AAU - Alpha Acid Units are how the bitterness that any type of hop will add to the finish product. Typically, high AAU hops are used as bittering hops as they add the most bitterness and low AAU hops are used as aroma hops as they will add more aroma than bitterness to the beer. This standard model can be played with however and the typical role that bittering and aroma hops play varies depending on the brewer.
ABV - The measurement of how much alcohol is in the finished product. The abbreviated version of Alcohol by Volume.
Boil Kettle (BK) - A vessel used to boil the wort.
Fermentation - The process of yeast converting sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Full Boil - Boiling the complete volume of wort during the boil stage. For a 5 gallon batch the boil will be around 6-6.5 gallons to account for boil off to attain a final fermentation volume of 5-5.5 gallons.
HERMS - A style of brew system that involves using the hot water of the Hot Liquor Tank to aid in the temperature control of the mash.
Hops - The ingredient that adds bitterness to beer. Hops are used in almost all styles of beers although there are styles that do not use hops. They also act as a natural preservative and add various flavors, bitterness, and aroma to the finished product.
Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) - A vessel that contains the hot water that is used in the sparge. Can also be used as a way to keep wort warm in certain setups as in a HERMS system.
Malt - One of the main ingredients in beer recipes. There are many types of malts or grains but this is what makes up a majority of the recipe and gives the beer various flavors. It is also the source of the sugars that the yeast use to convert to alcohol.
Mash - The process of converting the grain in the recipe to fermentable and/or non-fermentable sugars and drained out as wort. Various mash times and temperatures can be used to achieve different attributes in the finished product.
Mash Tun (MT) - A vessel used for the Mash. Typically insulated so as to maintain very specific temperatures. Also will have a false bottom that helps allow the wort to drain while keeping the grain in the vessel.
Partial Boil - Boiling a partial volume of wort during the boil stage. Typically the partial boil is about half so with a 5 gallon batch the volume is roughly 2.5 gallons. When transfering to the fermenter, the brewer will "top up" the fermenter with water so that the desired 5-5.5 gallon fermentation volume is achieved.
RDWHAHB - There will be many times when you question a process or worry that something has gone dramatically and horribly wrong. Remember... Relax Don't Worry Have A Home Brew.
RIMS - A style of brew system that involves using an external heat source, either a RIMS coil or direct fire heat source to aid in the temperature control of the mash.
Sparge - A step in all grain brewing that occurs after the mash is complete. The goal is to "rinse" as much of the sugars off of the converted grain as possible. It is accomplished through the use of a sparge arm that sprinkles water from the hot liquor tank onto the grain in the mash tun and drained from the mash tun to the boil kettle at the same time.
SWMBO - She Who Must Be Obeyed. This is the member of the family who we all know really controls our brew process. All decisions are made knowing that if she is disobeyed, the brewing will come to an end.
Vourlauf - The process of setting the grain bed in the mash tun by slowly opening its valve and collecting the runnings. These runnings are then returned to the mash tun until there are no grain particles in it and the sparge can begin.
Wort - The sugary liquid created in the brewing process up until the time the yeast is pitched. Once the yeast is pitched, it is considered beer.
Yeast - The micro-organism that does all the hard work. It eats sugars and gives the byproduct of alcohol and carbon dioxide during the process of fermentation. There are a multidue of yeast strands used in various styles of beer.
