Glossary

Below is a list of terms common in the beer realm; if a term or phrase appeared in a podcast episode, or blog post, we will demarcate the term, in order to refer to the specific mention in its own context.

If there are still terms or phrases we haven’t covered, please email comments [AT] beergeno [dot] me.

• ABV – alcohol by volume, this is a standard of how much ethanol is present in an alcoholic beverage (as a percentage of total volume). Some regions of the world, including several US states, use the ABW (or alcohol by weight) in addition to, or in place of, ABV. However, ABV is an internationally-recognized standard.
• ale – one of the two primary styles of beer, this type refers to the method of yeast fermentation, which is top-fermenting. The great majority of craft brewers and homebrewers create this style. – discussed in episode 1, “What’s All the Fuss About Beer?”
• barley – annual cereal grain, which is one of the four primary ingredients for beer. It is malted, and used to create the wort, which is later fermented using yeast.
• firkin - an Old English unit of measure, this word is derived from the Middle Dutch vierdekijn, which means fourth, referring to a fourth of a barrel of beer. Today, a firkin usually contains nine US gallons of beer. This is the typical means of transport of cask-conditioned ales.
• flight - usually offered at bars or restaurants with large varieties of beers, a flight is typically four-4-ounce glasses of four different draft beers. A flight can consist of different brews by the same brewery, or may consist of several different seasonal brews by different breweries.
• growler - a half U.S. gallon glass jug used to transport draft beer. Craft breweries might sell their brews “off-sale” to tour participants, and homebrewers also might use the glass jugs as alternatives to kegs or smaller 12 or 22-ounce bottles.
• hops – used primarily as a flavoring and aromatic agent, hops are the female floral cones of the plant. Hops were originally introduced to preserve the beer during long journeys unpasteurized and unrefrigerated, now they are know for the bittering they impart, as well as the majority of the beautiful nose of a beer.
• IBU – International Bitterness Unit – discussed in episode 2, “Learning to Select Beers”
• lager – one of the two primary styles of beer, this type refers to the method of yeast fermentation, which is bottom-fermenting. More than 90% of the beers on the Earth are some form of a lager. – discussed in episode 1, “What’s All the Fuss About Beer?”
• malt – the term “malt” actually refers to the process by which barley is roasted, or malted, after being stopped in a state of partial germination. Barley that has undergone this process is referred to as “malt” at each step in the brewing process afterwards.
• tweetup - this word is a portmanteau term, derived from the phrases “Twitter” and “meet up.” Tweetups are impromptu events created by Twitter users, where local Twitterati can meet up at a predetermined locale (usually a bar or restaurant) and chat in-person.
• yeast – any of several varieties of eukaryotic fungi used as catalysts in the fermentation process of brewing, yeast is one of the four primary ingredients of beer. The three major species used in brewing are: Saccharomyces pastorianus, which is a bottom-fermenting yeast used in the production of lagers; Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a top-fermenting yeast used in the production of ales; and Brettanomyces lambicus, a wild-yeast strain, which is used in the production of spontaneously-fermenting lambic beers (traditionally of Belgium).