beer S2 W3 /bɪə $ bɪr/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: beor ]
1 . [uncountable] an alcoholic drink made from ↑ malt and ↑ hop s :
a pint of beer
We sell draught beer (=beer served from a large container, not a bottle) .
2 . [countable] a glass, bottle, or can of beer:
Do you fancy a beer?
—beery adjective :
his beery breath
⇨ ↑ ginger beer , ↑ root beer , ⇨ small beer at ↑ small 1 (16)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ types of beer
▪ cold/ice-cold beer
He opened the fridge and got out a can of ice-cold beer.
▪ draught beer British English , draft beer American English (=taken from a large container, not served in a bottle)
He only ever drinks draught beer.
▪ bottled beer (=served in a bottle)
We sell a wide selection of draught and bottled beers.
▪ strong beer (=with a lot of alcohol)
He had drunk two pints of strong beer before attempting to drive.
▪ light beer especially American English (=lower in alcohol or calories than normal beer)
He claims light beer has no flavor.
▪ low-alcohol beer (=lower in alcohol than normal beer)
Have you tried low-alcohol beer?
▪ alcohol-free beer (=with no alcohol in it)
I'll bring some alcohol-free beer.
▪ stale beer (=old beer which has an unpleasant smell)
The hotel smelt of cigarette smoke and stale beer.
■ beer + NOUN
▪ a beer bottle/can (=a bottle/can for beer)
Empty beer cans littered the ground.
▪ a beer barrel/keg (=a large container for beer)
They rolled empty beer barrels along the street.
▪ a beer mat (=a mat for putting a glass of beer on)
There were beer mats and an ashtray on the table.
▪ a beer glass
He raised his beer glass and said 'Cheers!'
▪ a beer mug (=large glass with a handle)
The barmaid brought over four foaming beer mugs.
▪ a beer drinker
I'm not really a beer drinker.
▪ a beer festival (=special event where people can taste different types of beer)
■ phrases
▪ a pint of beer
Two pints of beer, please.
▪ a bottle/can of beer (=containing beer)
The fridge was full of cans of beer.
▪ a barrel of beer (=a large container containing beer)
He bought a barrel of beer for the party.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ beer a general word for an alcoholic drink made from ↑ malt and HOPS :
a bottle of beer
|
Let’s go and have a beer in the pub.
▪ lager a light-coloured beer, which often has a lot of bubbles in it:
A pint of lager, please.
▪ ale a type of beer which is usually sold in a bottle or a can:
Beers and fine ales were brewed here for over a hundred years.
|
Newcastle Brown Ale
▪ draught beer British English , draft beer American English beer that is served from a large container rather than a bottle, especially good quality beer:
The pub serves a range of draught beers.
▪ real ale British English beer that has been made in the, traditional way, not in a large factory:
The pub has real ale and live music most nights.
▪ bitter British English a type of dark strong beer that is popular in Britain:
I'll have a pint of bitter.
▪ shandy a drink made of beer mixed with lemonade:
I'd better have a shandy - I'm driving.
▪ cider an alcoholic drink made from apples:
His clothes were old and dirty, and he stank of cider.