Alcohol by volume   The indicator of beer strength expressed as a percentage of alcohol. For example, Lion Red is 4.0% Alc/Vol, which means 4.0% of the liquor is pure alcohol.(Steinlager is 5.0%) Ale   A brew made with a top fermenting yeast. Usually brown to dark brown in colour with a distinctive fruity taste. Barley   The grain used in brewing worldwide as the base for making malt. The barley is germinated by adding water and this releases sugars and a number of enzymes important to the brewing process. Barley wine   An English term for a strong ale which is as potent as wine (usually 6%-10% alcohol per volume). Copper to dark brown in colour. Barrel   A 36-gallon (163-litre) cask. Beer   Historically, a fermented beverage brewed with hops. Both lager and ale, as well as stout, porter and every type of specialty brew are embraced by the general term 'beer'. Bitter   Pale or amber ale, usually well-hopped for bitter flavour. Mostly available on tap. Bock   German term for a strong beer. Originally bocks were bottom fermented from roasted malts for long periods. This process produced a high alcohol strength so as to preserve the condition of the beer over extended journeys. In Germany, a bock beer is at least 6% alcohol by volume and may be golden, tawny or dark brown. Bottle-conditioned beer   Beer bottled on yeast lees and therefore, conditioned in the bottle. The beer is cloudy when poured. Most commercial beer is conditioned before filtration at the brewery, and is clear when poured. Bottom fermentation   Lagers are traditionally made with bottom fermenting yeasts, which fall to the bottom of the fermenting vessel. Brewery-conditioned beer   Beer which has been brought to perfect condition in the brewery prior to filtration, instead of conditioning in the cask or bottle. Brewer's grains   The residue of grain left after the beer has been drained off. Sold by Lion Nathan for stock food. Brown ale   An ale either reddish-brown or dark brown in colour of average alcoholic content. Burtonisation   Treatment of water to make it similar to that found in Burton-on-Trent. Cane sugar   Used as a carbohydrate adjunct which is fermented out by the yeasts, so is not tasted in the final beer; but can also be used to prime the brew at the end of the process, which does have the effect of sweetening the beer. Cask   General term for draught beer containers, whatever the size but of a barrel shape.Originally wood, now almost always made of metal. Cask-conditioned   Beer which conditions in the cask instead of in a brewery's conditioning tanks. Centrifuge   A machine designed to separate excess yeast from beer. Cling   Describes how well the froth holds on the side of a beer glass. A beer is said to have good cling when beads and bubbles of froth hold on to the glass as it is emptied. Collar   The ring of froth at the top of the glass. Conditioning   Maturation of beer after it leaves the fermenting vessel. Continuous fermentation   The brewing system consisting of a 24-hour 7-day continuous feed of wort and yeast at one end of four aligned vessels, and a constant flow of beer from the other end. Cooper   One who makes and repairs wooden casks. Copper (or kettle)   Copper or stainless steel vessel in which wort is boiled with hops to give beer its bitter flavour. Diatomaceous earth   A very fine powder made from sedimentary rock. The rock dates to prehistoric times and is made up of the fossilised remains of ancient micro-organisms. This very fine earth is required to filter microscopic particles from beer at filtration. Diat Pils   German style of low carbohydrate beer. Carbohydrates are diminished during the lengthy fermentation process and alcoholic content and calorific value are reasonably high. Draught beer   Originally referred to beer served through a tap, but now also describes a style of full strength lager, including packaged beer such as Canterbury Draught and Waikato Draught. Dry hopping   The addition of hops to beer during maturation to impart a pronounced hoppy taste and aroma. Enzymes   Agents which cause changes from one substance to another, present in all living things. In the mashing process they convert carbohydrates into brewing sugars. Fermentation   The action of yeasts converting sugars to alcohol. Carbon dioxide is a by-product. Filtration   Removal of solid particles from beer using a filter unit. Fining   Agents (isinglass or bentonite) which attract and remove suspended solids as they pass through the beer, clarifying the brew. Firkin   Standard English 9 gallons (40.5-litre) cask. Grist   Crushed malt, ready for mashing. Guinness   The stout produced by the Guinness brewery in Dublin. Also brewed under