Brew Terminology: Dry Malt Extract

Dry Malt Extract, or DME for short, is a powdery substance made from real malt that has undergone a process to have most of the moisture evaporated out of it. You can get it in many different varieties and it can even be used on it’s own to make beer – for example during extract…

Brew Terminology: Ester

An ester is a flavour resulting from the fermentation process. Some yeast produce fruity esters while others can be spicy, flowery, etc.

Brew Terminology: IBU

IBU stands for International Bitterness Unit and is a means for measuring the hop infused bitterness on a finished beer.

Brew Terminology: Lagering

Lagering comes from the German language for storage and refers to allowing the beer to ferment, settle and mature over the course of several weeks or months. This is usually done at low temperatures which allow the yeast and various byproducts to drop out leaving behind a clear product.

Brew Terminology: Pitch

Pitching is the act of adding yeast to wort. It is often considered the first time the liquid has ‘officially’ become beer.

Brew Terminology: Sparge

Sparging is the act of running hot water through the grain at the end of the mash process in order ‘wash’ the sugars away from the grain. This is usually done in order to collect the wort in the kettle.

Brew Terminology: Adjunct

An adjunct is a fermentable ingredient, usually not grain, that can impart different flavours or result in a lighter tasting final beer.

Brew Terminology: Body

Body refers to the ‘feel’ of the beer in your mouth. Sometimes this is referred to as how ‘thick’ or ‘thin’ tasting the beer is.

Brew Terminology: Yeast

A micro-organism that is used in the brewing process to convert fermentable sugars into (among other things) alcohol.

Brew Terminology: Trub

Trub is the name for the material, along with hop debris, left after the wort has been boiled then transferred and cooled. Although it contains yeast nutrients, its presence can impart off-flavors in the finished beer.