The Samuel Adams Beer Term Dictionary

A
Abbey Ale:
A strong beer brewed traditionally by Belgian abbeys for the brothers to enjoy as "liquid bread" during their Lenten fasting.
Adjuncts:
Starches, other than malted barley and wheat, such as corn, rice, and sugar, which dilute the flavor and character of the malt and function as cheap fermentable sugars. Samuel Adams' beers contain no adjuncts.
Aftertaste:
The taste, odor and tactile sensations that linger after the beer has been swallowed.
Alcohol:
A synonym for ethyl alcohol or ethanol.
Alcohol by Volume:
A measure of the amount of alcohol in beer; used as a primary measure in Canada. The measure of the amount of space the alcohol in a beer takes up as a percentage of total space.
Alcohol by Weight:
A measure of the amount of alcohol in beer; used as a primary measure in the U.S. The measure of the amount of weight the alcohol in a beer has as a percentage of total weight.
Ale:
A classification of beer styles. A style made with a top fermenting yeast, ales generally are hearty, robust, and fruity.
Altbier:
A traditional style of beer brewed mainly in Dusseldorf. The German word alt means old and refers to the traditional method of top fermentation. Alt beers are dark, copper colored, brewed from dark malts, well hopped.
American Ale:
An American version of traditional ale, brewed with North American hops. See: Ale.
American Malt Liquor:
An alternative name given to beers in the U.S. that exceed the alcohol level defined by law for lager or beer.
Aroma Hops:
Hop varieties that are chosen for their aroma contribution to the beer. Noble hops are classified as aroma hops.
B
Balance:
The proportion of malt to hops in a beer. Brewers strive for a seamless balance of the two.
Bamberg Beer: See Rauchbier
Barley:
The grain used to produce the malt used in brewing.
Barley Wine:
A top-fermented beer of unusually high, wine-like, alcohol content. Copper-colored or dark brown, strongly flavored, fruity, sometimes fermented with wine or champagne yeast.
Barrel:
A barrel of beer is equal to two kegs, or 31 gallons.
Beer:
Generic name for alcoholic beverages produced by fermenting a cereal or a mixture of cereals, flavored with hops.
Belgian Lace:
The beautiful, white latticework of foam from the head of the beer that is left on the glass after a sip of beer has been taken.
Berliner Weisse:
A regional beer of northern Germany, pale, top-fermented, and made with wheat.
Best Bitter:
A British-style dry ale brewed to an original gravity of the mid- to upper 1040s.
Biere de Garde:
French term that applies to a strong, bottle-conditioned ale that is designed to be laid down when fermenting.
Bitter:
One of the flavor characteristics of beer, contributed by the hops. In Britain, the draft equivalent of pale ale -- golden brown, top-fermented beer that's usually highly hopped, dry and lightly carbonated. Accounts for about 80% of draft beer sales in English pubs.
Bittering Hops:
Hop varieties that are used to contribute bitterness to the beer.
Bitterness Units/IBUs:
An international system of units for measuring and expressing the hop bitterness in beer.
Black Malt:
Malted barley roasted at high temperatures. Used in stouts and dark beers to contribute dark color and a burnt flavor.
Black and Tan:
A mix of equal parts of dark and pale beers such as porter and pilsener, or stout and bitter.
Bock:
A very strong lager traditionally brewed in winter to celebrate the coming spring. Full-bodied, malty, well-hopped.
Brown Ale:
A British-style, top-fermented beer which is lightly hopped and flavored with roasted and caramel malt.
Body/Mouthfeel:
The density of a beer - the amount of mouthfeel experienced by the drinker.
Boiling:
Wort is boiled in the brew kettle, typically for 90 minutes. During this time, the wort is spiced with hops. Boiling stops all mash enzyme activity, it extracts bitter and aromatic substances from the hops, it boils off any harsh grainy odors, and it precipitates the trub which helps clarify the wort.
Bouquet/Aroma/Nose:
The aroma or fragrance of the beer.
Brewing:
The art of making beer.
Brew Kettle:
One of the vessels used in the brewing process, used to boil the wort.
C
Caramel Malt:
A sweet, coppery malt which imparts both color and flavor to beer. Gives a golden color and a nutlike flavor to beer. Used frequently in darker ales. Also called crystal malt.
