Siebel - Brewing Terminology

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Bacteriophage	Virus that lives in and kills bacteria. Also called phage.

Bacterium	Any of a large group of microscopic organisms with a very simple cell structure. Some manufacture their own food, some live as parasites on other organisms, and some live on decaying matter. (See Prokaryote)

Barrel	a. Generic name for a cask or keg. b. Container for transporting draft beer. c. Unit of liquid volume measure: U.S. beer barrel = 31 U.S. Gallon Canada beer barrel = 25 Imp. Gallon British beer barrel = 36 Imp. Gallon

Base	Any compound which will dissociate on solution in water to produce one or more hydroxyl ions (OH-).

Base	On the DNA molecule, one of the four chemical units that, according to their order and pairing, represent the different amino acids. The four bases are: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). In RNA, uracil (U) substitutes for thymine.

Base pair	Two nucleotide bases on different strands of the nucleic acid molecule that bond together. The bases can pair in only one way: adenine with thymine (DNA) or uracil (RNA), and guanine with cytosine.

Beer Stone	Grayish-brown deposit of calcium oxalate and organic matter on surface of equipment in prolonged contact with beer.

Beta	Is an enzyme which catalyzes the hydrolysis of Glucanase randomly placed internal links in the beta glucan chain.

Biocatalyst	In bioprocessing, an enzyme or microorganism that activates or speeds up a biochemical reaction.

Bioconversion	Chemical restructuring of raw materials by using a biocatalyst.

Biodegradable	Capable of being broken down by the action of microorganisms or enzymes.

Biological oxygen demand (BOD)	The amount of oxygen used for growth by organisms in water that contains organic matter. Commonly used as an indicator of pollution levels.

Biology	The branch of knowledge which treats all living organisms.

Biomass	The mass of biological material (e.g. microbial cells or plants), commonly used to refer to agricultural feedstocks. In microbiology, refers to mass of microbial cells in growth studies.

Bios	Vitamin necessary for yeast growth; found to be a mixture of i- inositol, vitamin (B1) and "biotin," and/or pantothenic acid.

Biosensor	Device in which powerful recognition systems of biological chemicals (enzymes, antibodies) are coupled to microelectronics to enable low-level detection of substances such as sugars and proteins in body fluids, pollutants in water and gases in air.

Biotechnology	Development of products by a biological process. Production may be carried out by using intact organisms, such as yeasts and bacteria, or by using natural substances (e.g. enzymes) from organisms.

Bitterness	The bitter substances in beer which are mainly iso-alpha acids.

Bitterness Unit(BU)	A method of measuring the degree of bitterness in beer. The bitter substances are extracted from acidified beer with iso-octane and the absorbance measured with a spectrophotometer at 275 nm.

Brilliancy	Property (of a beer) of being transparent and sparkling.

Brine	Water to which sodium chloride is added to lower its freezing point. Term can also be applied if calcium chloride, potassium carbonate, specially denatured ethyl alcohol or propylene glycol are added. Level of corrosion inhibitor and pH must be controlled.

British Thermal	Amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water, Unit (BTU) one degree Fahrenheit.

Budding	The production of new yeast cells as buds from mother cells.

Buffer	Any substance, or combination of substances, which when dissolved in water produces a solution which resists a change in its hydrogen ion concentration upon the addition of acid or alkali.

Bunging	To close a container with a bung or to connect a container to a pressure- regulating system; to maintain a certain counter pressure of CO2.

°B Degree Balling	Grams of extract in 100 gm. water solution at 20°C., or pounds extract in 100 pounds of solution. Usually measured by determining specific gravity of the solution with a hydrometer (brewers use hydrometers which read directly in °B by referring to tables).

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