Wingers Alehouse Glossary

Alcohol
The magical molecule that turns ordinary conversations into karaoke performances. Also known as ethanol. Beer usually ranges from 3.2% to 14% ABV, depending on how ambitious the brewer (or drinker) is.

Alcohol by Volume (ABV)
The percentage of a beer’s volume that is alcohol. Calculated via:
(OG - FG) / 0.0075 = ABV
If you're not into math, just know that higher ABV = faster dance floor confidence.

Alcohol by Weight (ABW)
A sneakier way to say "less alcohol," because it's calculated by weight instead of volume. Always lower than ABV—like the beer version of wearing vertical stripes.

Alcoholic
1. A flavor descriptor meaning boozy, warming, or spicy.

2. Also a term for someone who’s taken their beer hobby a bit too professionally (on a clinical level).

Ale
A warm-fermented beer that tends to be fruity, bold, and complex—basically, the extrovert of the beer world.

Ale Yeast
Yeast that loves a warm bath (60–70°F) and creates fruity, aromatic vibes. Officially named Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but you can call it “Yeasty McTopper.”

All Extract Beer
Made with malt extract only—no actual grain. Great for beginner brewers or anyone who fears commitment to full mash.

All-Malt Beer
A purist’s brew: no corn, rice, or sugar stunts—just 100% malted barley. Beard and flannel shirt not required, but strongly encouraged.

Apparent Attenuation
A nerdy way to measure how much sugar the yeast has eaten. Lower attenuation? Lazy yeast. High attenuation? Sugar-hungry yeast monsters.

Aromatic Hops
Hops added late in the brew to make your beer smell like a bouquet of pinecones, citrus, or grass. Smells better than it sounds.

Astringency
That mouth-drying, puckery feeling, like chewing on a tea bag or a napkin. Sometimes desirable. Sometimes “what happened to this beer?”

Barley
The breadwinner of beer grains. Malt it, mash it, ferment it—and boom, you’ve got beer. Otherwise, it’s just cereal.

Barrel

1. A unit of beer measurement = 31 gallons.

2. A large wooden spa where beer goes to soak up fancy flavors from old wine or whiskey.

Bitterness
The hop kick in your beer that balances the sweetness. Not to be confused with your ex's personality.

Bitterness Units (BU)
See: International Bitterness Units (IBU). Or just know: higher number = more "hoppy face."

Bittering Hops
These hops get tossed in early during the boil—because nothing says love like a long, hot bath in wort.

Blending
The brewer’s equivalent of mixing paint colors—except tastier and less toxic. Combines beers for the perfect flavor profile.

Body
The thickness or "chewiness" of your beer. Can be light and crisp or heavy and creamy—like beer’s own version of sweatpants vs. velvet robe.

Bottle Conditioning
Beer goes through a second fermentation in the bottle, which naturally carbonates it. Like beer doing sit-ups after bottling.

Bottom Fermentation
Yeast sinks and works at the bottom—ideal for lagers and introverted yeast.

Brew Kettle
The beer cauldron where the magic (and the hops) happen. Don't try to climb inside, no matter how good it smells.

Carbonation
Those fizzy bubbles that tickle your tongue and occasionally your nose. Comes from CO₂—either natural or added with pressure, soda-gun-style.

Cask
Old-school beer container—used before kegs were cool. Still used by purists and people who say “cellar temperature” unironically.

Cask Conditioning
Beer ferments and carbonates inside the cask. No forced carbonation, no nonsense—just beer doing its thing naturally.

Chill Haze
Cloudiness that appears when beer is chilled. Totally harmless, unless you're a fan of perfectly Instagrammable pours.

Color
Beer color ranges from pale gold to Darth-Vader black. Doesn't always reflect strength—so don’t judge a stout by its shadow.

Conditioning
A beer’s mellowing phase. Like meditation, but with yeast and patience instead of candles and mantras.

Craft Brewery
Small, independent, and traditional. Basically, beer’s version of the quirky local band that doesn’t want a record deal.

Dank
An adjective used to describe a beer—usually an IPA—that smells like it was dry-hopped by a skunk living in a pine forest during a reggae concert. Expect aromas of citrus, pine, and something suspiciously herbal... like your college roommate's "incense."

