Make Beer At Home

Carbonation The amount of carbon dioxide in a beer and also the act of increasing the level of carbon dioxide.

Carboxypeptidase An enzyme in barley that hydrolyzes proteins by chopping off one amino acid at a time from one end.

Cardboard An undesirable flavor note that develops in packaged beer in storage.

Carrageenan An extract of seaweed used to aid solids removal in the wort-boiling stage.

Cask The traditional vessel for holding unpasteurized English ale.

Cell The basic unit of any living organism.

Cellar The part of a brewery containing the fermenters and the conditioning vessels. Also the part of a retail outlet (e.g., bar) in which the beer containers are stored.

Cell wall The outside of a cell, whose role is to maintain the shape of that cell.

Charcoal A material capable of adsorbing flavors and colors from liquids it contacts; used, for example, to treat liquor coming into a brewery.

Chilling The cooling of liquid streams in a brewery, e.g., hot wort going to the fermenter, or green beer passing to conditioning and filtration.

Chromosome The forms in which the genetic material of a cell (DNA) is held in eukaryotic cells.

CIP (cleaning-in-place) An integrated and automated system of cleaning with caustic and/or acid installed in modern breweries.

Cling The adhesion of foam to the walls of a beer glass (also known as lacing).

Coalescence The tendency of bubbles in beer foam to merge together and form bigger bubbles.