Beer attenuation is one of those seemingly complicated topics thrown around on the forums. It can get confusing for even advanced brewers who don’t use the terms often. Before we get into the calculations, I believe a few definitions of the terms are in order.

Some yeast fermentation terminology will be given here so that you will understand what you are reading in the homebrewing texts, what’s going on in your carboy or bucket, and so you can communicate these terms concisely.