[beer] n [ME ber, fr. OE beor; akin to OHG bior beer] (bef. 12c) 1: an alcoholic beverage usu. made from malted cereal grain (as barley), flavored with hops, and brewed by slow fermentation
2: a carbonated nonalcoholic or a fermented slightly alcoholic beverage with flavoring from roots or other plant parts "birch ~"
3: fermented mash
4: a drink of beer