Terminology

Terminology

This page is designed to explain terms and also bridge hobbies. Some terms are interchangeable between brew hobbies and some are not.

General Fermentation Terms

Bottle Bomb - A bottle that has too much CO₂ pressure and has ruptured.

Bottle Conditioning - The act of carbonating a brew in a sealed bottle with live yeast and priming sugar.

Nutrients/Nutes - Bio-available nitrogen source for yeast amino acids.

Pitch - The addition of a live yeast culture to begin fermentation.

Rack/Racking - Transferring brew from one container to another, often to leave behind sediment/lees/etc.

Water Chemistry - Describes the composition (aka 'profile') of mineral salts present in water; most often used in beer but applicable to any brewing style.

Mead Terms

Mead Styles

Terms from Beer

Attenuation - The amount of wort sugars a type of yeast can ferment; typically expressed in percent. NOTE: honey/mead musts are 100% fermentable.

Lightstruck - Describes hops that have been exposed to UV light; often develops off-flavors for nearly all styles.

Wort - The 'must' equivalent for beer; a pre-ferment composed of grains and often hops.

Terms from Kombucha

First fermentation - A primary fermentation composed of sugar, tea, and water (and occasionally other ingredients). It is unlike 'primary fermentation' since a portion of final first fermentation will be saved for the next batch.

1F - Shorthand for first fermentation.

Second Fermentation - A fermentation where flavorings, often fruit, are added to a completed 1F brew. It is similar to a true 'secondary fermentation'. Often used for bottle conditioning.

2F - Shorthand for second fermentation.