X-Y-Z

-A-

abw-- Alcohol by weight, as a percentage. The simplest measure and the measure most often used in Europe.

Ale-- Beer fermented by top-fermenting yeasts at temperatures of 55-70°F. Usually has a higher hop content than lager.

Altbier-- A German-style bitter or pale ale.

Amber-- Refers to the Irish-style amber-red ale.

Aroma-- The pleasing bouquet of beer which comes primarily from the oils derived from hops.

-B-

Barley wine-- English term for an extra strong ale.

Bavaria-- The largest state in Germany with a high concentration of German breweries. The capital is Munich.

Beer-- A fermented beverage made from grain and other flavorings.

Beer-clean-- Refers to a glass container being properly washed, rinsed, dried and of ideal temperature to properly receive beer without altering the characteristics of the beer.

Bière de garde-- A French-style strong, ale-like beer originally brewed for keeping in storage.

Bitter-- Implies a well-hopped beer.

Bock-- Also Bok. A German-style extra strong dark lager.

Bohemia-- Region containing Moravia and the Czech Republic.

Bottle-conditioned-- With living yeast in the bottle.

Brabant-- Old duchy of Western Europe including the region now forming the Northern Brabant province of the Netherlands & of Brabant & Antwerp provinces of Belgium.

Brewpub-- A pub, tavern or restaurant that makes it's own beer in-house and may sell it off premise as well.

-C-

Cabernet Sauvignon-- A dry red wine made from a single widely cultivated variety of black grape.

Charades-- A game in which some of the players try to guess a word or phrase from the actions of another player who may not speak.

Chardonnay-- A dry white table wine of Chablis type

-D-

Dortmunder Export-- A dry, slightly strong, golden lager.

Double Bock-- Also Doppelbock. A stronger bock.

Dunkel-- German word for "dark". Also spelled Dunkle or Dunkles.

-E-

ESB-- Acronym for Extra Special Bitter.

Export-- A German-style beer of above average strength. Generally 4.2-4.4 abw/5.25-5.5 abv.

-F-

Flanders-- Medieval county along coast of what is now Belgium and adjacent parts of France & Netherlands.

Foosball-- A table game resembling soccer in which the ball is moved by manipulating rods to which small figures of players are attached.

Framboise-- French word used in Belgium to indicate rasberry beers.

Frambozen-- Flemmish word used in Belgium to indicate rasberry beers.

Franconia-- A regional name for the three northernmost counties of Bavaria. Also referred to as Upper Bavaria. Area includes the cities of Nuremberg and Bamberg.

-G-

Grunge-- Rock music incorporating elements of punk rock and heavy metal.

Gueuze-- Also Gueze. A blend of young and old Iambics into a champagnelike beer.

-H-

Hefeweizen-- An unfiltered wheat beer.

Helles-- German word for "pale". Also spelled Hell.

-I-

Imperial Stout-- An extra strong Russian-style stout.

IPA-- Acronym for "India Pale Ale". A type of stronger hoppier ale originally made for Britain's Indian Empire because the hoppier nature acted as a preservative for shipping great distances.

Irish Ale-- Also referred to as a Red Ale which is usually a reddish, malty ale.

-J-

Jazz-- American music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre.

-K-

Kölsch-- A German word meaning "from Cologne" and applied to a number of golden ales brewed near that city.

Kellerbier-- A German word meaning "Cellar beer" and applied to some unfiltered, low-carbonated, hoppy lagers.

Kloster-- A German term for any beer made or originally brewed in a monastery.

Kriek-- Flemish cherry used in some types of fruit beers.

-L-

Lager-- Referring to technique of fermenting and maturing a beer at relatively low temperatures.

Lambic-- Belgian-style beer fermented utilizing wild yeasts.

Limberg-- Referring to the brewing province in the Netherlands, centered around the city of Maastricht.

-M-

Märzenbier-- A reddish hued, malty, medium strength beer traditionally brewed in March and matured until September. Also referred as an Oktoberfest.

Maibock-- A pale, hoppy bock released in late spring.

Merlot-- A dry red wine made from a widely grown grape originally used in the Bordeaux region of France for blending.

Microbrewery-- A small brewery making specialty beers in small quantities.

Mild Ale-- A lightly hopped ale.

Munich-style-- Usually a pale or dark hued malt accented lager. Also referred as Munchener or Munchner.

-N-

-O-

Octoberfest-- Usually a Marzenbier.

Old Ale-- A traditionally strong, dark ale.

Oud Bruin-- Traditionally a very sweet dark lager. A Belgian-style is a sourish brown ale.

-P-Q-

Pale Ale-- Usually a bronze colored beer with a lessened hue compared to a brown ale or a porter.

Pilsener-- The standard golden lager known the world over. Other spellings include Pils and Pilsner.

Pint-- 1 US Pint = 16 fluid ounces. 1 Imperial Pint = 20 fluid ounces.

Porter-- A traditionally top-fermented dark brown to black hued beer made with kilned malts.

-R-

Rauchbier-- A German-style of lager made with smoked malts.

Red Ale-- Another term for a reddish, malty Irish-style ale.

-S-

Saison-- This Belgian-style of summer ale can be strong, dry and slightly sour .

Schwarzbier-- Also known as a "Black Beer", this East German dark lager usually has a bitter chocolate or coffee character to it.

Scotch Ale-- Usually a dark, strong , smooth and malty ale made in Scotland.

Snifter-- A short-stemmed goblet with a bowl narrowing toward the top or a small nip of distilled liquor.

Stout-- Traditionally a top-fermenting, dark brown to black hued beer made with highly roasted grains.

-T-

Tooters-- A test tube shaped container used to dispense shooters or shots of liquor.

Top 40-- The forty best-selling albums for a given period. The current hits.

Triple-- An extra potent, aromatic hoppy golden ale. Also spelled Tripel.

-U-

-V-

Vienna-style Lager-- A red/bronze colored lager with a sweet malt aroma and flavor.

-W-

Weizen-- One spelling of the German word for wheat beer. Also used are Weisse or Weisbeer.

White-- The english term for a Belgian style of spiced wheat beer.

White Zinfindel-- A blush wine made from zinfandel grapes.

Wit-- The Flemish term for a Belgian style of spiced wheat beer.

-X-Y-Z-

Zinfindel-- A dry red table wine made from a small black grape that is grown chiefly in California.