Carbonation:
Sparkle caused by carbon dioxide, either created during fermentation or injected later.
Cask Ale:
Ale conditioned in the cask -- unpasteurized draft ale which completes its maturation in the pub cellar as opposed to pasteurized, filtered and chilled kegged ale. Served at room temperature.
Cask Conditioned/Bottle Conditioned:
Beer with the yeast left in the brew to complete the fermentation in the cask or bottle.
Chocolate Malt:
Similar to black malt but roasted to a lesser, chocolate-brown color.
Cold Break:
The precipitation of protein and tannin material to a fine coagulum during the cooling stage. Also: Haziness caused by protein matter which must be strained after the cooling process.
Conditioning Tank:
An airtight tank in which a beer's secondary fermentation occurs.
Cooling:
The wort is cooled to the desired temperature for starting fermentation in a holding tank or whirlpool.
Craft Beers:
Beers made by small, independent brewers with only traditional brewing ingredients such as malt, hops, yeast and water, and brewed with traditional brewing methods.
Cream Ale:
An American style, blending pale golden, mild, light-bodied ale and lager.
Crystal Malt:
Synonym for caramel malt.
D
Dark Bock:
A bock beer brewed with dark roasted malt. See: Bock.
Dark Mild:
An English term for mildly hopped ales that are brewed with roasted malt. Most are dark brown in color and full bodied, but have a relatively low alcohol content.
Dark/Pale Double Bock:
Dark: A double bock brewed with dark roasted malt. Pale: A double bock brewed with malt that has been dried instead of roasted. See: Double Bock.
Decoction:
A brewing process used for bottom-fermenting beers in which portions of the wort are removed, heated, then returned to the original vessel.
Dextrins:
Unfermentable sugars that yeast is unable to metabolize, that are left in the beer. Dextrins are responsible for the body in the finished beer.
Diatomaceous Earth:
The refined skeletons of ancient marine organisms, which are frequently used as a filtration medium.
Diacetyl:
A compound produced by yeast as a normal product of fermentation. At proper levels, diacetyl is an essential flavor component of some beer styles. A clearly detectable level of diacetyl may indicate poor brewing practices. It is perceived as a buttery or butterscotch flavor.
Dortmunder:
A gold-colored, bottom-fermented beer from Dortmund, Germany's largest brewing city.
Double Bock, or Dopplebock:
A stronger bock beer, though not necessarily double the strength. The original of the style was brewed by the Italian monks of the order of St. Francis of Paula in Bavaria to help them though their Lenten fast
Draft Beer:
Keg beer served on tap.
Dry Beer:
A term for light-bodied brews with little aftertaste and more alcohol.
Dry Hopping:
The process of adding extra hops to the beer during fermentation to enhance its aroma.
Dry Stout:
The Irish version of stout, slightly more bitter and higher in alcohol than the English sweet stout.
Dunkelweizen:
A dark wheat beer.
E
Eisbock:
The strongest of the bock beers. Produced by lagering beer in very cold cellars to the freezing point of water, and removing some of the iced water, thereby increasing the alcoholic strength of the beer.
Esters:
Fruity flavors, such as grapefruit, banana, and peach, produced by the yeast during fermentation. Ale yeasts are known for the production of esters.
Ethyl Alcohol:
A colorless, combustible and potable liquid soluble in water, chloroform, and methyl alcohol. The intoxicating element in beer, wine, and spirits. Synonyms: alcohol, ethanol, grain alcohol.
F
Fermentation:
The process of the yeast converting the simple sugars in the wort in a complex sequence of 13 discrete steps to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation can take up to seven days.
Faro:
A blend of equal parts of two types of lambic beer, sweetened with sugar and sometimes colored and diluted with water. Practically extinct.
Fermenter:
A vessel used in the brewing of beer, the place where the yeast converts the simple sugars in the wort to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Filtration:
Beer is still slightly cloudy after lagering, and requires filtering to remove any remaining yeast and other insoluble materials to achieve a brilliant clarity.
Four Vessel Brewing:
Traditional decoction brewing method requiring a mash cooker, a mash tun, a lauter tun, and a kettle. Mashing is carried out in the mash tun, and starts at a low temperature while portions of the mash are taken out and boiled in the cooker and later returned to the mash tun, thus gradually raising the temperature of the entire mash. The mash is afterwards filtered in the lauter tun and the resulting wort is boiled in the copper kettle.
