Dictionary for the good craft beer drinker (A-Z)

This dictionary brings together the essential terms of the beer world: ingredients, processes, styles, sensory language and culture. It is written for learning while drinking well: every definition makes more sense in the glass.

A

• ABV: Alcohol by volume; the beer's alcohol percentage.
• Adjuncts: Unmalted ingredients (corn, rice, oats) used to modify body and flavour.
• Ale: Top-fermented beer (18-25 °C), usually with a fruity/estery profile.
• Alpha acids: Hop bitterness precursors that isomerise during boiling.
• Amber Ale: Amber ale with caramel and toasted malt notes.
• Yeast amino acids: Essential nutrients for healthy fermentation.
• Bitterness (IBU): Taste sensation attributed to iso-alpha acids and other resins.
• Amber: Medium colour (EBC/SRM) associated with caramel malts and gentle roast.
• Amylase: Enzymes (alpha/beta) that break starches into sugars during mashing.
• American IPA: IPA with American hops; citrusy, resinous or tropical.
• American Pale Ale (APA): Balanced pale ale; a bridge towards IPA.
• Astringency: Dry/rough sensation from tannins, over-sparging or a broken grain bed.
• Attenuation: Percentage of sugars fermented; defines dryness in the finish.
• Autolysis: Rupture of yeast cells that can release meaty/soy-like flavours if contact is excessive.
• Priming sugar: Sugar added at bottling for natural carbonation.
• Acetaldehyde: Green apple note; incomplete fermentation or very young beer.
• Organic acids: Lactic/acetic acids; key in Sour and mixed fermentations.
• Isoamyl acetate: Banana-like ester (Weissbier) produced by ale/wheat yeasts.
• Perceived bitterness: Real bitterness modulated by sweetness, alcohol and chloride/sulphate balance.
• Lactic acid: Responsible for clean acidity in Berliner, Gose and Kettle Sour.

B

• Barleywine: Very strong ale (10-13% ABV), liqueur-like and suitable for ageing.
• Base malt: Malt with diastatic power; supports the mash.
• Belgian Ale: Belgian family with phenols/esters (clove, fruit, pepper).
• Berliner Weisse: Light German sour, highly carbonated and citrusy.
• Bière de Garde: French farmhouse ale, malty, cold-conditioned.
• Biotransformation: Aromatic changes in hops through interaction with yeast.
• Bitter: British ale with moderate bitterness and a malty profile.
• Boil: Boiling the wort; isomerises hops and sterilises.
• Body: Sensation of density/viscosity in the mouth.
• Bottle conditioning: Carbonation in bottle through secondary fermentation.
• Brettanomyces (Brett): Wild yeast; funky notes (leather, barnyard, pineapple).
• Brown Ale: Brown ale with nut/caramel notes and moderate bitterness.
• Burtonisation: Salt adjustment to emulate classic waters (Burton-on-Trent).
• Barrel-Aged: Aged in barrel (bourbon, wine); extra complexity.
• Blending: Mixing batches/vintages for sensory balance.

C

• Carbonation: Dissolved CO2; defines liveliness and foam.
• Carapils/Caramel: Malts that add body, foam retention and sweetness.
• Hop creep: Hop enzymes that restart fermentation during dry hopping.
• Centennial/Citra/Simcoe/Mosaic: Iconic US hops (citrus/tropical/resinous).
• Cellar beer: Style suitable for evolution (RIS, Barleywine, Lambic).
• Chill haze: Cold haze from proteins/polyphenols; disappears as beer warms.
• Clarification: Techniques (whirlpool, gelatin, PVPP, centrifuge) for brightness.
• Cold Crash: Rapid post-fermentation cooling to settle solids.
• Cold IPA: Clean/crisp, highly attenuated and hop-forward IPA.
• Conditioning: Maturation/refinement of beer after fermentation.
• Craft beer: Independent, fresh, honest beer; opposed to standardisation.
• Crowler/Growler: Containers for direct sale (can/refillable bottle).
• Cuvée: Blend of beers (styles/vintages) for the final profile.
• Chloride vs sulphate: Chloride increases body perception; sulphate highlights bitterness.
• Kettle: Vessel used to boil the wort.

D

• DAO/DO: Designation (origin/area) applied in beer-terroir projects.
• Decoction: Decoction mashing; malt intensity and body.
• Diacetyl: Butter note; a flaw unless appropriate to the style.
• Drinkability: Ease of drinking repeatedly without fatigue.
• Dry Stout: Dry, roasted, low-alcohol stout (Irish style).
• Dry-Hopping: Cold hop addition; high aromatic impact, low bitterness.
• Dual-purpose hops: Hops suitable for both bitterness and aroma.
• Duvel/Strong Golden: Iconic Belgian Strong Golden Ale, dry and effervescent.
• Dextrins: Non-fermentable sugars; add body.
• Dough-in: Adding grain to the mash tun; first mash-in.

