Pale Ale
Amber, well-hopped beer from the Ale family.
Parachute
Metal device used in Great Britain to skim yeast off the top of fermenters.
Pasteurization
The beer is pasteurized to stabilize it, by subjecting it to a temperature of approximately 60 to 75°C, for a few seconds to around twenty minutes depending on the process. Pasteurization is generally carried out just before packaging.
Phenols
Aromatic compounds produced in particular by certain yeasts, which give spicy (clove), smoky or medicinal notes. Sought after in German wheat beers and some Belgian beers, they are considered a defect in most other styles.
Pils, Pilsner, Pilsener
Blonde beer that originated at the brewery in Pilsen, in the Czech Republic, where the water, low in mineral salts, gives the beer unmatched softness and allows it to be hopped very heavily with Saaz hops, considered the finest in the world, without producing a harsh, unpleasant taste. Almost all the pils beers in Europe derive from this type of beer. The term pilsener is the only one allowed for any beer brewed outside Pilsen but following the Pilsen brewing method.
Pint
Beer glass holding half a liter: 50 cl. The pint is also called a Sérieux or a Véritable.
Pitching
Adding yeast to the cooled wort to start fermentation. This is also called yeasting.
Plate heat exchanger
Used to cool the wort after boiling. Cold water flows through pipes in one direction; interleaved pipes carry the boiling wort. This system cools the wort and warms the water. Also called a heat exchanger or cooler.
Plato (degree)
Unit (°P) expressing the extract content of the wort, that is, its sugars and other dissolved matter, as a percentage of its mass. It is the modern successor of the Balling degree, to which it is almost equivalent (see Degree and Density).
Porter
Blackish-brown beer, lightly hopped, made from roasted malt. Mostly top-fermented like Ales, Porter can also be cold-fermented.
Pressure gauge
Used to measure the pressure inside the tank.
Pub
The bars of Great Britain; the word is an abbreviation of Public House. It comes from the fact that, in the Middle Ages, the brewer's parlor welcomed people who wanted to drink the local ale.