Ingredients
Malt, hops, grains and other ingredients. 14 terms.
Adjuncts (unmalted grain)
- Unmalted grain such as maize, rice or raw wheat. It provides starch but hardly any enzymes, so the grain bill needs enough malt. Adjuncts make beer paler and lighter; maize and rice are typical of many mass-market lagers, raw wheat of witbier.
Alpha acid (α)
- The bittering compound in hops, given as a percentage on the pack. The higher it is, the more bitterness per gram. Bittering hops often have 10–15 %, aroma hops 3–7 %.
Aroma hops and bittering hops
- Bittering hops are high in alpha acid and go in early in the boil to give bitterness (e.g. Magnum, Herkules). Aroma hops are lower in alpha acid and go in late, into the whirlpool or for dry hopping (e.g. Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Saaz, Cascade). Many varieties work for both.
Base malt (Pilsner, Vienna, Munich)
- Pale malt that makes up most of the grain bill and provides the sugar for fermentation. Pilsner malt is the palest; Vienna and Munich malt add more colour and malt flavour.
Crystal malt and roasted malt
- Specialty malts used in small amounts. Crystal (caramel) malt adds sweetness, body and a reddish colour; roasted malt (e.g. roasted barley) adds dark colour and coffee or chocolate notes.
Hop varieties and growing regions
- Origin shapes the aroma. German varieties from the Hallertau or Tettnang and Czech Saaz are fine and spicy, English ones such as East Kent Goldings earthy and floral. American varieties from the Yakima Valley (e.g. Cascade, Citra) bring citrus and tropical fruit. The Hallertau is the largest continuous hop-growing area in the world.
Irish moss
- Dried red seaweed used as a fining. Add about 1 g (0.04 oz) per 10 L (about 2.6 gal) in the last 10–15 minutes of the boil. It helps proteins clump and settle.
Lactose (milk sugar)
- Sugar from milk that brewer’s yeast cannot ferment. It stays in the beer and adds sweetness and body, typically in milk stout. Beer with lactose is not vegan and not suitable for people with lactose intolerance.
Malt extract
- Concentrated wort as syrup or powder. It skips mashing and lautering, ideal for a first beer.
Malting
- How grain becomes malt: the kernels are steeped, germinate for a few days and are then dried in a kiln. Germination creates the enzymes that later convert starch into sugar in the mash. The hotter the kilning, the darker and more aromatic the malt.
Pellets and whole hops
- Hops come pressed into pellets or as whole dried cones. Pellets keep longer and give about 10 % more bitterness; whole cones are easier to strain off.
Spices and fruit
- Many styles rely on ingredients besides malt and hops: coriander and orange peel in witbier, cherries in kriek, coffee, vanilla, pumpkin or ginger in specialty beers. Use spices sparingly and add them at the end of the boil; fruit is best added to the fermenter as primary fermentation slows down.
Table sugar and dextrose
- Table sugar (sucrose) and dextrose (corn sugar) both work for priming. For the same carbonation you need about 10 % more dextrose. The carbonation calculator takes this into account.
Wheat, rye and oats
- Besides barley, other grains are malted too. Wheat malt gives foam and body and is essential in wheat beer. Rye malt adds a spicy note; oats make beer soft and creamy, for example in oatmeal stout or hazy IPAs. Rye and oats make the mash sticky, so lauter slowly.