E

• EBC: European colour scale (higher = darker).
• Ageing: Slow evolution; gentle oxidation, alcohol integration and flavour development.
• Foam: Protective/aromatic layer; sign of clean service and good protein structure.
• Esters: Fruity fermentation aromas (apple/pear/banana).
• Style: Set of defining traits (ingredients, colour, fermentation).
• Original extract (OG): Wort gravity before fermentation.
• Final extract (FG): Final gravity; defines residual sweetness.
• Enzymes: Catalyse conversions (amylases, proteases, beta-glucanases).
• English IPA: Historical IPA, earthy/herbal and moderately bitter.

F

• Faro: Sweetened Lambic; friendly entry into spontaneous beer.
• Top fermentation: Ale yeasts; production of esters/phenols.
• Bottom fermentation: Lager yeasts; clean/crisp profile.
• Mixed fermentation: Ale + bacteria/lactobacillus + Brett; complexity.
• Phenols: Spicy/clove/smoky notes from yeast or wood.
• Filtration: Removal of solids for brightness/stability.
• Foeder: Large wooden vessel for fermentation/maturation.
• Funky: Descriptor for Brett/mixed fermentation: leather, barnyard, ripe pineapple.
• Real fruit: Natural puree/juice fermented; different from flavouring.
• Fresh hop/Wet hop: Fresh undried hops; green/herbal profile.

G

• GABF: Great American Beer Festival; US competition reference.
• Gueuze: Blend of young and old Lambic; effervescent, complex.
• Gose: German sour with salt/coriander; refreshing and saline.
• Gravity: Density of wort/beer; expressed in SG or Plato.
• Tap: Keg service; cleanliness conditions foam/flavour.
• Grain bill: Malt recipe for a batch.
• Gluten-reduced: Beers treated enzymatically (not always fully gluten-free).
• Golden Ale: Golden, light and refreshing ale.
• Vertical tasting: Tasting several vintages of the same beer.

H

• Hazy IPA/NEIPA: Hazy and juicy IPA; soft bitterness, intense aroma.
• Head retention: Foam retention; linked to proteins and glass cleanliness.
• Mead: Fermented honey drink (not beer, but close to the craft world).
• Hofbrau/Helles: Pale Bavarian lager, malty and soft.
• Homebrewer: Home brewer; cultural root of the craft movement.
• Hop burn: Vegetal/rough burn from too much hop matter in suspension.
• Hop stand/Whirlpool: Hot-rest hop addition for aroma.
• Humulone: One of the main hop alpha acids.

I

• IBU: International bitterness units; useful guide, not absolute truth.
• Imperial: Stronger/more alcoholic version of a style (e.g. Imperial Stout).
• Imperial Stout (RIS): Intense stout, suitable for ageing, notes of cocoa/liqueur.
• Single infusion: Mashing at one temperature; modern method.
• Irish Red Ale: Red ale, caramel/toffee, soft bitterness.
• Isomerisation: Conversion of alpha acids into iso-alpha acids during boiling.

J

• Juicy: "Juice" sensation in NEIPA; tropical/citrus fruit and low bitterness.
• Jopen/Grätzer: Historical smoked rye/wheat beers; revived by craft.

K

• Keg: Metal barrel for pressurised service.
• Kellerbier: Young/unfiltered lager; fresh, cellar-style.
• Kettle Sour: Lactic acidification of wort in the kettle; clean acidity.
• Kölsch: Attenuated and lagered German ale; clean and delicate.
• Kraeusen: High fermentation foam; also a conditioning technique.
• Kveik: Norwegian yeast for high-temperature, fast fermentation.

L

• Lactobacillus: Bacteria that produces lactic acid in Sours.
• Lager: Bottom-fermented beer matured cold.
• Lambic: Belgian spontaneous fermentation; complex and age-worthy.
• Lauter/sparge: Rinsing the grain bed to extract sugars.
• Yeast: Microorganism that converts sugars into alcohol/CO2.
• Linalool: Hop terpene with floral/citrus notes.
• Hops: Flower that adds bitterness, aroma and stability.
• Lightstruck (skunked): "Burnt beer" from UV light; skunky smell.

M

• Maturation: Post-fermentation rest for stabilising/refining.
• Malt: Germinated/dried cereal; source of sugars and roasted profile.
• Mashing: Mixing malt + water to activate enzymes and extract sugars.
• Maillard: Roasting reactions; generate colour/flavours (caramel, bread).
• Mash out: Final temperature rise to stop enzymatic activity.
• Milk Stout: Stout with lactose; sweet and creamy.
• Milkshake IPA: IPA with lactose and fruit; soft, aromatic texture.
• Mousse: Foam texture; fine/creamy = correct service.
• Mosaic: Modern broad-spectrum hop: tropical, berries, pine.
• Wort: Sugary liquid before fermentation.

N

• NEIPA: New England IPA; hazy, juicy, low bitterness.
• Nitro: Service with nitrogen; fine and silky bubble.
• Nonic: English glass with bulge; grip and foam.
• Noble hops: Classic European hops (Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, Spalt).
• Nose: Aromatic stage of tasting.

