“ I want to order beer at a bar, but there are too many types to choose from,” “I don’t really understand the technical terms on the menu”—have you ever felt that kind of uncertainty?
In this article, we’ll explain everything in one place: the different types and styles of beer you can encounter at a bar, the differences between serving styles such as draft, bottle, and draught, how to read the menu, how to choose depending on the situation, and even smart ordering manners. By the time you finish reading, you’ll be able to order confidently even at a bar for the first time and find your own way to enjoy “bar × beer.”

Why Beer at a Bar Feels Special

A glass of beer at a bar is a slightly different experience from opening a can of beer at home. Here, while organizing the unique appeal of bars—such as the atmosphere, the lineup, and the sheer range of beer styles you can encounter—we’ll explore why so many people are drawn to beer at bars.

What’s the difference from drinking beer at home? The unique appeal of a bar

Drinking at home has its own charms, like convenience and good cost performance, but beer at a bar comes with the reassurance that it is served under professional management. With draft beer, the better the bar takes care of things like cleaning the taps, adjusting gas pressure, and managing temperature, the clearer the flavor and the more vivid the aroma becomes—even with the exact same brand. Also, elements beyond the beer itself, such as the lighting, music, the shape of the glass, and conversation across the counter, all act as important spices that make it feel “delicious.” Drinking in a space that feels slightly removed from everyday life raises the value of each glass, and the same beer can remain in memory as an experience completely different from drinking at home.

On top of that, many bars offer beers you can only drink there, such as guest beers or limited seasonal taps, making one-time encounters part of the appeal. Since staff can also suggest recommended styles, discovering a beer you would never have chosen for yourself is another uniquely bar-like pleasure.

The breadth of beer types and styles you can only encounter at a bar

The beers lined up at convenience stores and supermarkets naturally tend to lean toward standard brands and major styles. At a bar, on the other hand, it is not unusual to find a much wider range, from classic lagers such as pilsners to pale ales, IPAs, stouts, weizens, sour ales, and more—styles that may sound unfamiliar to beer beginners. It makes sense that people search for “bar beer types,” because even within “beer,” different styles can feel like completely different drinks.

If a bar is especially focused on craft beer, it may always have several rotating beers on tap selected from breweries in Japan and abroad. Alcohol content, bitterness, and the intensity of aroma can vary dramatically, so beer lovers may feel excited just looking at the menu and thinking, “What style should I go for tonight?” This broad lineup is one of the major attractions that only a bar can offer.

How to choose “the beer of the day” (mood, scene, budget)

The more beer styles there are, the harder it can feel to choose the first glass. In those moments, try thinking in terms of three axes: mood, scene, and budget. If you’re coming straight from work with a dry throat, a light and refreshing lager or pilsner is ideal. If it’s a night when you want to sit back and savor your drink slowly, an aromatic ale or a rich stout may be better.

If you’re choosing based on the situation, then for a date or a girls’ night where conversation matters, it’s easier to enjoy the evening longer with a lower-alcohol, easy-drinking beer. If you’re drinking alone and taking your time, trying a more distinctive IPA or a limited-edition beer can be a great choice. When budget matters, it also helps to look at the glass size and ABV (alcohol by volume), and choose while being mindful of your pacing. If you feel unsure, it becomes much easier to avoid disappointment if you tell the staff something broad like “a light beer with a nice aroma” or “a beer with little bitterness” and let them guide you.

Let’s Learn About the Types of Beer You Can Encounter at a Bar

To enjoy beer at a bar more deeply, it helps to have a rough grasp of “what kinds are out there.” Here, we’ll introduce representative beers from three perspectives—by style, by serving format, and by country or region—and organize their characteristics in a way that’s easy to understand.

Beer types by style (lager / ale / stout / IPA, etc.)

In the beer world, beers are broadly divided into “lager” and “ale” based on differences in fermentation methods. Lagers are bottom-fermented beers made slowly at low temperatures, and this is the type most common among Japan’s major beer brands. Ales are top-fermented beers made more actively at relatively warm temperatures, and are known for their fruity aromas and richer flavors. In addition to these, there are black beers such as stout made with roasted malt, and IPAs with pronounced hop bitterness and aroma—styles that can feel like completely different drinks from one another.

If you ever feel, “There are so many types of beer at the bar that I can’t choose,” simply telling the staff something broad like whether you want a lager-style or ale-style beer, or whether you want something lighter or more full-bodied, already makes it much easier for them to narrow down a recommendation. Below, let’s look a little more closely at the characteristics of some representative styles.