Degrees Plato
A scale that tells brewers how much sugar is in the wort. Not related to philosophy, but definitely involves deep thinking (and spreadsheets).

Dextrin
Sugars that yeast can’t digest. They stick around to add body—like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms but for beer.

Diastatic
Refers to enzymes that help convert starch to sugar during mashing. They're basically beer’s little metabolic miracle workers.

Draught Beer
Beer served from a keg or cask. Fresher, foamier, and 73% more satisfying to say aloud than “bottled.”

Dry Hopping
Adding hops after the boil. Less bitterness, more glorious aroma. It’s like spraying your beer with hop cologne.

Dual Purpose Hops
The multitaskers of the hop world—used for both bitterness and aroma. Basically, the Swiss Army knife of hops.

Endosperm
The starch-stuffed center of a barley grain. Not glamorous, but crucial. It’s the middle manager of malt.

Esters
Fruity aromas like banana, pear, or bubblegum. Created by yeast and often found in ales—smells like a beer smoothie, but tastes better.

Ethanol
The VIP alcohol in beer. What gets you tipsy, relaxed, or suddenly fluent in karaoke.

Export
Beer brewed to go abroad—often stronger to survive the journey, like beer wearing a travel vest.

Fermentable Sugars
Yeast food. Once eaten, these sugars become beer. It’s kind of gross and magical all at once.

Fermentation
Where yeast turns sugar into alcohol and CO₂, and brewers high-five each other in celebration.

Filtration
Beer’s version of skincare. Removes haze, yeast, and anything else that might clog your pint.

Fining
Adding stuff to make the other stuff fall out. Like glitter glue for yeast and proteins.

Forced Carbonation
Beer gets its bubbles via pressurized CO₂. Think of it as the soda stream of the beer world.

Fresh Hopping
Using fresh, undried hops. Super aromatic, super seasonal, and super cool for hop-heads.

Fusel Alcohol
Rough, hot, solvent-y alcohols created when fermentation gets a little too... heated. Less “yum,” more “ouch.”

Grainy
Tastes like raw cereal or flour. Sometimes desirable. Sometimes "who forgot to mash?"

Grist
Crushed grain ready for mashing. Smells like breakfast. Actually... don’t eat it.

Growler
A big ol’ jug (usually 64oz) that lets you take draft beer home. It’s the adult version of a sippy cup.

Head Retention
How long your beer foam sticks around. Good head retention = Instagram-ready pour.

Hops
Beer’s spice rack: adds bitterness, aroma, and flavor. Without hops, beer would just be maltjuice. Ew.

Hopping
The act of adding hops. There are several stages, but the key takeaway is: hops go in, beer gets better.

Hydrometer
Looks like a thermometer but measures sugar content. Essential for brewers, confusing for everyone else.

Lace (Belgian Lace)
The pretty foam residue left on the glass. Think of it as beer’s lipstick print.

Lager
Cold-fermented, crisp, and clean. The “don’t rock the boat” cousin to ale.

Lager Yeast
Yeast that likes it cold and slow. Produces fewer fruity flavors, but way more chill.

Lagering
The part where beer goes to relax and cool off before heading to your glass. Kind of like a beer spa.

Lagering
The part where beer goes to relax and cool off before heading to your glass. Kind of like a beer spa.

Lightstruck (Skunked)
When light hits beer and turns it into a funk fest. Green and clear bottles are the usual suspects.

Liquor
Not that kind—this is brewing water. Still essential, just less likely to make you sing Bon Jovi.

Magnum Bottle
A 1.5-liter beer bottle. For parties, sharing, or impressing people you just met.

Maltose
The main sugar in wort. Sweet, fermentable, and the reason yeast swipes right.

Mash
The hot grain-and-water porridge that becomes beer. Less tasty than oatmeal, way more potential.

Mashing
Converting starch to sugar. It’s what makes beer... beer.

Microbrewery
Tiny but mighty. Makes less than 15,000 barrels/year, usually with way more personality than your average light lager.

Modified Malts
Malted grains that are prepped and ready to convert starches. Like grains that went to brewing college.

Mouthfeel
How a beer feels in your mouth—smooth, creamy, prickly, or thin. Not to be confused with dental work.

