zymurgy

noun

Etymology: From zym- (prefix meaning ‘fermentation’) + -urgy (suffix denoting a technique for working with something), modelled after metallurgy.

1. Synonym of zymology (“the chemistry of fermentation with yeasts, especially the science involved in beermaking and winemaking”).

   “ZYMURGY. A name applied to that department of technological chemistry which treats of the scientific principles of wine-making, brewing, distilling, and the preparation of yeast and vinegar,—processes in which fermentation plays the principal part.”

   “With great interest I learn from a pamphlet by Mr. Georg Barth, expert in zymurgy at Munich, which I have received lately, that the author, in his essay on "The Best Method of Storing Hops," arrives at the same conclusions which I have drawn in this article.”

2. The practice of using fermentation to produce alcoholic beverages.

   “Of Zymurgy I little know, / Perhaps because I little knead, / And can but make a sorry show / In singing liaisons of feed, / Flour, fodder,— […]”

   “Of course, tastes in brewing have changed (and diversified) since zymurgy’s early days. For example, hops are now considered a staple beer ingredient, but their use was considered illegal by the Brewer’s Guild in England until the late fifteenth century.”