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ACETIFICATION: The conversion of our precious alcohol into vinegar. Probably one of the largest risks for the home brewer and is one of the main reasons we are so keen in keeping everything sterile
ACID: The sour constituent in wine which may be citric, tartaric, malic
or lactic, but must not be acetic. The riper the grapes are the more
tartaric and the less malic acid they contain. Malic acid is contained
in many fruits but particularly in apples. When wine is allowed to stand
on its yeast deposit during warm weather it frequently becomes less acid
through the malic acid turning into a milder acid, namely lactic acid.
This is the acid which is present in milk when it goes sour and this
change to a milder acidity is known as the malo-lactic fermentation.
Most wines generally have an acid content between 0.5 & 0.75%. All acids
are interchangeable, if a recipe names a
specific acid you can ignore this & use any. This can save you money as
you now only need one tub of acid rather than three, quite a few
winemakers, like me, settle for tartaric acid as any excess settles out
in the bottle in the form of “argols”. See
Argols, Citric, Malic & Tartaric acids.
ACID BLEND/MIX: People who worry too much about which is the correct
acid to use can make a mixture of approximately 1 part citric, 2 parts
malic & 3 parts tartaric acid (quantities not at all critical).
Personally I find this expensive (you need 3 acids not 1) & wasteful (it
will be years out of date by the time you use half of it). Just settle
for 1 type (see Acid above). By careful selection of ingredients it is
often possible to design a recipe that needs no additional acid, if some
is needed, you can always shove in a stick of rhubarb.
ALPHA ACID: Is the part of the hop that adds bitterness to a beer.
ANADA: a nursery for young sherry.
APERITIF: Appetizer wine.
ARGOLS: (See Cream Of Tartar). The beautiful, harmless, tiny glass-like
crystals that sometimes appear in bottles of wine, sometimes attached to
the cork. It is the potassium salt of tartaric acid & is known
chemically as potassium hydrogen tartrate, potassium tartrate or
dipotassium tartrate & has the formula K2C4H4O6.
One advantage of using Tartaric acid for wine making is that any excess
will be deposited in the form of these crystals when the wine is cooled.
BLACK (PATENT) MALT: See Roasted Malts
BODY: This is one of the key components of wine tasting and it really seems odd that I cannot describe it. I know adding bananas to country wines adds body and so I often to this. I know what a thin wine tastes like but again how to describe it? Get two glasses & a good quality red, at least 5 years old, one glass will have the red poured normally at room temperature 20C ish and in the other glass, the wine is diluted with 50% water. Both need to be the same temp. The dilute one has less body (it is thinner) than the undiluted one. Mind you, it will have less aroma and less alcohol, so, is this a good idea? Probably not!
BOTTLES: You know what a bottle is. You know the glass thing that holds your wine, beer....
Red table wines generally green bottles.
White table wines tall green or amber are preferred.
Dessert wines such as Sauternes go into white,
Sherries into brown bottles.
Champagnes into flagon size heavy bottles.
A full size wine bottle holds 26 2/3 oz. i.e. 1/6 gallon.
Magnum 2 bottles = 1/3 gallon Jeroboam 4 bottles (a double magnum) Rehoboarn 6 bottles = 1gallon Methuselah 8 bottles Salmanazar 12 bottles = 2 gallon Balthazar 16 bottles Nebuchadnezzar 20 bottles
BOTTOMS: (Lees). The deposit that settles in a fermenter or storage vessel. Usually contains dead yeast cells and other debris from the wine.
BOUQUET: The all important aroma of wine.
BRANDY: A high alcohol beverage made by distilling wine.
BOTTOM FERMENTING: See Yeast. Lagers are bottom fermented.
CAMPDEN TABLET: See Sterilizer. Consists of sodium metabisulphate, when
a tablet is dissolved in water or wine it releases 50 ppm (parts per
million) of sulphur dioxide (DO NOT inhale - Bill Clinton). Can be used
as a sterilizer & to prevent the growth of unwanted spoilage yeasts &
bacteria
CARBONATED WINES: Wines that have carbon dioxide gas in them causing them to be sparkling. This is normally done by means of fermentation producing the bubbles but sometime I guess they just inject the wine with CO2 as if it were lemonade.
