Make Beer At Home

Abrasion Damaging the part of the barley corn farthest from the embryo in order to stimulate activity of the aleurone and 2-way modification.

Abscisic acid A plant hormone that counters the action of gibberellic acid.

Accelerated fermentation Fermentations carried out under conditions where they proceed more rapidly, e.g., by operating at a higher temperature.

Acid washing Treating yeast with acid in order to kill contaminating organisms without destroying the yeast itself.

Acrospire The developing shoot in germinating barley.

Adjunct A source of fermentable extract other than malt for use in brewing.

Aerobic In the presence of oxygen.

Aging The holding of beer in order for it to be converted to the desired state for retail to the consumer.

Agitator A device for mixing the contents of a vessel, e.g., a mash mixer.

Air rest Period employed during the steeping of barley in which water is drained from the grain bed to allow the access of oxygen to the embryo.

Albumin Soluble protein class in barley.

Alcohol Alcohols are a class of organic compounds containing the hydroxyl (-OH) group. The principle product of fermentation by yeast is ethyl alcohol (ethanol). Other higher alcohols are also produced in much lower quantities by yeast, and they are implicated in the flavor of beer.

Alcoholic strength (ABV) The amount of alcohol in a beverage, frequently referred to as ABV (alcohol by volume), in which the ethanol content is quantified in terms of volume of ethanol per volume of beverage.