Beer jargon dictionary to help you understand the world of craft beer better

Beer jargon dictionary to help you understand the world of craft beer better, including the definition of ales, ABVs, porters, session beers and dry hopping

There’s a whole lot of jargon in the beer world, and so that you can make good sense of it all, we’ve put together a little craft beer jargon dictionary.

If reading it makes you feel somewhat thirsty, then head over to the Hopsmore website. There you can grab yourself a monthly subscription, and get a box of delicious craft beers sent to your home for just £34.99 if you use the code 10FIRSTBOX at the checkout.

We’ve also got a one-off gift beer box, if you’d like to try out a box before subscribing. Our one-off box also makes a great gift, as you can get it delivered straight to someone’s door for a surprise they’ll remember. You can get it for only £30 when you use the code 5GIFTBOX at the checkout.

Here’s the little craft beer slang dictionary of some of the most common terms:

• ABV – stands for ‘alcohol by volume’ which is a measurement of the alcohol content or strength as a percentage.
• Ales – beers fermented with top-fermenting yeast, they are typically fermented at warmer temperatures than lagers, and are often served warmer.
• bitterness – in beer is caused by the tannins and hops. The amount of bitterness in a beer is one of the defining characteristics of a beer style.
• body – the consistency, thickness and mouth-filling property of a beer.
• ddh – double dry-hopped, simply means using twice as many hops as you would normally use for the same beer.
• Dry Hopping – when hops are added late in the brewing process to increase the hop aroma of a finished beer without significantly affecting its bitterness.
• hops – it’s a green cone-shaped flower of the Humulus lupulus plant. They give the beer a particular flavor and aroma.
• IPA – stands for India pale ale. This is a beer that was created in England and was then exported overseas. Its name is a result of its popularity with British troops stationed in India in the 19th century.
• Milkshake IPA – the use of lactose and fruit gives a smooth, delightful mouthfeel.
• NEIPA – a very popular style, a New England IPA has a tropical fruit hop aroma and flavour, dry-hopped to the point of being hazy, smoother and less bitter than typical IPAs.
• pale ale – a lightly hopped beer with low bitterness.
• porter – a style of beer that was developed in London in the early 18th century, dark in appearance owing to the use of brown malt and popular with street and river porters.
• session beer – typically lower-alcohol beer (under 5%).
• sour – beer with an intentionally acidic or sour taste, and are often compared to NEIPAs with added tartness.

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