Learn and Discover
Learn and Discover

A beer drinkers dictionary

The first in a series of resources exploring the words, acronyms and references used to talk about our favourite drinks.

Mark Dredge has created a beer dictionary to help you better navigate the dizzying array of terms to describe the production, serving and enjoyment of beer. It’s not meant to be exhaustive or definitive. This dictionary is here to help you to make more informed decisions and to enhance your enjoyment of beer.

Mark Dredge

Award winning beer writer, educator and author Mark Dredge has penned a number of books on beer and food. Mark provides talks and tastings at events like the Great British Beer Festival as well as being the resident beer expert for Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

Alphabet Dictionary

  • ABV

    Alcohol by volume. Technically speaking, it’s the percentage of ethanol per 100ml of liquid. Beer ranges from under 1% ABV to over 10% ABV, but most is 4-5% ABV.

    Adjunct

    An ingredient added to beer that’s not one of the traditional main four of water, grain, hops or yeast. This could include alternative cereals like corn or rice, it could be sugar or honey, fruits, chocolate, coffee, spice, and more. The word ‘adjunct’ is most commonly (and derisively) used to refer to mainstream lager, which sometimes uses ingredients like maize and glucose as ‘adjuncts’.

    Aged

    A beer that’s been stored or matured before being drunk, with the aging taking place in the brewing tank, a wooden barrel, a bottle or a cask. Some strong beer can be aged for five or more years and still taste great.

    Alcohol

    The natural product of fermentation, which is formed when yeast converts malt sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

    Alcohol-Free Beer

    Beers without alcohol, or below 0.5% ABV which is considered non-intoxicating. Most Alcohol-Free Beer is made by either producing a low-strength beer then de-alcoholysing it (taking the alcohol out, often by reverse osmosis), or it could be brewed to only 0.5% ABV by having fewer fermentable sugars or a special yeast strain.

    Ale

    A large family of beers which share in common that they are brewed with a species of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Many of the most popular beer styles are ales: Golden Ale, Pale ale, IPA, Stout, Porter, Mild, Wheat Beers and Belgian Ales. Lagers are a different family of beer brewed with a different species of yeast.

  • Bacteria

    When intentionally used in a beer, bacteria like lactobacillus and pediococcus can produce an acidity similar to natural yogurt. Some bacteria can produce an acetic quality, like vinegar. When unintentional, this could be a sign of an infected beer or dirty lines, and while it won’t be harmful to you, it might not taste great.

    Balanced

    A word used to describe a beer with a well-balanced flavour between the sweet malts and the bitter hops.

    Barley

    The primary grain used to make beer. Barley gives beer its colour, some flavour (think bread, toffee, chocolate), and the sugars which ferment into alcohol. Barley is malted before it’s used in breweries (see Malt and Malting). There are different varieties of barley used for beer, including some historic names like Golden Promise and Maris Otter which are notable for their richer flavour.

    Barley Wine

    A traditional British type of strong ale, ranging from 7.5-10% ABV, that’s rich with malt flavours and tastes great with cheese. They could be golden or dark and are often aged for several months before being sold. Its name refers to its wine-like strength and it’s made with malt like a regular beer.

  • Join CAMRA for unlimited access Join CAMRA
magnify icon

Want unlimited access?

Become a CAMRA member today for unlimited free access plus many other membership benefits. Find out more

Become a Member

Privacy Overview

We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website and to show you personalised content. You can allow all or manage them individually.

Necessary

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-Necessary

These cookies help us to improve your web experience. They allow us to gather feedback on your behaviour and to show adverts relevant to you. You can turn this off here.

Cookies

We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website and to show you personalised content. You can allow all or manage them individually.