Alabama's fast-growing craft beer scene has brought a new vocabulary that novices have to master. Here's an introduction to 20 terms you might hear around the bars, restaurants and brewery tap rooms in your town. Please help our glossary grow by adding other craft beer terms you use and their definitions in the comments below.

1. Ale. Beers fermented at warmer temperatures than lagers and often served warmer.

2. ABV: Alcohol by volume

3. Bitterness: Bitterness is caused by tannins and other characteristics of hops. It is measured in Bitterness Units (BUs) and International Bitterness Units (IBUs), which are the same

4. Brewpub: A restaurant-brewery that sells more than 25 percent of its beer onsite.

5. Bomber: A generic term for a 22 oz. bottle of beer

6. Craft beer: Beer brewed locally from local ingredients in small batches

7. Draught (aka "draft") beer: Beer drawn from kegs, casks or tanks rather than bottles or cans

8. Dubbel: Belgian designation for the second-strongest beer made

9. Growler: A glass or plastic jug to hold beer

10. Hand pump: Used to dispense beer from a keg without the use of carbon dioxide

11. Hefeweizen: Traditional German-style wheat beer

12. High gravity: Defined in Alabama as any beer more than 8 percent alcohol by volume.

13. IPA: India Pale Ale. A type of beer with a "hoppy" taste derived from the hops used in brewing.

14. Keg: Any of three different sizes of beer container. U.S. brewers typically sell half-barrels of 15.5 gallons, quarter- barrels of 7.75 gallons, and eighth barrels of 5.17 gallons.

15. Lager: Beer fermented at colder temperatures with a particular kind of yeast. Usually associated with crisp, clean flavor and served colder than ale.

16. Pilsner: A light, clear beer with a distinctive taste

17. Quad: Belgian designation for the strongest beer made.

18. Session beer: A beer of lighter body and alcohol often consumed in quantities of more than one in a sitting

19. Stout: Thicker, darker beer brewed using dark malt and roasted hops

20. Tripel: Belgian designation for the third-strongest beer made

- Definitions help from Matt Broadhurst, Straight to Ale craft brewery, Huntsville, and the website craftbeer.com