Explanatory Dictionary

German Purity Laws of 1516. It defines the four ingredients of beer to be water, barley, yeast and hops. And nothing more.

International Bittering Units.  A fancy term developed as a way to demonstrate the bitterness of a beer.  Chemically speaking it is a measurement of bitterming compounds like alpha acids.  Most beers fall between 5 and 120 IBUs.

Sugar that is added to the fermented wort at the time of bottling. The still active yeast will continue to feed on this sugar and cause bubbles to form in the bottled beer. This results in carbonation.

A bung, or stopper, is a rubber plug that fits into the tapered closure of a carboy. Bungs come in various sizes and shapes, and are either solid or drilled, meaning they have a hole drilled through the middle of them for use with an airlock or blow off tube.

A carboy or demijohn is a glass or plastic vessel used in fermenting beverages such as wine, mead, cider, perry, and beer. Usually it is fitted with a rubber stopper and a fermentation lock to prevent bacteria and oxygen from entering during the fermentation process.

Ahh, you must be reading a Billy Watson story… Agoraphobia is the fear of crowded or enclosed spaces.

A woman who keeps an alehouse.  A woman brewer.   Strangely enough, also a foodfish of the herring family.  

Borne of the flowing water, Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag, Borne of the flowing water, Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,   Read the full hymn here.

The name for a female brewer.  A woman brewer.  A lady who makes beer.

Trappist is the general term for beer brewed by monks in Trappist breweries.