Framboise:
Raspberry lambic.
Freshness Dating:
The visible coding of beer bottles with a freshness date so that consumers know that they are receiving fresh beer.
Fuggles Hops:
Noble English hops grown in East Kent, England, used to make Samuel Adams ales.
G
Germination:
The stage in the beer-making process in which the steeped barley grains are drained and allowed to sprout for seven to nine days.
Goldings Hops:
Noble English hops grown in East Kent, England, used to make Samuel Adams ales. Named after the farmer who originally identified the hop type.
German Beer Purity Law/Reinheitsgebot:
A law dating back to 1516, requiring beer to be totally pure with only water, yeast, malt, and hops allowed as ingredients.
Gueuze
A Belgian beer style that blends a fresh lambic with an old lambic, creating a second fermentation.
H
Hallertau/Mittelfrueh Hops:
Noble, Bavarian lager hops grown in Germany, used to make Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Bavaria's Hallertau region has only 400 acres of hop growing land with the perfect soil and climate for growing Mittelfrueh hops.
Head:
The foam at the top of a beer. The head is the protein which is pushed out of suspension by the bubbles.
Hefeweizen:
An unfiltered wheat beer.
Hops:
The flower of a perennial vine, and one of the four ingredients of beer. Hops are the universal spice of beer. Hops, like grapes used in wine, are varietal. Some varieties contribute mainly bitterness, while others are prized for their fine aromas.


I
Imperial Stout:
See: Russian Stout
India Pale Ale:
An ale brewed in England for British troops stationed in India in the 18th century. It was brewed very strong to survive a voyage that could take as long as six months. Highly hopped.
Irish Red Ale:
An Irish ale, noted for its reddish color, full body, and sweetish, sometimes buttery palate.

K
Keg:
A keg of beer is equal to 6.88 cases of beer or 1,984 ounces.
Krausening:
A secondary fermentation. A small portion of young, still actively fermenting beer and yeast is added to a tank of beer at the end of primary fermentation. Since such a small supply of wort is being introduced, the new yeast has a limited food supply. It quickly exhausts the available sugars and is then forced to scavenge among a range of secondary compounds for more food. This eliminates strong and potentially offensive odors and flavors, producing an elegant and balanced flavor, and adding smoothness and body.
Kriek:
A Belgian beer style produced by steeping cherries in young lambic or gueuze to produce a second fermentation.
L
Lager:
A classification of beer styles made with a bottom fermenting yeast, lagers generally are smooth, elegant, crisp, and clean.
Lagering/Aging/ColdConditioning/Ruh Storage:
A period of one to many weeks following or including fermentation in which the temperature of the beer is slowly reduced. This helps reduce the harsher secondary products of fermentation, while clarifying and mellowing the beer.
Lambic:
Wheat beer originally produced in the Bruxelloise region of Belgium with a strong acidic character from the spontaneous fermentation from wild yeast.
Lautering/Mash Filtration:
The separation of solids (the mash) from the liquid malt extract called wort.
Lauter Tun:
One of the vessels used in the brewing process, used to filter the liquid wort from the solid mash. Lauter Tuns usually have a false bottom which opens up to filter the mash.
Light Ale:
In England, an alternative term for bottled bitter. In Scotland, a dark ale of low gravity.
M
Malt, Malted Barley:
One of the four ingredients of beer. Malt is barley which has been moistened, allowed to germinate, and then dried. The variety of barley, the extent to which it is allowed to germinate, and the temperature at which it is dried all influence the character, the color, and the flavor of beer.
Malt Liquor:
A beer of higher alcohol content than regular beer. On average, it contains 4.5 to 6.0% alcohol by weight, and by law is deemed too alcoholic to be labeled lager or beer.
Marzenbier:
In Germany, before the advent of refrigeration, beer was brewed in winter and the last batch, brewed in March, was made especially strong to survive the many months of maturation before it was drunk at the end of summer. Now commonly called Octoberfest.
Mashing:
The process of combining the ground malt with water. Mashing is performed at either a constant temperature, or a series of rising temperatures, depending on the brewing equipment, the raw materials being used, and the type of beer being brewed. The mashing process determines the composition of the wort.
