Brewspeak Lexicon: X,Y,Z

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yard, yard glass

A yard glass is a tall glass typically a metre (three feet) high (hence "yard") shaped like an elongated bicycle horn, with a wide mouth and a bulb-shaped bottom typically round, not flat. These glasses were invented as a way to provide beer to coachmen who were either unable or not permitted to leave the coach while their passengers visited an inn. The long glass enabled barmaids to hand up beer to coachmen without forcing them to leave their seats. A yard is a slang term for the volume of beer held by a yard glass. Yard glasses vary in volume, so a yard isn't a precise measurement, but typical yard glasses used as tavern novelties hold approximately a litre (35 oz.) to two litres of beer.

yeast

A single-celled plant that produces energy without the aid of chlorophyll and creates alcohol and carbon dioxide as waste products. There are many types of yeasts, and just as many types of alcohols. Yeasts used in brewing specialize on a diet of simple sugars and produce ethanol (potable alcohol). Other yeasts feed mainly on cellulose and cellulose byproducts and create methanol ("wood alcohol").

zymurgy

(ZIM-mur-djee) The official name for the branch of science devoted to yeast fermentation; applies equally to wines, beers and spirits. Zymurgy is also the last word in most English dictionaries