Representative lager styles and their flavor characteristics

Lagers are beers characterized by a clean drinking feel and crisp finish. When most people in Japan hear the word “beer,” what they are imagining is usually pilsner, which is a lager style. It has a golden color, high clarity, and a firm carbonation, making it the classic first glass. Its bitterness is moderate, and its ability to pair well with a wide variety of food is one of its strengths.

There are also richer lagers such as Helles, lagers with noticeable malt sweetness, and amber lagers, which vary in both color and flavor. If you ask at a bar for “an easy-drinking lager-style beer” or “a lager with a little more body,” it becomes easier to find a glass that both satisfies your thirst and matches your taste. Lagers are arguably the ideal starting point for beer beginners.

Representative ale styles and their flavor characteristics

Ales are recommended for people who want to enjoy aroma and richness. Representative styles include pale ale and brown ale, which offer balanced flavors combining hop aromas that recall citrus with the sweetness of malt. Compared with lagers, ales often have stronger bitterness and aroma, but that also means you can notice their changes in character more easily with each sip, making them well suited for slow, thoughtful drinking.

Another popular style is weizen (white ale), made with wheat, and known for sweet, spicy aromas reminiscent of banana and clove. It also tends to be slightly cloudy in appearance, with a softer mouthfeel than lager. If you feel, “I’m already used to lager and want to move on to the next step,” trying an ale at a bar can suddenly expand your sense of what beer can be.

How to enjoy dark beer and stout

When people hear “dark beer,” many imagine something bitter, heavy, and hard to drink, but in reality the flavor varies greatly depending on the style. Dark beers such as stout and porter use roasted malt, which gives them their deep color and roasted aromas, often evoking coffee or chocolate. Some even have noticeable sweetness, which means they can be enjoyed almost like dessert—much like pairing them with a slice of bitter chocolate cake.

At a bar, dark beer is often best enjoyed not as your first drink, but later, when you can take your time with it. Many are higher in alcohol as well, so it suits a “quality over quantity” style of drinking. If you’ve been avoiding dark beer because it “sounds heavy,” try starting with a half pint or another smaller pour—bars are the perfect place to ease into it.

The appeal of distinctive beers such as IPA and white beer

Among the styles made especially popular by the craft beer boom, IPA (India Pale Ale) stands out. By using hops generously, IPAs gain strong bitterness and bright, expressive aromas, often resembling grapefruit or tropical fruit. Because the bitterness makes such a strong impression, they have many devoted fans, and they’re perfect on nights when you want a beer with real presence.

At the same time, styles like white beer and sour ale, which emphasize lightness, acidity, or spice, are especially popular among women and beginners. These beers may use orange peel, coriander, or gentle lactic acidity, creating flavors that almost feel as though they go beyond the usual boundaries of beer. Since bars often let you compare these more distinctive beers in smaller quantities, they are a great place to discover, with surprise, just how many kinds of beer exist and to enjoy finding your own preferences.

Beer types by serving style (draft beer, bottle, can, draught)

Not only the style but also the way beer is served changes the impression it makes. At bars, the most common formats are draft beer (draught) poured from a tap and beers served in bottles or cans. Draft beer is prized for its freshness, lively carbonation, and creamy foam, and the pouring method and glass shape can also affect the flavor. Bottled and canned beer, meanwhile, offers the advantage of being sealed in the exact state intended by the brewery, so the balance of aroma and flavor tends to be stable.

Some bars even let you choose between draft and bottle for the same brand. Depending on your mood and drinking pace, it can be enjoyable to start with draft for refreshment and later switch to bottled beer for a slower appreciation of aroma. If the menu uses terms like “draft” or “on tap,” those usually refer to beer served from a keg, and knowing that can help when ordering.

Enjoying beer by country or region (Japan, Germany, Belgium, the U.S., etc.)

Beer is loved all over the world, and each country or region has its own representative styles. In Japan, crisp lagers dominate, but in recent years the number of craft breweries has grown, producing a wider range of styles such as IPA and saison. In Germany, famous styles include wheat-based weizen, balanced pilsners, and rich lagers. Germany is almost like a textbook of beer styles, known for stable, classic flavors.

