When I started making beer, most of the terms were lost on me and I lost focus trying to learn. To make the process of learning here simpler, below is a list of terms that you will find in the various posts. This list is organised alphabetically and will be updated every time I learn something new (which I hope is often).
A
B
BIAB – Brew In A Bag, a method of brewing that was originated in Australia that combines the flexibility and control of all grain brewing with the simplicity of extract brewing. In BIAB the grains are mashed in a bag that is steeped in the pot that is used later for the boil. At the end of the mash the grains’ “tea bag” is taken out of the pot and the remaining malted water is the base for the wort.
C
D
E
Extract (Liquid Extract) – Malt extract can be use as a base for the wort. Commercially manufactured by a variety of brands, extracts come in cans and are sensitive to aging (old cans will become stale). Liquid extracts can be seen as a condensed wort that had the water evaporated from it and can come hopped or not hopped. I usually use 1 can of extract (1.1l) to 4.5 l (1 gallon) of water, that gives me around 1010-1050 OG.
F
FG (Final Gravity) – The gravity (see below) of the liquid at the end of the stage that is refereed to, mainly measured at the end of the fermentation stage.
G
Gravity – A measured density of a liquid compared to water. Gravity is increased due to sugars in the water (when relates to beer making) and is reduced with a higher alcohol content. Gravity is used to observe the change of sugars in the beer to alcohol by checking the difference between OG to FG. Gravity is measured in 10xx units when water has 1000 gravity, beer that starts fermentation will be 1040-1060 (depends on style) and will aim to end below 1010.
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
OG (Original Gravity) – The gravity (see above) of the liquid at the beginning of the stage that is refereed to, mainly measured at the start of the fermentation stage.
P
Q
R
S
Spraymalt (Powder Extract) – Powdered version of the liquid malt and needs hydration to be used to create a wort. Essential it is a liquid extract (see above) that been dried in a high tempreture spray form (hence the name) and retains the same properties as liquid extract. For me the rtio I find works best is 1 kg spraymalt to 4-4.5 l water (I gallon), that gives the same result as the liquid malt. More spraymalt will result in higher gravity and less will give a lower gravity.
T
U
V
W
Wort – the mix of malt liquid and hops that are being boiled together to make the beer. At this part of the process the fermentable sugars break to allow alcohol creation later on.
X
Y
Z