Mash tun?!

A vocabulary primer to get you ready to brew.

all-grain: process by which the brewer malts the grain then makes a wort (instead of using a pre-made malt extract).

barley: grain used in brewing beer.

brewer's yeast: live microorganisms that eat barley sugars and aid in the fermentation process.

carboy: vessel used to ferment beer after it has been boiled and cooled.

ferment: process by which sugars are converted into alcohol with the help of yeast.

flocculation: process whereby yeast sinks to the bottom of the beer near the end of the brewing process.

home brew: an alcoholic beverage (usually beer) made at home.

hops: an herb used to add to a beer's aroma and flavor.

hydrometer: used to measure the gravity of a liquid as compared to water. Aids brewers in determining the alchohol content of their brews.

lauter tun: container used to strain barley grains from the wort after they have steeped.

malt: barley that has been processed in order to release sugars needed in fermentation.

mash: process of soaking barley grains in water to release sugars.

mash tun: vessel used to soak grains and convert starches into sugars.

priming: adding sugar to the brew at a specific point to encourage a second fermentation.

racking: process by which a liquid is transferred into another container without taking the sediment.

racking cane: tube used to siphon the wort into another container without siphoning the sediment present in the liquid.

sparge: to spray grain and water mixture to remove sugars at the end of the mashing process.

water: beer is over 80% and is crucial to making beer. Minerals present in water can affect the final taste of the beer.

wort: hot, sugary liquid made from malted barley grains and water.

wort chiller: device used to cool down the wort before the yeast is pitched
(or thrown) in.

zymurgy: the science of fermentation. Also a magazine about brewing by the American Homebrewers Association.

 

*This list is just the beginning--there is so much more to read and learn! Go to the Links page to find more brewing resources.

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content and design by:
Kathryn Eident
Boston University
2008