| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alpha Amylase | Degrades starch to a mixture of dextrins and sugars.
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| Amber | Any top or bottom fermented beer having an amber color, that is, between pale and dark.
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| Amino Acids | Compounds with an amino and a carboxyl group. Proteins are built up of amino acids connected by peptide linkages.
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| Ammonia | A colorless, gaseous compound of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3) of extremely pungent smell. Used as a refrigerant.
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| Amylase | An enzyme group that converts starches to sugars, consisting primarily of alpha and beta amylase. Also referred to as the diastatic enzymes.
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| Amylodextrin | The first hydrolysis product of starch with amylase; gives purple color with iodine.
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| Anaerobic | Referring to bacteria and other forms of life that do not require oxygen to live. In brewing such as a bottom-fermenting lager yeast, that is able to metabolize without oxygen present.
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| Antiseptic | An "antiseptic" is a substance which inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms.
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| Apparent Attenuation | The indication of the Balling or Plato hydrometer in extract beer not de- alcoholized. This term is usually given as a percentage to describe the percent of malt sugar that is converted by the yeast strain to ethanol and CO2. Most yeast strains attenuate in the range of 65 - 80%. More specifically, this range is the "Apparent" attenuation.
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| Aroma Hops | Varieties of hop chosen to impart bouquet. (See Hops)
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| Aseptic | Free of living organisms in any form.
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| Astringent | The astringent taste is a flavor of dryness that is generally produced by tannins in the bark, leaves and outer rinds of fruits and trees. In brewing, a drying, puckering taste; tannic; can be derived from boiling the grains, long mashes, over sparging or sparging with hard water.
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| Attenuation | Extent to which yeast consumes fermentable sugars (converting them into alcohol and carbon dioxide). The thinning down or reduction in wort concentration resulting from fermentation decreases the amount of extract.
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| Autolysis | Refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes. It may also refer to the digestion of an enzyme by another molecule of the same enzyme. Such self-digestion of tissues often apply to yeast.
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| Bacterial | Anything containing an effect of the presence of bacteria. In brewing, a general term covering off-flavors such as moldy, musty, woody, lactic acid, vinegar, or microbiological spoilage.
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