breweries that use this process. Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is one of the local breweries that use this process.

Bottom Fermentation

This is one of the two basic methods of fermentation. Beers brewed in this fashion, using bottom-fermenting yeast, are commonly called lagers.

Brewpub

A brewpub is a restaurant with an on-premise brewery. The beer produced at a brewpub is primarily produced for sale and consumption on-site. Brewpubs whose off-site beer sales exceed 50 percent of their total beer production are categorized as craft breweries/microbreweries.

Brown Ale

Brown ale is a malt-accented, reddish-brown alternative to pale ale that typically offers a greater range of flavors and aromas.

Bung

A bung is a wooden plug for a beer barrel.

Cask-conditioned

Instead of being filtered and stored in pressurized kegs, cask-conditioned beer is kept in a cask with its yeast and is dispensed using a special pump called a beer engine. This method, favored by the British, allows the real ale flavors to shine through. In America, this style is featured in more sophisticated taverns and brewpubs.

Conditioning

This is the process of maturing the beer, whether in bottles or kegs. During this phase, complex sugars are slowly fermented, carbon dioxide is dissolved, and yeast settles. Almost all Oregon craft beers are conditioned or aged from two weeks to two months in stainless steel. Some bottle-conditioned beers continue the aging and mellowing process in the bottle for up to three years.

Contract Brewing Company

A contract brewer is a brewery that produces beer under contract for a third party. Some small brewers who don't possess their own brewing facilities rely on contract brewers to create their products. In addition to their own lines of beer, many large and mid-sized craft breweries use their equipment and facilities to produce contract beers for smaller entities.

Craft Beer

This term is often used interchangeably with the word "microbrew," though brewers tend to prefer "craft beer." Craft beer is "allmalt," that is, made from 100 percent malted barley, malted wheat or malted rye. In contrast, non-craft brews may contain up to 60 percent rice or corn adjunct along with reduced quantities of malt.

Draft Beer

Draft beer, as opposed to bottled beer, refers to beer drawn from a cask or a keg. It is usually stored under pressure in metal kegs and is generally unpasteurized and minimally filtered. Served from the tap, draft beer is best when consumed within one week of brewing.

Dry Hopping

This is the process of adding loose dry hops to the cool wort or cask-conditioned beer in order to increase the beer's aroma and hoppy character, without affecting bitterness. Several Oregon beers are dry-hopped to enhance their aromas, including Full Sail Brewing Company's Equinox ESB (Extra Special Bitter), Rogue Ales Brewery's Mogul Ale and Deschutes Brewery's Mirror Pond Ale.

Esters

Esters, byproducts of top-fermenting yeast, are the compounds formed when acids react with alcohol. Esters give ales their fruity aromas.

Extract

Extracts are commonly referred to as sugars derived from malt.

Fermentation

Fermentation is the chemical decomposition of complex organic compounds into simpler substances, especially the process by which yeasts convert sugar (found in wort) to carbon dioxide and alcohol in the absence of oxygen. With grains, yeasts and hot water as major ingredients, it's no wonder ales are so often called "liquid bread."

Firkin

Firkin beers are cask-conditioned, which means the final fermentation happens in the bottle or keg. The name comes from traditional English firkins (small kegs) in which the beers are aged and stored.

Flavor Wheel

The flavor wheel was developed by the brewing industry to standardize the description and identification of beer flavors. A total of 122 terms are divided into 14 classes and represented graphically for easy reference.

Fruit Beer

These are beers flavored with fruits or berries. Oregon is famous for its fresh berries, which explains the availability and popularity of fruit beers. Some local favorites use Marionberries, raspberries and blackberries to produce everything from a raspberry-wheated beer to a blackberry porter. McMenamins, Pyramid Alehouse and many others have at least one berry brew on tap year-round.

Full-bodied

This term applies to brews with a rich consistency and flavor, as opposed to brews that seem watered down. Oregon craft breweries make some of the most distinctive, full-bodied beers and ales in the United States.

Gravity

The level of gravity refers to the amount of sugar present in the wort before it is fermented. Measuring the level of gravity also indicates the brew's alcohol content. The higher the gravity, the higher the alcohol content.

Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen is a style of beer that is refreshing, tart and unfiltered, with a distinct, cloudy, golden color. It was originally brewed in Germany. Literally translated from German, "hefe" means yeast and "weizen" means wheat. Pints of hefeweizen are often served with a slice of lemon.

Hops

Hops are perennial climbing vines whose yellow glands (between the green petals of the flower-cones) give brews their bitterness and characteristic aromas. For extra bitterness and enhanced flavor, hops are added early to the boiling wort. For a stronger hop aroma, hops are added at the end of the boil. In 600 B.C.E., hops were used to flavor beer in Egypt. Prior to that time, beer was flavored with herbs and spices, including chamomile, cloves, cumin, juniper, nutmeg, oak leaves and rosemary. In the Pacific Northwest, hops are grown from Yakima, Wash., to Eugene, Ore. In Oregon's Willamette Valley alone, there are 14 varieties of hops grown, including the Cascade, Cluster, Fruggle, Golding, Hallertauer, Perle, Saaz, Tettnanger and Willamette. In addition to flavoring beer, hops also have been used as a landscaping tool by local brewers. What appears to be ivy covering BridgePort Brewing Company's exterior is actually a veil of climbing hop vines.

IBU (International Bittering Unit)

An IBU is a measurement of the bitterness imparted by the hops to the beer. Budweiser beer has about eight bittering units; many barley wines have 100 or more.

IPA (India Pale Ale)

India Pale Ale was originally brewed in 18th century England for British troops stationed in India. To survive the sea voyage to India, which could take as long as six months, the ale was brewed with more hops and a higher alcohol content. This blend now refers to golden or coppery ales that are full-bodied, very hoppy, somewhat bitter, and with a fairly high alcohol content. BridgePort Brewing Company and Lucky Labrador Brewing Company both make outstanding IPAs.

Industrial Beer

Any mass-produced, commercial (non-craft) beer.

Keg

A keg is a small cask with a capacity of 10-15 gallons. Typically, there are two kegs per barrel (BBL).

Kettle

Also known as a "copper, " this is the boiling vessel used in beer production.

Kraeusen

Kraeusen is the thick, foamy head on fermenting beer.

Lager

Lager is a generic term for beer produced by bottom-fermenting yeast (as opposed to top-fermented ales) and aged at near-freezing temperatures. The broader lager category includes Müchener, Vienna, Pilsner, Bock and Dopplebock beers. Most lagers are of the Pilsner style and tend to be paler, crisper, drier and less alcoholic than ales. A local example, the Full Sail Pilsner, is produced by yeast that is cloned from the famous Czech-made Pilsner Urquell.

Lightstruck

This term describes the unpleasant skunk-like odor beer can develop after exposure to light. To avoid this phenomenon, beer bottles are often brown, which protects the beer. This is also the reason that older taverns are traditionally dark inside.

Malt

Malt is grain, usually barley or wheat, that has been allowed to sprout by soaking it in water. After it sprouts, the malt is dried and roasted. The length and heat intensity of the roasting process determine the beer's color (from pale amber to black) and flavor. Moderately roasted malt is called chocolate malt – for its color, not its flavor.

Mashing

This is the process of mixing ground malt with water to extract the malt and convert starch to fermentable sugars. Mashing requires several hours and produces a rich sugar liquid called "sweet wort."

Microbrew

Also known as "craft beer," a microbrew is defined by the number of barrels produced by a brewery, the ingredients, the recipes and the intent of the brewer. Traditionally, a brewery with production up to 15,000 barrels was considered a microbrewery. However, in the last decade, this number has jumped to 30,000 barrels. This means that the brewers have to work harder to create a larger quantity of beer with the same quality found in smaller batches. Due to the popularity of craft beer in Oregon, many former Oregon microbreweries have increased production, graduating to craft brewery status.

Nitro Pour

This is a method of dispensing beer, using nitrogen gas rather than carbon dioxide to push the beer out of the keg. The smaller molecules of nitrogen gas result in a creamy head and cascading appearance. This method is usually used to serve stout.

Nose

Think aroma. Nose is a taster's description for the total fragrance, aroma and bouquet of a beer. Ales can be fruity, while bitters are usually hoppy. Porters often smell of roasted malt.