Belgium, on the other hand, is a treasure house of distinctive types such as Trappist beers and fruit beers. Many Belgian beers are high in alcohol and complex in aroma, making them perfect for a more adult style of drinking where you spend real time with one glass. The U.S. is a world leader in craft beer culture, full of adventurous styles such as hop-heavy IPAs and unusual flavored beers. If the bar has a menu organized by country, it can be fun to drink as if you’re traveling—“Germany tonight, Belgium next.”

How to Read a Beer Menu at a Bar and the Basics of Ordering

Even if you have a vague idea of beer styles and types, it is still easy to feel lost when you look at an actual menu filled with technical terms. In this section, we’ll carefully explain the basics that beginners should know, such as how to read menu information, how glass sizes work, and useful phrases for ordering.

How to understand what’s written on the menu (style name / brand name / ABV / IBU, etc.)

A beer menu will generally include things like the “brand name,” the “style name,” the “country of origin,” “ABV (alcohol by volume),” and “IBU (bitterness level).” The brand name is the name of the beer itself, while the style name refers to the type, such as lager or IPA. Higher ABV usually means it will make you drunk faster, and higher IBU usually means stronger bitterness, so these are useful clues when choosing based on your taste and how many glasses you plan to have.

For example, if you see “〇〇 IPA / U.S.A. / ABV 6.5% / IBU 60,” you can imagine “an American beer with strong hop character and solid bitterness.” On the other hand, “〇〇 Weizen / Germany / ABV 5.0% / IBU 15” suggests “a beer with restrained bitterness that focuses on aroma and mouthfeel.” When reading a menu, you don’t need to overcomplicate it—just paying attention to “alcohol content” and “bitterness” is often enough to narrow the beer types down to something that fits you.

Glass sizes and useful trivia about the “pint” (half pint / pint / mug, etc.)

One thing that often surprises people at a bar is the size of the glass. In bars influenced by British or American culture, the word “pint” is commonly used. A standard pint is roughly around 473 ml, and a half pint is about half of that. If you think of it as close to a Japanese medium mug (about 435 ml), it becomes easier to picture.

At craft beer bars and similar places, you may also find smaller tasting glasses around 200–300 ml, making it possible to try many kinds of beer in one visit. When you’re dealing with high-ABV beers or more distinctive styles, intentionally choosing the smaller size can be kinder both to your body and your budget. If you simply say, “I’d like to try it in a half pint first,” the staff will understand your intention, making it easier to explore the world of bar beer types without overdoing it.

Useful ordering phrases and how to order beer confidently, even for the first time

If you’re not used to bars, it’s natural to worry about “how exactly to order.” In those moments, you do not need to aim for a perfect order—just remember a few simple phrases. For example, you can say, “I’d like something easy-drinking with restrained bitterness, by the glass,” or “I’d like to try an aromatic beer in a half pint.” The key is to communicate your taste and the amount, in broad strokes.

It’s also a good approach to look at the menu and say something like, “I’m interested in this IPA, but do you have a lighter style?” Bar staff are usually very familiar with beer types and styles, so they may respond with something like, “In that case, I’d recommend this pale ale.” If you add, “I’m a beginner,” you’ll often get an even more careful explanation, so there’s no need to hesitate.

How to Choose Beer by Situation and by Preference

Even at the same bar, the types of beer you want can change depending on who you’re with and why you’re there. Here, we’ll offer concrete hints for how to choose your beer of the day, taking into account taste preferences, gender trends, the situation, and how easily you get drunk.

How to choose beer types based on bitterness, aroma, and body

When choosing beer, it helps to focus on three axes: bitterness, aroma, and body. If you like strong bitterness, hop-forward styles such as IPA and pale ale are likely to suit you. If bitterness is not your thing, then weizen, fruit beer, or low-IBU lagers are safer choices. If aroma matters most, ales, white beers, and Belgian styles often become strong candidates.

If you’re looking for depth and richness, then stouts, porters, and amber ales—with their clear malt character—are excellent options. Many bar menus also use icons or short comments to indicate the strength of aroma or bitterness, and those can be very helpful. By looking at descriptions such as “light / medium / full,” and matching them to your mood that day, you can choose a beer style that is much less likely to disappoint.

Is beer a good first drink? Recommendations by gender and situation (date / solo drinking / after work / girls’ night, etc.)

