Beer

It seems I must have done an entry about beer before, so if I have then forgive me for the over sight and you needn't pay much attention. Anyways, so beer. We are all familiar with the concept, so might as well delve into the particulars.

Stateside, the difference between lagers and ales are not often highlighted. This is due to two reasons, as far as I can tell. First, they are stored and served as if they are the same. Second, in Portland you will get looks of concern and a fair share of head shakes if you order lager so it's best avoided. Here of course, there is a large difference. Lagers are much more prevalent, and a 'typical' establishment with many beers on tap will usually feature a 'cheap' lager, usually Fosters, and then the ultimate level of premium lager is then dependent on the level of fanciness of the establishment. Some will just venture to Stella Artois, some bring in harder to pronounce German sounding varieties such as Staropramen and Hoegarden (which I assure you are both totally spelled wrong). You will not often find 'local' lagers, with most pubs sticking to the 'mass' brands, but they by all means exist in a substantial number of locations.

Ales also come in mass-produced varieties, with Newcastle Brown Ale coming first to mind, but pubs are more likely to sell smaller home-grown varieties of different types of ale. However, ales are not available at all drinking establishments. Of course real pubs will have ales, but bars tend not to. While lagers are stored in chilled kegs, ales are stored in unchilled barrel things with hand-pumped taps, hence the fancy look. This means they are not bubbly or particularly cold. Newcastle is an exception to all this, because unlike in the US, it is only available in bottle form, but as a result is usually chilled.

At the grocery store, you can buy beer in bottles or cans. Cans are tall and skinny, and bottles are either in around the 12oz variety or much larger circa 24oz bottles. The smaller bottles typically come in 4-packs (even things such as Corona are sold in 4-packs, it's annoying), and the larger bottles are sold individually. Places such as my local Tesco Express have large portions of fridge space dedicated to the major brands such as San Miguel and Kronenburg and such, and then to the side a much busier section with individual bottles of ales. I would say the most popular form of ale seen in these situations is IPA, although a considerable number to not claim affinity to a certain ale family. For example, the old speckled hen in my fridge right now just says its ale and is slightly pink in color. So not really sure what they're going for.

When beer is ordered on tap, the typical unit is a pint, which is 20 oz. Half pints are also available, but consuming one may get you branded a girly-man. Foam or head of any kind is completely and utterly unacceptable. If there is any present, the bartender will let it sit for a moment and then top it up, assuring as much beer as possible resides in your class.

In groups, drinks are typically bought in rounds. This has probably arisen from the fact that drinks in pubs are ordered from the bar, so buying drinks in this fashion means people don't have to get up as often. It seems to require that you either don't get your money's worth or you have to keep pace with everyone else. It's a tricky game and I'm not necessarily a fan. Although I must say that it means I have gotten quite a few free drinks at post-work situations!