This intermediate liquid contains the dissolved sugars, proteins, and amino acids necessary to sustain yeast during fermentation. It is created in the mash tun by steeping crushed grains in hot water, then separated from the spent grain husks during lautering. Once boiled with hops and cooled, it is ready to be pitched with yeast to become beer.
The pump is clogged with husks, so we're getting a really slow runoff of the beerwort into the kettle.
Also heard as
- wort
- sweet wort
Do not mix it up with
- Mashwort: Mashwort specifically refers to the liquid while it is still mixed with or just draining from the grain, while beerwort is the collected liquid ready for boiling.
Related terms
Wort
The sweet, unfermented liquid extracted from mashed grains that serves as the basis for beer or whisky.
Mash
A hot mixture of crushed malt and water where enzymes convert grain starches into fermentable sugars.
Mash tun
An insulated or heated vessel where crushed grains and hot water are mixed to convert starches to sugars.
Lautering
The process of separating sweet liquid wort from the spent grain solids after mashing.