CASEIN (POTASSIUM CASEINITE): See Fining. A wine positively charged
fining agent, the predominant
phosphoprotein
(no, I don’t understand either) found in fresh milk. Its action is quite
harsh, stripping some of the flavour from a wine and reducing tannins.
Fuder of German wine = approx. 220 gallons (Basically a lot and often these casks have very ornate woodwork.)
Tun or Tonneau = 190 gallons (Used for burgundy)
Pipe = 115 gallons (Used for port)
Butt = 108 gallons (Used for sherry)
Hogshead = 57 gallons (Used for port. Not all Hogsheads are the same size it kind of depends if it holds Sherry or port)
Hogshead = 54 gallons (Size is right if used for sherry)
CASKS (BEER):
Barrel = 36 gallons
Kilderkin = 18 gallons
Firkin = 9 gallons
Pin = 41 gallons
CHAMPAGNE:
See Sparkling Wine, a sparkling wine from the Champagne area of France.
CHILL HAZE: Sometimes occurs when a beer is chilled, caused by nitrogen in the malted barley, it is only temporary & is not harmful, neither does it cause ill effects to the drinker.
CHITIN: See Chitosan.
CHITOSAN: See Fining. A positively charged wine fining agent derived
from the shells of crabs, shrimps &lobsters etc.
CHOCOLATE MALT: See Roasted Malts.
COMPLEX: A very subjective term that refers to a wine or beer exhibits a variety of (usually subtle) flavours and/or aromas, consequently these drinks are always very interesting to drink. “Classic” beers generally seem to contain some complexity.
CORKED: A tasting term used to describe a wine contaminated by a of
mould infection of the cork and NOT, as many people think, one
that has bits of cork floating about in it. The result may be a wine
that is “lacking” and can be difficult to spot, or it may be terribly
obvious, with wet cardboardy, musty, mushroomy & dank aromas and
flavours.
CREAM OF TARTAR: (See Argols) Have you ever noticed a white crystalline deposit at the bottom of a bottle of wine? This is what is called Cream of Tartar and whilst it is the sign of a very good quality wine the average punter does not like to see any deposits in their wine and so commercial wineries go to length to get the deposit to settle prior to bottling. It is basically salts from tartaric acid and can be made to deposit out of the wine by allowing the wine to be chilled for a period prior to bottling. The cold accelerates the depositing of these white crystals. I love to see a few but that's me.
CRIADERA: successive stages in blending Sherries.
CRYSTAL MALT: See Roasted Malts.
DEMIJOHN: A glass vessel with a large a body of about 4.5l (1 UK gall)
useable capacity & has 2 small looped handles (“ears”) at its short
narrow neck. Normally used for making/maturing wines or small quantities
of (usually strong) beer.
DRY: A wine or beer with no residual sweetness, all the sugars have been
fermented. Note that beers are “sweetened” with non-fermentable sugars.
See Sweet.
E223: See Sodium Disulphite.
EBC: European Brewing Congress colour measurement for beer.
See
EBU: See IBU. European Bittering units,
a method of indicating the hop bitterness in a finished beer.
By definition 1EBU =
1mg isomerised Alpha acid in 1litre, OR 1ppm iso-alpha acid (glad you
asked?)
ENZYMES: Used in winemaking and brewing to promote structural breakdown
in the ingredients. Pectic Enzymes (Pectin-destroying enzymes) help
prevent pectin hazes in wines.
o
Primary fermentation-
Aerobic - Oxygen is being consumed the yeast uses this to reproduce.
This phase is very productive in terms of yeast population but not
very productive in terms of alcohol.
Anaerobic - No oxygen present. All the oxygen has been consumed and due
to the use of a fermentation lock no more oxygen can get to the
brew. This stage of fermentation is not very productive in terms of
yeast population but is very productive in terms of alcohol production.
o Secondary fermentation- I use this term to be that used for priming the brew when I want fizzy drink. But more it is also used as a term for the anaerobic part of what I refer to as primary fermentation. Confusing I know. I will check a few books and take a consensus.
FERMENTATION TRAP: See Airlock.