Nut Brown Ale

This dark-colored, top-fermented beer is lightly hopped. It receives its color and flavor from roasted and caramel malts. There are several renditions of this classic beer style on tap at BridgePort Brewing Company and Full Sail Brewing Company.

Pale Ale

Pale ale is a distinctly American variant of the English pale ale style. It is an amber- or copper-colored, top-fermented beer that is brewed with hard water and pale malts. It is somewhat drier, hoppier and lighter than a bitter.

Pilsner

This is the general name for pale and delicate, golden-hued, highly hopped, bottom-fermented beers. The first Pilsner, Pilsner Urquell, was brewed in Czechoslovakia in 1842. An Oregon example of this style is the Full Sail Pilsner.

Pitching

Pitching is the act of adding yeast to the wort to begin the fermentation process.

Plato

This is the European and American measurement of the density of solutions, based on the weight of cane sugar in the solution.

Porter

This is a very bitter, dark, almost black-colored beer. Its dark color is derived from roasted unmalted barley and sometimes a dash of licorice. Only within the last 100 years has it been differentiated from stout, which is also dark, but which has a higher alcohol content. One of the Northwest's best-selling porters is the much-awarded Black Butte Porter, produced by Deschutes Brewery and Public House of Bend, Ore.

Priming

This is the process of adding sugar to beer before bottling.

Profile

The flavor of a beer is often described in terms of a taste profile. This is an overall description of a beer's three basic attributes: color, bitterness and gravity. Mass-produced beer typically has little color, a faint hop taste, and a low level of gravity. Craft beer often has a higher alcohol content and a higher gravity level, as well as a wider variety of colors, maltiness, hop aromas and tastes.

Roasted Malt

Roasted malt is the result of barley heated in stages. It is used to flavor stout and dark beers.

Saké

Saké, the traditional Japanese fermented drink, is brewed like beer from a rice base and served like wine. Oregon's SakéOne is one of only five saké breweries on U.S. soil. It is also the only U.S. saké brewery located outside of California.

Seasonal

These are beers brewed only at certain times of the year, for example, winter ales. They are available usually for only a month or two.

Six-row Barley

This is the type of barley most often grown in the United States and used in the production of American-style beers. It is not as flavorful as the more desirable two-row barley favored by many Oregon craft brewers. Six-row and two-row barley get their names from the number of rows of grain there are on each ear.

Stout

A stout is a very dark, heavy beer made from pale malt and roasted unmalted barley. Stouts vary between sweet and dry, though both are highly hopped. Rogue Shakespeare Stout is a regional favorite and defines the Northwest's approach to this classic English beer.

Strike

This is the addition of hot water to the crushed malt in order to raise the temperature before mashing begins.

Trub

The sediment remaining at the bottom of the fermenter after the boil is known as "trub" or "break." It is production waste that is removed before fermentation.

Tun

A mash tun is a vessel in which malt and warm water are heated; a lauter tun is a vessel with a perforated bottom that allows the wort to drain. The spent grain left behind is sometimes used as animal feed.

Two-row Barley

Two-row barley is generally considered to have a better flavor and lower protein content than six-row barley. The extra flavor comes from the fact that there are only two rows of grain on a shaft, rather than six. The extra space on the shaft gives the grains room to grow plump and flavorful. Northwest brewers use two-row barley because it is grown locally and has such high quality. Most American brewers use six-row barley.

Wheat Beer

A wheat beer contains two-thirds malted wheat and one-third barley malt. Called "hefeweizen" in German (literally, yeast-wheat), it is a very refreshing beer, citrusy in flavor, and often the base for beers containing fruit. Widmer Hefeweizen, produced by Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, practically defines the term "wheat beer" in Oregon. It is one of the better wheat beers in the Northwest and is credited with putting Hefeweizen on the map nationally. While many people serve wheat beers with lemon slices, others prefer the taste as is.

Wort

Pronounced "wert," this is the unfermented liquid that remains after the separation of the fluid and solid portions of mash. Wort contains all of the soluble elements of the malt grain.

Zymurgy

Zymurgy is the branch of chemistry that deals with fermentation processes.

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