Alpha Acid – Measured in percentages, this is the amount of acid content in a hop.

Boiler – Where wort is *ahem* boiled and hops and additives or added.

Bottle Conditioned - When a beer is carbonated in a bottle. Yeast is left on the bottom and may cause gas/discomfort

Craft Beer – A beer that’s independent and brewed with passion and care, usually, but not limited to Micro-breweries.

IBU – International Bittering Units. A fancy and totally arbitrary way of determining how bitter your beer is. Calculated from Alpha Acids from hops and time they were boiled

IG – Initial Gravity. Measures how much sugar is in a beer before yeast is introduced.

FG – Final Gravity. Measures how much sugar was taken out of the beer after yeast is taken out.

Fermenters – Large metal or wooden tubs in which wort gets yeast added so that it *cough* ferments and becomes beer.

Flight - A sample of beers in smaller glasses

Grains – Where sugar comes from in beer. This is usually barley or wheat

Kiln – A large place in which grains are sprayed with water and heated.

Lacing – The bubbles left on the side of the glass. Usually caused by high protein roasted malts

Lauter-Mash tun – Think of it like a tea kettle. The place where grains (the teabag) soak to extract the wort (tea flavored water)

Plato – An alternative way to measure the sugar concentration (Gravity) in beer

Hops – Cone shaped growths from a vine that contain a bitter powder and add bitterness and flavor to beer

Hydrometer – The device used to measure the amount of sugar density that’s in wort. Helps determine the amount of alcohol that will come from a beer.

Malt – A grain that has been kilned for maximum sugar

Mash – Ground up grains that will be soaked in water to extract sugars

Mouthfeel – The texture of a beer in your mouth

SRM – Standard Reference Method. A way to see what color a beer is and also help determine its style

Water – The main ingredient in beer and arguably most important. You know, the element that takes up 71 percent of the Earth? H2O.

Wheat – A type of grain used in some beers. Adds a smoothness and color to beer

Wort – The dark sugary water that comes from grains. It’s basically like grape juice before it becomes wine, except with beer

Yeast – Single-celled organisms that eat sugar, poop alcohol and carbon dioxide, then die. They create carbonation and alcohol in beer. IS BEER EVEN VEGAN, YOU MURDERERS?!