AA: Alpha Acid. The bittering agent in hops
ABV: Alcohol By Volume. Expressed as a percentage
AFD: Alcohol Free Day. The medico types recommend at least one per week.
AG: All Grain. The most complex, but rewarding, type of homebrewing.
APA: American Pale Ale. Cleaner and hoppier than the English originals, with distinct American hop flavours.
Attenuation: The degree of conversion of sugar to alcohol and CO2. A yeast with high attenuation converts more sugars, leaving a drier beer.
BC: BrewCraft. Major chain of Homebrew stores in Australia. Quality varies from store to store, and their range can sometimes be stifling, but they do have some good gear and often some helpful people.
BR: Black Rock. Kit supplier with a decent range, made by Maltexo. Part of the Lion Nathan empire.
CC: Cold Condition. Process used to eliminate off flavours after fermentation in lagers and some ales
Cold Break: Proteins that coagulate and fall out of solution when the wort is rapidly cooled prior to pitching the yeast.
CPA: Coopers Pale Ale
CSA: Coopers Sparkling Ale
(A/D/L/W)DME: (Amber/Dark/Light/Wheat) Dry Malt Extract
Diacetyl: A compound that imparts a butter or butterscotch flavor in beer. It is desired to a degree in many ales, but in some styles (mainly lagers) and circumstances it is unwanted. Can be the result of the normal fermentation process or the result of an infection. In lagers a "diacetyl rest", which involves slowly raising the temerature of the fermenting or fermented beer to 18C-20C for several days helps eliminate diacetyl formed during fermentation.
DMS: Dimethyl sulphide, a compound that is described variously as tasting and smelling of cooked vegetables/corn/cabbage or shellfish/seafood. It is formed during wort boiling and is driven off in a vigorous, long boil.
EBC: European Brewing Convention. A scale for determining colour, used primarily in Europe. Lower numbers are lighter colours.
ESB: Eastern Suburbs Brewmaker. Popular Homebrew Store, famous for their fresh wort kits and 3kg 'All in One' kit cans -
http://www.esbeer.com.auESB: Extra Special Bitter. A more alcoholic bitter, with more hop balance and slightly darker colour.
EBU: European Bitterness Unit. Reportedly the same scale as IBU.
FG: Final Gravity. The gravity of the wort, as measured by hydrometer, after fermentation has been completed. Used to determine ABV.
Finings: Additives that aid in the flocculation of various things in the wort; Isinglass aids in the flocculation of yeast, while Irish Moss aids in the settling of Hot and Cold Break clumps.
Flocculation: The clumping and settling of the yeast out of solution. A yeast with high flocculation drops out well and quickly; a yeast with low folucculation drops out poorly and slowly, and occasionally not at all. Can be assisted with cold temperatures, and the addition of finings.
FWK: Fresh Wort Kit. Kit beer that is supplied as a full volume (typically 17-20 litres) in a plastic container rather than condensed in a can. Some require several litres of water to be added. FWKs are more expensive than buying a can of concentrate then rehydrating it but it is generally accepted that the result is superior.
G&G: Grain & Grape. Popular Homebrew and Home Vintner store in Victoria -
http://www.grainandgrape.com.auHBS: Homebrew Store
Hot Break: Proteins that coagulate and fall out of solution during the wort boil.
IBU: International Bitterness Unit. One IBU is equal to 1 part per million of isohumulone
IG: Initial Gravity (see OG)
Invert Sugar: A mixture of dextrose and fructose found in fruits or produced artificially by the inversion of sucrose. Belgian Candi Sugar is an example of invert sugar; can be purchased, or made at home.
IPA: India Pale Ale. Heavily hopped, high alcohol pale ale designed to survive long journeys by sea from England to Colonial India. Served as is to officers, but watered down to low strength for troops.
K&B: Kit and Bits. A step up from kit & kilo, in which grains and/or hops are added to a kit to give a particular result.
K&K: Kit and Kilo. The basic form of brewing which involves nothing but a Kit can, a kilogram of dextrose or brew booster, water and the yeast. Simple as it gets.
Krausen: The foamy cap of yeast that builds on the surface of the wort during fermentation
L or °L: Degrees Lovibond, a measurement of colour. Related to SRM and EBC by the formula °L = (EBC + 1.2) / 2.65 = (SRM + 0.6) / 1.35
LCPA: Little Creatures Pale Ale
(A/D/L/W)LME: (Amber/Dark/Light/Wheat) Liquid Malt Extract
LHBS: Local Homebrew Store
Lion: Formerly Lion Nathan. Originally a NZ alcoholic beverages company, now Japanese-owned. Maker of XXXX, Tooheys, Little Creatures, West End, Hahn, Swan, Emu, James Squire, Southwark, Speights, Steinlager and Mac's. The following kits are also from them, made by the subsidiary Maltexo - Tooheys, Brewiser, Wander, MSB, Goldrush, Black Rock
MM: Mini Mash. See PM
MSB: Malt Shovel Brewery. Part of the Lion Nathan empire, producer of both the well regarded James Squire beers, and the MSB 11.5L homebrew kits.
OG: Original Gravity. The gravity of the wort, as measured by hydrometer, before pitching the yeast. Used to determine ABV.
PET: PolyEthylene Terephthalate. The plastic used for soft drink bottles, used as a general term for the 740ml PET longnecks sold by Coopers and Brewcraft.
PM: Partial Mash. A method of beer making which involves a small mash of specialty grains added to an Extract Recipe, or less commonly a Kit and Kilo, to attempt to add some of the flavour and other tangible benefits of All Grain brewing without the full AG time and equipment investment.
POR: Pride of Ringwood. Australian developed superalpha hop, had the highest Alpha Acid concentration of any hop at the time of its release in the 1960's. Can produce undesirable flavours if used excessively.
Rack: To transfer from one (usually the primary) fermenter into another (usually the secondary) fermenter before fermentation has completed.
RDWHAHB: Relax, don't worry, have another homebrew. Advice often given by experienced brewers to those newer to the hobby, who tend to worry that they have stuffed something up, their brew is not fermenting, etc, etc.
SG: Specific Gravity. A measure of the density of a material. It is dimensionless, equal to the density of the material divided by some reference density (most often the density of water)
SNPA: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
SRM: Standard Reference Method. A scale for determining colour used primarily in the USA. Lower numbers are lighter colours.
TCB: The Country Brewer. Popular chain of Homebrew stores in NSW, famous for their Wal's kit cans and TCB Wetpak extract recipes -
http://www.countrybrewer.com.auTrub: The sediment at the bottom of the fermenter consisting of hot and cold break material, hop bits, and dead yeast.
WL(PXXX): White Labs. A provider of Liquid yeasts to industry and craftbrewers, the predominant supplier on the East Coast. PXXX is a serial number defining each available yeast, ie WLP013 London Ale -
http://www.whitelabs.comWort: The unfermented or fermenting infusion of malt that after fermentation becomes beer or mash, ie all your ingredients plus water in the fermenter, before the addition of yeast and fermentation.
WY(XXXX): Wyeast Laboratories. A provider of Liquid yeasts to industry and craftbrewers, the predominant product in SA. The XXXX is a serial number defining each available yeast, ie WY1728 Scottish Ale -
http://www.wyeastlab.comZymurgy: The science of brewing and fermentation. (Personally, I've always thought it more of an art form
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Posted: Friday Sep 08, 2006 8:22 pm