As the saying goes, “For the first drink, just have a beer,” and many people do begin with beer. But depending on the situation, other choices may also make sense. If you’re stopping by after work for one or two quick drinks, then a crisp lager or a session IPA with lower alcohol content is perfect. If you’re drinking alone and want to settle in slowly, starting with an aromatic ale and enjoying it at a relaxed pace can also be a very adult way to drink.

On dates or girls’ nights, beers that aren’t too bitter—or visually appealing styles like fruit beers and white beers—tend to be popular. If someone in the group isn’t very comfortable with beer, then of course it’s perfectly fine to start with a highball or cocktail instead. What matters most is choosing “a first glass that everyone can enjoy,” rather than being trapped by the idea that “the first drink has to be beer.”

Thinking about beer order by alcohol level and intoxication

The alcohol content of beer can vary widely depending on the style, from easy 4% beers to heavy beers above 9%. If you plan to drink several beers at a bar, the basic strategy is to start with lower-alcohol beers and gradually move upward. If you begin with a high-ABV beer, you may get tipsy too quickly and lose the ability to appreciate the differences in flavor properly.

Another useful approach is to think about the order in terms of aroma and intensity of flavor. Delicate beers are often better first, while beers with strong hop character or roasted aromas are better left for later. If you tell the staff, “I’d like to try a few different styles tonight—what order would you recommend?” they will often help you build a good progression. So if you want to do a little tasting, don’t hesitate to ask for guidance.

How to Enjoy Beer Depending on the Type of Bar

Even though they are all called bars, their styles and concepts vary a lot. A beer bar, an authentic cocktail bar, and a café bar all offer slightly different ways of enjoying beer. In this section, we’ll look at the features of each and how to use them depending on your purpose.

Beer bars and beer pubs: the appeal of specialty shops chosen for their beer variety

Beer bars and beer pubs are, in a sense, treasure houses of “bar beer types.” It is not rare for them to keep more than ten kinds of draft beer on tap at all times, and several dozen if bottled beers are included. Menus are often written with care, explaining the styles and flavor characteristics of each, which makes them an ideal environment for people who want beer itself to be the star.

These specialty places also often offer tasting flights or smaller glasses, so even beginners can sample a variety of beer types in small amounts. The staff tend to be especially knowledgeable about beer, so if you say something like, “I usually drink lagers, but I’d like to try something a bit more adventurous tonight,” they can suggest styles that match your preferences. If you want to learn about beer while enjoying it, starting with beer bars and beer pubs is a great choice.

How beer works in authentic bars and cocktail bars (a beer before cocktails / a final beer, etc.)

In authentic bars and cocktail bars, beer often plays less of a starring role and more of a “bridge” between moments. For example, instead of starting immediately with a strong whiskey or a rich cocktail, you might begin with a light beer to refresh your throat. Another classic flow is to enjoy a few cocktails, then finish with one final light lager or low-alcohol beer to settle yourself before going home.

In this type of bar, the beer selection may be small but carefully chosen—perhaps one or two imported lagers or a craft beer that matches the atmosphere of the place. Because of that, attention is often given to things like the glass and the pouring technique, which increases the chance of encountering “a simple but properly delicious beer.” By combining beer and cocktails thoughtfully, you can avoid getting too drunk while still enjoying a long, comfortable evening.

How to enjoy food × beer at café bars and dining bars

Café bars and dining bars are ideal for enjoying beer together with food. When you choose your beer style to match the dish, your overall satisfaction rises dramatically. Fried foods or grilled dishes pair beautifully with crisp lagers and pilsners, while cheeses or stewed dishes can go very well with richer ales or brown ales. It can even be fun to try something a little unexpected, like having a stout alongside dessert.

The beer lineup at café bars may not be huge, but the food pairings are often more intentionally thought out. In many such places, you can casually ask, “Which beer goes well with this dish?” which makes it a safe and welcoming environment even for beer beginners. On nights when food is the main event, it often works best to choose lower-alcohol beers and focus on the harmony with the meal, which leads to a very satisfying evening.

How to Choose Snacks and Food That Pair Well with Beer at a Bar

If you want to enjoy the full range of beer types, pairing them with snacks and food is essential. Here, we’ll introduce practical tips for choosing, including classic bar snacks and their best matches, ideal pairings for craft beer, and how to balance between “just drinking a little” and “eating properly.”

Classic snacks and the beer types that pair well with them (fries, nuts, sausages, cheese, etc.)

