Beer Glossary

Conversion of malt starch into sugars by enzymes (amylases) during mashing, under the effect of heat. It usually takes place between 62 and 72 °C (see Brewing).

Genus of yeasts used in brewing: Saccharomyces cerevisiae for top fermentation and Saccharomyces pastorianus (formerly called carlsbergensis) for bottom fermentation.

Top-fermented beer style from Wallonia, once brewed in winter to quench the thirst of farm workers in summer. Saisons are generally dry, refreshing, fruity and spicy. Not to be confused with a seasonal beer.

Top-fermented Scottish beer, amber to brown, rounded and very malty, often strong and lightly hopped, with caramelized notes.

Beer brewed and sold at a specific time of year, and which comes back every year: spring beer, March beer, Christmas beer... Not to be confused with a one-off beer, produced only once, or with the Saison style.

Said of a beer low in alcohol (usually under 5% ABV), easy to drink, that can be enjoyed in quantity during a single “session.” For example, a session IPA.

Winter barley whose grains are arranged in six rows.

Removing the scum that forms on the surface of the boiling wort (coagulated proteins, hop residue) or, in top fermentation, the yeast that rises to the surface of the beer (see Parachute).

Also called the brewer's star. It dates back to the 18th century. Its alchemical meaning represents the fusion of the 4 elements found in brewing beer: water; barley and hops for earth; yeast for air; and boiling for fire.

Beer with a marked acidity, obtained with lactic or acetic bacteria and wild yeasts. Lambic, gueuze, Berliner Weisse, gose and Flanders red are examples. In French, the English term sour is also used.

Separating the sweet liquid from the spent grain after mashing, before the wort is boiled. Water heated to 70 °C rinses the malt residue: this is also called washing the spent grain.

Solid residue obtained when the wort is filtered through the false bottom of the mash tun, which holds back the insoluble matter. Spent grain can be used as livestock feed.

Natural flavorings added to beer to change its taste. Very common in Belgian beers.

Beer is fermented in rooms at 15–16 °C without adding cultured yeast. Only the microorganisms floating in the air come into contact with the beer and make this natural fermentation possible.

Barley is 60 to 65% starch; starch is also found in cereal adjuncts such as rice or corn. Starch is converted into sugars during mashing in the mash tun, thanks to the enzymes formed during malting.

Steeping consists of moistening the barley grains with water for about forty hours to trigger germination.

Large wooden or masonry vessel usually used to steep barley.

The growth period of barley.

The wort is boiled for at least an hour to eliminate all germs. This is also called boiling.

Top-fermented beer brewed with roasted (unmalted) barley, black in color, with a slightly caramelized and toasted flavor, heavily hopped. There are 3 types of stout: Bitter Stout (dry, bitter, about 4.5% ABV), Milk Stout (sweeter, containing lactose) and Russian Stout (also called Imperial Stout, very strong in alcohol (10% ABV), sweet; not to be confused with Barley Wine). The typical example of bitter stout is Guinness, which comes in very different versions (Belgian version: 7%, caramelized; French version: smoky, sharp taste; Irish 'Draught' version (draft, but in a bottle, supplied with a syringe that produces a real creamy head by injecting beer back into the glass, sold only in Ireland and perhaps in Great Britain)). Its head (on draft or in the 'draught' bottle) is very stable and very creamy (it looks like fat-free fromage blanc), its taste is powerfully bitter and its flavor is dry. Also worth mentioning is the Irish Murphy's, likewise remarkable on draft.

Very old hops, more than two years old, whose resins have disappeared. Used to make lambics.