O

• Oatmeal Stout: Stout with oats; silky and friendly.
• OG/FG: Original/final gravity; determine alcohol and body.
• Oxidation: Reaction with oxygen; honey/old/paper if excessive.
• Off-flavour: Unwanted flavour/aroma (diacetyl, DMS, oxidation, acetaldehyde).
• Overpitch: Too much yeast; can make beer too "clean".

P

• PA (Pale Ale): Golden, balanced and aromatic ale.
• Pastry Stout: Dessert-like stout with cocoa/vanilla/fruit/biscuit; indulgent.
• Pellicle: Surface layer in mixed fermentation from Brett/bacteria.
• pH: Acidity of wort/beer; key in extraction, stability and freshness.
• Pils/Pilsner: Pale/crisp lager; global reference.
• Pitching: Inoculating yeast into wort.
• Polyphenols: From hops/malt; contribute to astringency, stability and colour.
• Porter: Predecessor of Stout; chocolate/bread, medium body.
• Proteases: Enzymes that break proteins; affect body/foam.
• Priming: Sugar for bottle refermentation.
• Parti-gyle: Technique for multiple worts/beers from one mash.

Q

• Quadrupel: Dark Belgian, alcoholic, raisin/date/caramel notes.
• QDA: Quantitative descriptive analysis; trained sensory panel.

R

• RAJ (Residual Apparent Attenuation): Apparent attenuation; dryness.
• Racking: Transferring beer to separate sediment.
• Rauchbier: Smoked lager from Bamberg (malt dried with smoke).
• Real Ale: English ale conditioned in cask and served without forced CO2.
• Red Ale: Reddish ale, caramel/lightly roasted.
• Resinous: Pine/fir hop note (Simcoe, Chinook).
• RIMS/HERMS: Recirculation systems for mash temperature control.
• Hopback: Vessel with hops to filter/aromatise hot wort.

S

• Saison: Belgian farmhouse ale; dry, spicy and effervescent.
• Salt (NaCl): In Gose; enhances perception of freshness.
• Session: Low-alcohol beer with high drinkability.
• Skunking: Light degradation; sulphur/skunk in clear bottles.
• SMaSH: Single Malt and Single Hop; educational recipe.
• Sour: Acidic family; Kettle, mixed, Lambic, Fruit/Smoothie.
• SRM: US colour scale (equivalent to EBC).
• Stabilisers: Additives to improve colloidal/foam stability.
• Stout: Dark/roasted family; Dry, Oatmeal, Milk, Imperial, Pastry.
• Stone fruit: Descriptors of peach, apricot and similar fruit.
• Strike water: Mash-in water; defines mash temperature.
• Sulphate: Anion that enhances bitterness and dryness (Burton profile).
• Spunding: Capturing fermentation CO2 for carbonation.

T

• Tannins: Astringent polyphenols from husk/hops; excess = roughness.
• Terpenes: Hop aroma molecules (myrcene, linalool, geraniol).
• Terroir: Character of place (water, grain, hops, microbes) in beer.
• Open vat: Open fermentation; marked esters/phenols and yeast harvesting.
• Trappist: Authentic monastic beers (Trappist seal).
• Triple IPA (TIPA): Very high ABV IPA; intense in hops and body.
• Tripel: Strong golden Belgian; dry and spicy.
• Haze: Opacity; natural in NEIPA and fruit Sours.
• Two-row/Six-row: Types of malting barley; different enzymatic profile.

U

• Umami: Fifth sensation; savoury, present in dark malts/barrel-aged supports.
• Underpitch: Too little yeast; elevated esters/flaws.
• Untappd: Beer social network; trends and community feedback.
• Unfiltered: Not filtered; may retain yeast/proteins for texture.

V

• Vanilla: Natural pod; key in Pastry Stout/Milkshake IPA.
• Vintage: Year; beers labelled by harvest/annual batch.
• Volatile: Compounds released quickly (esters, terpenes) when serving.
• Vienna Lager: Amber lager, bread/crust, Austrian origin.
• Vorlauf: Initial recirculation to clarify wort before sparging.

W

• Weissbier/Weizen: German wheat; banana/clove, effervescent.
• West Coast IPA: Clear/dry/resinous IPA, marked bitterness.
• Wheat Beer: Beers with a significant proportion of wheat.
• Whirlpool: Post-boil whirlpool to settle solids and add aroma.
• Wild Ale: Fermentation with wild microflora; unpredictable and complex.
• Witbier: Belgian wheat with orange peel and coriander.

X

• XPA: Extra Pale Ale; pale and highly hop-aromatic, moderate alcohol.
• Xanthohumol: Hop flavonoid with antioxidant properties.

Y

• Yeast: Heart of fermentation; every strain, a profile.
• Yeast cake: Yeast sediment at the bottom of the fermenter.
• Yeast nutrient: Nutrient for completing difficult fermentations.

Z

• Zero IBU IPA: IPA with low bitterness from no boil additions; all aroma in whirlpool/dry-hop.
• Zythology: Technical study/appreciation of beer and tasting.

Conclusion

Beer language is understood by drinking the best. This glossary is a compass: use it to explore styles, processes and aromas - and let every term come alive in your glass.