Meanings
bittering1
plural bitterings
- A bitter compound, such as that used in adulterating beer or that removed from coffee.
It is used as a kettle addition in conjunction with other post-fermentation bitterings.
2013, Encyclopaedia of Brewing1 more example
A patent was lately grantedd to David Dear, of the town of Salina, county of Onondaga, and state of New York, for an improved mode of separating the bitterings from, and cleaning hte same from salt kettles or boilers of any description used in the manufacture of salt.
1839, “Dear's Process of Separating and Removing the Bitterings from the Kettles or Boilers Used in the Manufacture of Salt”, in Mechanics' Magazine, volume 30, page 94 - The act of making or becoming bitter.
Aroma hops can be used for bittering also, and many homebrewers swear by this, claiming a finer, cleaner overall hop profile.
2001, John J. Palmer, How to Brew, page 561 more example
This observation would suffice to explain the fact mentioned at the commencement of this paragraph, that bittering is almost exclusively confined to red wines, these containing, as is well known, a somewhat large amount of tannin absorbed from the skins and kernels of the grape during the primary fermentation.
1898, Franz Lafar, Technical mycology v.1,, page 405
- not comparableCausing a bitter taste or smell.
a bittering agent in antifreeze
2 more examples
The Consumer Product Safety Commission also questions the effectiveness of the bittering agent and wrote that there is no evidence that DB or any other possible adversive agent is actually effective at limiting the ingestion of consumer products .
2006, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, H.R. 2567, the Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005, page 4Centennial is an aroma-type cultivar that is used for its aromatic properties and bittering potential .
2012, Sam Calagione, Extreme Brewing, page 214
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of bitter
Bittering2
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
bittering. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bittering
“bittering.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bittering. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bittering,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bittering.
Source: bittering on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.