Pasteurization: Heating of beer to 60-79 C / 140-174 F to stabilise it microbiologically.

Pils (Pilsener): Style of bottom-fermented light-coloured beer with a very pronounced taste of hops.

Pitch: To add yeast to wort.

Reinheitsgebot: Beer purity law originating in Bavaria in 1520 and now applied to all German brewers making beer for consumption in Germany. It allows only malted grains, hops, yeast and water to be used in brewing.

Sediment: The yeast material at the bottom of a bottle of conditioned beer.

Shelf Life: The number of days a beer will retain its peak drinkability. Packaged beer is best drunk fresh.

Sparge: To spray grist with hot water to remove soluble sugars (maltose). This takes place at the end of the mash.

Top-fermenting yeast: One of the two types of yeast used in brewing. Top-fermenting yeast works better at warmer temperatures and is able to tolerate higher alcohol concentrations than bottom-fermenting yeast. It is unable to ferment some sugars, and results in a fruitier, sweeter beer.

Tun: Any large vessels used in brewing.

Wort: The solution of grain sugars strained from the mash tun. At this stage, regarded as "sweet wort", later as brewed wort, fermenting wort and finally beer.

Yeast: A micro-organism of the fungus family.

Yeasty: Yeastlike flavor; a result of yeast in suspension or beer sitting too long on sediment.