Sentence:  While Robert and I were chatting generally about the craft brewing explosion, Piper arrived in the taproom. He didn't call her his “ale wife,” but it soon became apparent that she had “good <WSD>wort</WSD> cunning.” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Liquid extract from the ground malt and grain soaked in hot water, the mash, as one of the steps in making beer.