Mash:
Ground malt blended with water.
Mash Tun:
The first vessel used in the brewing process, the mash tun is used to combine the ground malt with water and to heat the mash to the desired temperature.
Milling:
The first step in the brewing process. Barley malt is crushed, not ground, between pairs of rollers in a mill. This separates the husk from the meal body and also fractures the meal body, preparing the malt for mashing.
Munchener (or Munich):
A bottom-fermented beer produced in Munich since the mid-10th century. There are two versions: helles bier, a paler beer, and dunkel bier, closer to the original dark style. Both styles are distinctively malty.
Munich Dark: See: Munchener.
Munich Pale: See: Munchener.
N
Noble Hops:
Rare, unique hop varieties that are prized for their quality flavor and aroma characteristics. Grown only in four small areas in Europe; three in Germany, and one in Bohemia.
O
Oatmeal Stout:
A style of stout brewed with oatmeal. Oatmeal was used for its nutritive qualities as well as its ability to impart fullness of body and flavor.
Oktoberfest (or Octoberfest):
A bottom-fermented Vienna- or marzen-style beer, originally brewed for Germany's Oktoberfest celebration. Copper-colored, malty, and sweet.
Old Ale:
In Britain, a medium-strong dark ale most often consumed in winter.
Original Gravity:
The density of the wort prior to fermentation, expressed as a ratio as compared to the density of water. A measure of the amount of solids in the wort.
Oxidation:
When a packaged beer is stored for a period of time, it stales, or oxidizes. Different beers stale at different rates and develop off flavors. The rate of oxidation goes up as the temperature goes up. Oxidation is familiar to drinkers as a papery or cardboard like character in both taste and aroma.
P
Pale Malt:
A form of crystal malt used with pale beers.
Pale Ale:
An amber or copper-colored, top-fermented beer brewed with pale malts. Similar to bitter but drier, hoppier and lighter. See also: India pale ale.
Pale Bock:
A bock beer brewed with malt that has been dried instead of roasted. See: Bock.
Pale Mild:
An English term for mildly hopped ales that are brewed with malt that has been dried instead of roasted. The resulting brew is lighter in color and has a lighter, less hearty flavor.
Pasteurization:
Beer must either be pasteurized or sterile-filtered to protect it from the continued growth of any stray yeast or other beer loving micro-organisms.
Pilsner:
A general name for pale, golden-hued, highly hopped, bottom-fermented beers. The original was first brewed in the Bohemian town of Pilsen in 1842.
Pitching:
Adding yeast to the wort.
Porter:
A very dark, top-fermented beer first brewed in London in 1722 by a man named Harwood as a substitute for a then popular mix of ale, beer, and two penny beer. Called Entire, the beer was advertised as being richer and more nourishing than ale, and was intended for porters and other heavy laborers who would find in it the strength to accomplish their tasks. Its color comes from roasted, unmalted barley.
R
Rauchbier:
A dark, bottom-fermented beer produced by a few breweries in Bavaria. Unique smoked flavor from the use of malts dried over an open fire.
Rice Beer: See Sake.
Roasted Malt:
Some malts are roasted to varying degrees to produce a range of specialty malts called caramel, chocolate, and black malts. These malts affect the color and the flavor of beer.
Russian Stout:
In Britain, a very strong stout originally brewed from 1760 to World War 1. Present day Russian stout is non-pasteurized and matured in casks for two months, then bottle-aged for a full year. Also called Imperial Russian stout or Imperial stout.
S
Saaz Hops:
Bohemian Noble hops from the Czech Republic used in several Samuel Adams styles.
Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis/Lager Yeast/Bottom Fermenting Yeast:
The yeast strain used to make lagers, a bottom fermenting yeast. This yeast strain settles to the bottom of the tank during fermentation.
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae/Ale Yeast/Top Fermenting Yeast:
The yeast strain used to make ales, a top fermenting yeast. This strain rises to the top of the tank during fermentation.
Saison:
An amber or copper-colored top fermented beer from Belgium and France, once brewed in summer but now available all year-round. Naturally conditioned in burgundy-shaped one liter bottles.
Sake:
A traditional Japanese fermented drink made from rice.
