By Blair Anthony Robertson, Sacramento Bee

If you’re looking to become part of the thriving beer scene, it can be a lot of fun. But it can also be intimidating, especially when it comes to the language of beer. What, exactly, does your beer geek friend mean by “hoppy?” And did he say “bread” or “brett” when referring to the yeast? Session beer: Is that a good thing? And are you considered cool if you still love Pliny? Or you’ve moved on?

With excellent brews flowing around all sorts of areas, what follows is an informal primer to get you up to speed and help you feel at home at your favorite brewery or beer-centric pub.

Craft beer: This refers to the little breweries, the underdogs, the up-and-comers. But wait. Aren’t behemoths Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas craft breweries? Well, yes. Craft beer gatekeepers keep changing the definition.

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