You’ve already taken the Beer 101 class, and we thought it was time to take it to the next level.

Consider it a classroom promotion of sorts. It’s beer big-talk, and it is what separates the boys from the men, the little girls from the refined women.

Notebooks ready? Here are some boss-level beer buzzwords.

ABV- Alcohol by Volume

You’ve seen it in beer descriptions, and might have even heard people enquiring about this while trying a new beer. It simply refers to the amount of alcohol in beer, in terms of percentage volume of alcohol per volume of beer.

Here’s some quick math that shows you how to calculate the ABV. You’ll need a hydrometer for this, of course. (What? You forgot to get it? Go stand outside class!)

The hydrometer will show you the Original Gravity (OG) and Final Gravity(FG) , and all you need to do is subtract the latter from the former, multiply it by 131, and you get the alcohol by volume percent. 

Mouthfeel

When you take that first, big sip, the sensation that the beer leaves in your mouth, based on its consistency, is the mouth feel. A fuller consistency gives a thick feel, and vice versa. 

A fuller consistency gives a thick feel, and vice versa. 

Aroma

Yup. Beers have an aroma too. And fairly distinct ones at that. The aroma is a hint towards the ingredients of the brew, and can be fruity, malty, hoppy, depending on what’s been added.

Body

Mouthfeel and body are closely associated, in that the body of the brew is responsible for the mouthfeel. The thicker and richer the brew, the fuller or more full bodied it is.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces uvarum and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis

While the above might seem like random alphabets strung together, they are in fact the scientific names for top-fermenting (the first) and bottom-fermenting yeast. (the other two)

There’s really no good enough excuse for using one of these terms in a casual conversation about beer, but you can never be too sure. There all kinds out there!
Just in case someone drops these biology bombs, you’ll always know what they’re talking about.

Brewery & Microbrewery

There are breweries. And then there are microbreweries. If you find yourself confused between two, remember—it’s all about the scale of production. Microbreweries usually have a restriction on the amount of beer they can produce per year.

Microbreweries usually have a restriction on the amount of beer they can produce per year.

Apart from breweries you also have other different establishments that serve beer, but you can refresh that chapter here.

Copper

This just feels like one of those badass terms used by brewers, when talking about their stuff to other brewers. And it does happen to be a term that was used to refer to the brew kettle, and dates back to a time long gone by. Most breweries today use stainless steel kettles, which are easier to maintain and don’t affect the flavour of the brew.

Publican

You might have heard the more common ‘owners’, or the rather stern sounding ’management’, but in the case of a pub, the owner or manager is referred to as the Publican. It’s just one of those not-often-used, but-fun-to-know terms.

With these few terms, we bring this time’s class to an end. Until next time, go forth and spread your boozy know-how!