Scotch Ale:
A top-fermented beer of Scottish origin. Traditionally strong, very dark, thick and creamy.
Seasonal Beers:
Special beer styles brewed for a specific season, i.e. Octoberfest, Winter Lager.
Six Row Barley:
A type of barley used by most major brewers. Six row barley has less flavor than two row barley, the barley used in Samuel Adams.
Sparge:
To wash out all soluble products from the mash prior to boiling.
Specific Gravity:
A measure of the density of a liquid or solid, as compared with that of water. Brewers use gravity to measure the fermentation's progress -- the more fermentable sugars, the higher the gravity; the more alcohol, the lower the gravity.
Spruce Beer:
A brew produced in North America and Northern Europe by fermenting molasses and other sugars with the exudate of spruce trees, sometimes with malt.
Steam Beer:
A beer produced by hybrid fermentation using bottom yeast fermented at top yeast temperatures. Fermentation is carried out in long shallow vessels called clarifiers, followed by warm conditioning and krausening. The style is indigenous to America and was first produced in California at the end of the 19th century, during the Gold Rush. At one time there were 27 breweries making steam beer in California. Now trademarked by Anchor Brewing.
Stock Ale:
A strong ale brewed to be stored for a long time. Indigenous to America.
Stout:
A very dark, heavy, top-fermented beer made from pale malt, roasted unmalted barley, and often caramel malt. Stout was first introduced by Guinness as an extra stout version of their porter. The new stout was darker, hoppier and richer than porter, which it gradually overtook in popularity. A distinction is drawn between sweet stout and dry stout: although both are highly hopped, sweet stout is less bitter than dry stout. See also: Russian stout.
Strong Bitter:
A British-style dry ale brewed to an original gravity in the 1050s, and having a higher alcohol content than a "Best" bitter.
Strong Scotch Ale:
Scotch ale brewed to a higher original gravity and having a higher alcohol content than regularly brewed Scotch ale. See: Scotch Ale.
Sweet Stout:
The English version of stout as opposed to the dry stout of Ireland. It has a slightly lactic flavor and is less alcoholic than dry stout.
T
Tannins:
Organic compounds contained in certain cereal grains and other plants.
Terminal Gravity:
Synonym for specific gravity.
Trappist Beer:
Any beer brewed in one of the six remaining brewing abbeys, five of which are in Belgium, and one in the Netherlands. Top-fermented, dark amber, and fairly strong, they are bottle-conditioned. Origin dates back to the Middle Ages.
Trub:
Suspended particles comprised of proteins from the malt and tannins from the hops which help to clarify the wort.
Two Row Barley:
The type of barley used to brew Samuel Adams. Two row barley is more expensive than six row barley, the type used by most major brewers, and it has more flavor.
V
Vienna Type:
A reddish-amber, sweetish, malt-accented lager, originally brewed in Vienna.
W
Water:
One of the four ingredients of beer. The only requirement for water used in brewing is that it be drinkable. Chemically speaking, brewing water should be non-alkaline and of a certain hardness, prerequisites easily attained with the proper treatment.
Weihenstephan:
The oldest brewery in the world. Now a brewery and brewing school located just outside Munich.
Weissbier:
In Germany, a generic name for wheat beers. Weisse means white, and such beers are usually very pale and cloudy, with a white foam.
Weizenbier:
In Germany, a generic term for top-fermented wheat beers, especially those of the south.
Weizenbock:
In Germany, a wheat beer of bock strength.
Wheat Beer:
Any beer containing a high proportion of malted wheat. All wheat beers are top-fermented and many are bottle conditioned.
Witbier/White:
A traditional wheat beer originally brewed in the Belgian towns of Hoegaarden and Louvain.
Whirlpool:
A vessel used in the brewing process, used to remove the trub from the wort.
Wild Yeast:
Any airborne yeast. Now available in cultured form.
Wort:
The liquid malt extract that is filtered from the mash during lautering. A sweet, amber colored, clear liquid, wort is basically food for the yeast.
Y
Yeast:
One of the four ingredients of beer. Yeast is a single cell organism whose metabolism converts the sugars contained in the malt into alcohol and carbon dioxide. One species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used to make ale, and another, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, is used to make lager.

Z

Zymurgy:
The science of brewing beer.