Musty
A flavor that says “I’ve been sitting in Grandma’s attic.” Not a compliment.

Natural Carbonation
When beer carbonates itself the old-fashioned way—by trapping CO₂ during secondary fermentation. Basically, the beer breathes in and holds it. Forever.

Nitrogen
The smooth talker of the gas world. Used instead of CO₂ to give beer a creamy, silky mouthfeel—like pouring beer through a cloud wearing velvet pants.

Oasthouse
Where hops go to dry out after harvest and talk about their dreams of becoming IPA stars.

Oxidation
That pesky chemical reaction where oxygen crashes the party, turning your fresh beer into something that tastes like a forgotten loaf of bread.

Oxidized
When your beer develops flavors of wet cardboard, sherry, or regret. Usually from too much oxygen exposure. Don’t let your beer breathe too much—it’s not meditating.

Palate
Your flavor-detecting command center. If beer were music, your palate would be the sound system—and some beers definitely turn it up to 11.

pH
The acid vs. base showdown happening behind the scenes. Crucial for brewers; mostly invisible to the drinker unless something’s gone terribly wrong.

Phenols
Flavors and aromas that say “spicy,” “clove,” or “Band-Aid,” depending on the beer style—or whether your yeast is behaving.

Primary Fermentation
Where the magic (and most of the alcohol) happens. Yeast goes wild, sugar disappears, and beer is born. Think of it as the yeast rave.

Real Ale
Old-school, cask-conditioned, unfiltered, unpasteurized, and proudly low-fizz. It’s beer with a British accent and strong opinions about temperature.

Regional Craft Brewery
Not too big, not too small—just right. Makes 15,000 to 6 million barrels a year and still insists on using hops with names like “Galaxy” and “El Dorado.”

Resin
The sticky, bitter essence of hops that clings to your tongue and your memory. Like tree sap, but delicious.

Secondary Fermentation
A mellow, post-primary phase where beer chills out, matures, and sometimes carbonates in the bottle. Think of it as beer’s gap year.

Session Beer
A low-ABV beer you can sip all afternoon without texting your ex or dancing on tables. Designed for “one more round” situations.

Solvent-like
A flavor profile that screams "nail polish remover." Caused by fermentation flaws or beer that needed a timeout.

Sour
Tart, acidic, and often refreshing—like a lemon that decided to take up brewing. Popular in wild ales, kettle sours, and brave taste tests.

Specific Gravity
The sugar density of your beer before and after fermentation. Brewers love it. Most people just nod politely when it’s mentioned.

Standard Reference Method (SRM)
Beer’s official color scale. Low SRM = pale. High SRM = your glass is absorbing light.

Steeping
Soaking specialty grains in warm water to coax out color and flavor. It’s like tea time for malt.

Sulfur
Aromas that say “rotten eggs” or “burnt match.” Sometimes normal in lagers. Sometimes a sign your beer needs a shower.

Tannins
Bitter compounds from grain husks or hops. Can add structure or astringency—like beer’s version of strong opinions.

Top Fermentation
Ale yeast’s preferred method: rising to the top and partying at warm temps. The extroverts of the yeast world.

Trigeminal Nerves
Fancy nerves in your face that pick up sensations like spice, bubbles, and temperature. Basically, your built-in beer feedback sensors.

Turbidity
Cloudiness in beer, either intentional or accidental. Some beers wear it like a badge of honor. Others just need a nap.

Water
The unsung hero of beer. Makes up 90–95% of the brew and still gets none of the credit. Its mineral content can make or break a beer—like a barista with opinions.

Wet Hopping
Using fresh, undried hops straight from the field. Super aromatic, super seasonal, and super “I only drink this once a year.”

Wingers Alehouse
Your friendly neighborhood beer spot where families and hopheads can coexist. Known for comfort food, local brews, and not judging you for ordering a flight at 2 PM.

Wort
Sweet, pre-fermented beer soup. Brewers love it. Bees love it. Yeast really loves it.

Yeast
Tiny, single-celled miracle workers. They eat sugar and poop alcohol and CO₂. Without them, you’d just have sad, sweet cereal water.

Yeast Pitching
Adding yeast to cooled wort so it can get to work. Like tossing confetti at the beginning of a fermentation party.