Glossary

IBU - International Bittering Units

Measurement of the how much the contribution of the hops's alpha acid levels affect the actual bitterness of a beer. Due to the apparent bitterness of a beer being subjective to the drinkers palette and the balancing malt sweetness of the beer, IBU this is not an absolute measure of the "hoppiness" of a beer. Generally speaking, however, beers with an IBU value less than 20 have little to no apparent hops presence. Beers with IBUs ranging from 20 to 45 are most common with a mild to pronounced hops presence. Beers with IBU values greater than 45 are heavy in their hops presence and are typically quite bitter.

Original Gravity (OG)

Measurement of both the fermentable and unfermentable substances in the wort before fermentation. OG gives the brewer an idea of the potential alcoholic strength they can expect from the final product.

Final Gravity (FG)

Measurement to determine the amount of unfermantable substances remaining in beer after fermentation. When FG is examined mathematically against OG (Original Gravity) the exact alcoholic strength can be calculated.