licence by Lion Breweries, and imported into New Zealand in cans. To replicate the creamy draught pulled in Dublin pubs, a widget is installed - a device inserted in the bottom of the can which releases nitrogen when the can is opened. Hefe   The German word for yeast, indicating that a beer is bottle-conditioned and sedimented. Hop   A perennial climbing plant, its cone or flowers give beer a bitter flavour and aroma. Hop extract   Bittering substance produced from hops and concentrated into a syrup. Hop pellets   Natural hop powder which has been compressed. Ice Process   Ice process is after maturation but before regular filtration in which the beer passes through an ice-chamber. This traps additional proteins and tannins, leaving the beer with a smooth and pure taste. Indian Pale Ale   Originally ale which was supplied to the Indian Empire by the British (high in alcohol and well-hopped to stand the sea voyage). Today it refers to a premium pale ale of similar characteristics. Keg   Sealed container for pubs, etc to dispense beer from the tap. Kellerbier   German term indicating an unfiltered lager, usually with a high hop content and low carbonation. Direct from the cellar. Kilderkin   An 18-gallon (81-litre) cask. Kilning   The drying and curing of malt by heat treatment. Lager   A German term originally used to describe the bottom-fermenting method of brewing, followed by a period of cold storage called Lagering. Most modern beers are brewed using this method. Lauter tun   A filtration vessel used in modern mashing techniques. Light beer   Any beer with reduced alcohol content, Light Ice or Steinlager Premium Light to name a few. Light strike   When a beer comes in contact with light and becomes 'skunky' it is said to have suffered light strike. This condition can occur quite quickly, after as little as 30 minutes in bright sunlight. Beer has traditionally been put in brown bottles to reduce exposure to light. Malt   Barley which has been steeped in water, allowed to germinate and then heated in a kiln to halt germination. Malt extract   Sugars extracted from malt and concentrated by evaporation. Malt mill   Machine which crushes malt into grist. Mashing   Mixing together of grist and hot water at precise temperatures to form malt sugars. Mash tun   Vessel in which mashing takes place and in which wort is separated from the spent grains. Maturation   The storage of post fermentation beer for a period during which its quality improves. Mild   English term for an ale which is only lightly hopped and around 3% alc/vol. Commonly primed with sugar. Mulled ale   Warmed ale with spices and/or sugar added. Heated beer is sometimes called 'poker beer'. In either case, a brown or dark ale will give best results. Oast house   Kiln where hops are dried. Old   In Australia and New Zealand, 'Old' means a top fermenting brew or ale. These are darker in colour than the usual lagers. Original Gravity   The specific gravity of the wort before fermentation. Pale ale   Beer brewed from pale malt. Usually copper-coloured as opposed to dark brown ales. Pilsener   German brewers produce this style as inspired by the original brew from the town of Pilsen in the province of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Pitching   Adding yeast to the wort in the fermenting vessel. Precipitation   The settling of protein particles in beer during maturation. Racking   Filling casks with beer. Secondary fermentation   Process by which beer continues to ferment and mature slowly in the bottle. Skimming   Removing yeast from the top of beer as it ferments. Sparging   Spraying hot water over the mash in the mash tun through a rotating arm to ensure complete extraction of malt sugars. The sugars are then pumped to the kettle for boiling, leaving the spent grain for disposing as animal feed. Steeping   The exposure of barley to moisture, which commences germination - the first stage of the malting process. Stout   An almost black, top-fermenting brew, made with highly roasted malts. Top fermentation   Traditional method of fermenting wort to make ale in which yeast rises to the top of beer during the process. 'Old' beers such Speight's Old Dark use top-fermenting yeasts. Tun   The term for a large vat in which the brew is prepared. Mash tun for mashing in the grist. Lauter tun for separating wort. Wort   Unfermented beer. Yeast   Single-celled micro-organism which brings about fermentation. Yeasts are bred to either ferment in the top of the vats or in the bottom, each type producing a different kind of beer. Zymurgy   The branch of chemistry which deals with fermentation, as in winemaking, brewing, distilling, the preparation of yeast, etc.