FINING: A method of clarifying a wine by adding to it an inert or a
soluble substance which becomes insoluble by interaction with tannin and
settles down to the bottom, pulling suspended matter down with it.
Fining agents (finings) include such things as clay, boiled animal bits,
fish swim bladders, sea weed, sea shells, blood, egg white, milk, … I’ve
no idea what made them try such things! So, Vegetarians, & those who
have sympathy with their beliefs, buy with care & check the labels for
information. At this point it may be pertinent to say that I rarely use
finings, especially for beer, but I do use Bentonite when winemaking.
Most wines will clear naturally within a few weeks.
See Bentonite, Gelatin, Irish Moss, Isinglass &
Kieselsol.
FLOWERS OF WINE: A white skin which gradually forms on wines exposed to air. This will decompose the wine eventually. (Not to be confused with Flor, a sherry film.)
FLOR: Sherry yeast, under some conditions will form a wrinkled skin consisting of yeast on top of sherry causing it to develop strong sherry flavour and to become dry and pale.
FORTIFICATION: the addition of grape spirit or other strong alcohol to wine or grape juice as in the production of sherry and port.
GALLON: 8 UK pints or 160 oz = 1 Imperial gallon = approximately
4.5litres
128 oz = 1 American gallon, 5UK gall = 6US gall (the gallon is
about the only thing us Limeys have that is bigger than the Yanks!)
% alcohol = O.G. – F. G.
7.45
See Specific Gravity.
HAZE: See Chill Haze. Hazes are not harmful, nor do they cause ill
health. Not to be confused with an “off” beer which will react quite
violently with your stomach, but such beers will smell vile. Some beers
are naturally hazy but we, the drinkers, have come to expect
crystal-clear beers over the years, many commercial brewers have used
this as a selling point, thus turning us away from anything not
“perfect”.
HYDROMETER: A device floated in a liquid to measure its specific
gravity, which is indicated on a scale. Dave Line states that
hydrometers have a magical quality that always makes the scale face away
from the observer, my observations back this theory 100%.
IRISH MOSS: See Copper Finings.
A beer kettle fining derived from seaweed (Carrageen). Add 1 teaspoon
per 5 gallons to the last 15 minus of the boil to enhance the cold break
(protein coagulation).
ISOMERISE: To change a chemical compound from one molecular structure to another whilst retaining its molecular formula. With hops the isomerisation is caused by boiling in water.
KIESELSOL: See Fining. A negatively charged wine fining agent, an
aqueous suspension of silicon dioxide, a by-product of the glass
industry.
LAGER: A “beer” made with bottom-fermenting yeast, with a slow
fermentation and stored longer& at lower temperatures than other beers
for maturation. Lager is a German term meaning to store. See Beer.
LEGS (or TEARS): Refers to the tear-like tracks that a wine makes down
the side of a glass. Not essential for assessing the quality of a wine
or a sign of quality, although some drinkers do pass comment, I
personally love to see nice legs but I don’t like tears.
MALT: Barley that has been germinated and then roasted to varying
degrees. This releases enzymes, mainly diastase, that can convert
starches to simpler sugars that the yeast can feed on and produce
alcohol, and the roasting stops the process of growth. Normally sold
according to the degree of colour from the kilning, e.g. Pale, Amber &
Lager malts.
OENOLOGIST: A student of wine-also spelt Enologist. (Thanks to S. M. Tritton for this one)
OLOROSO: Sweet full bodied dark sherry.
ORIGINAL GRAVITY (O. G.): See Specific Gravity. The Specific Gravity of a wine must or beer wort before fermentation.
OXIDATION: Browning under the influence of air which causes spoilage except in the case of sherry which is an oxidised wine. A good demonstration of oxidation when an apple is cut & left for a short period, the apple turns brown.
PATENT (BLACK) MALT: See Roasted Malts
PECTIN ENZYME: Is usually added at the rate of about 5g/1 tsp per 4.5
litres of wine must to prevent “pectin hazes”, greater doses are added
when using high pectin fruits such as damsons & quinces. Pectin is
highly desirable when making jams.
