Beer terminology

The ingredients

Malt: Cereal grain that has been germinated and dried. Different malts can contribute bread, biscuit, caramel or roast character. These flavour associations do not mean those foods have been added.
Grist and dry fermentable bill: Grist is the grain prepared for the mash. The wider dry fermentable bill also includes any sugar adjunct. We publish ingredient identities and roles; ingredient proportions remain private.
Hops and alpha acids: Hops contribute aroma, flavour and bitterness. Alpha-acid content is one factor used when calculating bitterness and varies with the variety and lot, so a hop name alone is not a complete dosing instruction.
Yeast: Yeast ferments sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide and can also contribute aroma and flavour. The culture and fermentation process help shape the final result.

Wort: The liquid prepared from the brewing ingredients before it becomes beer through fermentation.
Whirlpool addition: Hops added to hot wort after the main boil. Temperature, contact time and the brewing system affect the balance of aroma, flavour and bitterness.
Dry hopping: Hops added later in the process without boiling them. This is used to develop hop aroma; despite the name, it does not mean the hops stay dry.
Attenuation: How far fermentation reduces the sugars in the wort. Alongside the recipe and process, it helps shape strength, sweetness and finish.
Finings: Clarification materials used in some brewing processes. Their use and the full processing method need to be checked before any dietary suitability claim is made.

ABV: Alcohol by volume: a measure of strength. Our recipe-page numbers are strength figures.
IBU: International Bitterness Units, used to describe bitterness associated with hop compounds. Malt sweetness, roast, body and aroma also influence how bitter a beer tastes.
Body and finish: Body describes the impression of fullness or texture. Finish describes the impression after a sip, such as dry, lingering, roasty or gently sweet. These describe the sensory character of a beer.