PRIMING: The addition of a small amount of sugar or malt extract to a
beer to give it condition after bottle fermentation. Sparkling wines can
also be primed with sugar or grape juice etc.
I prefer to use acidity as a
percentage, I find it much easier to understand & work with.
POTASSIUM SORBATE (E202): An antifungal and antibacterial preservative that can be used as a wine stabilizer, it has no known adverse effects.
RACKING: Separating the clear wine from the sediment (Lees). This is conventionally done by siphoning but can be done by careful pouring.
ROAST BARLEY: See Roasted Malts
SODIUM DISULPHITE (E223): Is used as a preservative in some products and can also be used as a bleaching agent. It is sometimes used as a wine stabilizer. Owing to its oxidising effect its presence can reduce the vitamin contents of products. You may wish to know that it is reduced to a harmless sulphate in the liver, before being excreted in the urine.
SPARKLING WINE: a wine containing a natural effervescence such as Champagne.
SPARGE/SPARGING: After mashing a beer & drawing off the wort, the
remaining grains are washed with hot water to remove as much of the
remaining sugars as possible.
SUGAR: Approximately half of sugar is turned into alcohol & half into CO2
during the fermentation process.
SUGAR SYRUP/SOLUTION: In winemaking especially, it is generally much
easier/better to add sugar as a solution. Just put the sugar in a pan
with some water, heat & stir until the sugar dissolves (no need to
boil). A solution gravity of 1300 is easily achieved & concentrated
enough for most purposes, for each 100g sugar add about 62.5ml water to
produce about 125ml sugar syrup.
SWEET: A wine or beer with some residual sweetness. For wines there are
several degrees of sweetness & most people seem to have their own
definitions, thus rendering the system fatally flawed. So here are my
(arbitrary) definitions which mostly increase in nice, easy 5° steps:
Style |
Dry |
Medium Dry |
Medium |
Med. Sweet |
Sweet |
Desert |
Finished Gravity |
<998 |
998-1005 |
1005-1010 |
1010-1015 |
1015-1020 |
1020+ |
Approx. sweetening sugar g/4.5litre |
0 |
120 |
190 |
250 |
310 |
375 |
TANNIN: Is found in fruit skins, pips and stalks & are harsh, bitter
compounds which, if present in large quantities, can make a wine
difficult to drink as they leave a dry, astringent sensation in the
mouth - rather like drinking stewed tea, which is also very tannic.
Tannins may also enter the wine from oak barrels or chippings. Tannic
wines are generally destined for prolonged ageing, during this period
the tannins polymerize to form sediment and produce a good bouquet &
give depth to a wine. Generally white wines require less than 0.04%
tannin, reds 0.09 to 0.3 & rosés are somewhere in between.
Winemakers:
note that tannin obtained from tea is not the same as that obtained from
grapes & other fruits.
THIN: A description of a wine that lacks substance/tastes “watery”. See
Body.
TRUB: Is the trubaceous matter is the sediment
that gathers in the bottom of a beer fermenting vessel & mainly consists
of heavy fats, proteins, hop bits and dead yeast cells. HOT TRUB is the
sediment that occurs when the wort is boiled & consists largely of
coagulated proteins and gums.
Trubs can impart off flavours to the finished beer.
TUN: Can be a large cask for liquids, especially wine, a measure of
liquid capacity equivalent to approximately 954 litres (252 gallons) but
generally, to the home brewer it is a large container that we usually
use to mash and/or ferment our beers in. We can also use our tuns for
fermenting large quantities of wine as they generally have a useable
capacity of 23l (5
VEGAN/VEGETARIANS can, like a lot of people, be put off beer & wine
making because of some of the products used as fining agents, when you
see the list of items tried/used it is very easy to see why! Luckily
beers very rarely need finings, most wines will clear naturally given
sufficient time &, should finings be required, the range of “friendly”
products available is fortunately expanding.
See Fining.
VINIFICATION: the conversion into wine of any juice but mainly grape juice.
VINTAGE: the harvesting of the grapes.
VINTNER: wine maker.
VITICULTURIST: vine grower.
WINE: An alcoholic drink usually made by fermenting grape or other fruit
juices.
See Brewers Yeast.
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