Some of the most common bar snacks are fries, mixed nuts, sausages, and cheese platters. These pair especially well with crisp lagers and pilsners. The carbonation of the beer cuts through the oiliness, refreshing your mouth and making you want another bite. The roasted aroma of nuts and the juicy richness of sausages also match comfortably with the maltiness and bitterness of beer.

Cheese is especially interesting because different styles match different kinds. Soft cheeses like Camembert or Brie pair nicely with gentle white beers or golden ales, while blue cheese works beautifully with sweeter stouts or Belgian beers. Even with familiar snacks, just changing the type of beer slightly can turn an everyday pairing into something much deeper and more memorable.

Recommended pairing foods for craft beer

Because many craft beers have a strong personality, choosing the right pairing food can make their appeal stand out even more. IPAs, with their bright hop aroma, pair especially well with strongly flavored foods like spicy dishes, barbecue-style meats, or blue cheese. Their bitterness and aromatic intensity can handle bold flavors without being overwhelmed.

On the other hand, fruity white beers and sour ales go beautifully with lighter dishes like fish carpaccio, salads, and foods flavored with lemon or herbs. Dark beers such as stout and porter pair well with chocolate desserts, caramel sweets, or rich dishes like beef stew. When you order a craft beer at a bar, and you also think about “what kind of food goes with this style,” you’ll quickly discover the joy of pairing.

Food strategy for when you want to drink lightly / when you want to eat properly

Whether you are at the bar mainly to have a light drink or to also enjoy a full meal will naturally change which food and beer types you should choose. If you just want to drink lightly, mixed nuts, olives, or a cheese plate are great because they are small but satisfying, and pairing them with a lower-alcohol lager or session ale makes it easier to enjoy the bar without lingering too long.

If you’re using the bar partly as your dinner after work, then it makes sense to focus on food such as sandwiches, pasta, or meat dishes, and choose beers that work well with a meal. A good flow is to start with a refreshing lager to satisfy your thirst, and then move to a more aromatic or richer ale once the food arrives. If you have a rough idea in mind of “how long you want to spend at this bar,” it becomes much easier to balance food and beer naturally.

Manners and NG Behaviors for Enjoying Beer More at a Bar

Knowing about beer types matters, but so does knowing how to behave at a bar. Even if a place serves wonderful beer, repeated bad manners can ruin the atmosphere. In this section, we’ll organize the key points beginners should know, from where to sit, to basic ordering and payment manners, to the kinds of behaviors that tend to be seen as NG.

Basic manners for seating, ordering, and paying

When you enter a bar, you may first wonder whether to choose the counter or a table. If you’re alone or in a small group, the counter is often ideal because you’re closer to the staff and can ask more easily about beer styles and types. In bars with many tables, it’s best not to sit down on your own without saying anything—just asking first and being guided is the basic rule. When ordering, don’t shout across the room; instead, wait for a moment when the staff are free and call them over naturally.

When it comes to the bill, it helps to check whether there is a cover charge or table charge and to confirm the details before paying. Some bars do not really appreciate customers who order just one drink and occupy a seat for a long time, so if the place is crowded, it leaves a better impression to show a little consideration—such as ordering a second drink or a small food item. If you are unsure about payment methods or service charges, don’t hesitate to ask in advance.

The common NG behaviors at bars: photography, staying too long, getting too drunk…

These days, many people want to post photogenic beers or the stylish interior on social media, but as a rule, you should avoid flash photography or taking photos that include other customers. Since some people are there specifically to drink quietly, loud shutter sounds or exaggerated photo sessions should also be kept to a minimum. Asking, “Would it be okay if I took a photo?” before you do so leaves a much more polite impression.

Also, staying for hours over a single drink, getting drunk and speaking loudly, or persistently bothering other customers are NG behaviors no matter what kind of bar it is. Because the way you get drunk also changes depending on the beer style, it is important to keep an eye on your own pace and know when to stop at a good point. If you start to feel off, the right decision is to drink some water and head home a little earlier rather than forcing yourself to continue.

How to enjoy different beer types while keeping an “adult sense of distance”

A bar is a place where adults enjoy alcohol at their own pace. You might ask the staff questions about beer types, or naturally get into a conversation with a regular sitting nearby, but the most important rule is still to respect the other person’s pace. Before speaking to someone, it helps to glance first and see whether they are reading, or focused on their phone, or otherwise clearly not in the mood.

It is fine to order several different beer types one after another and ask the staff, “Do you have a recommendation?”—that is actually good communication. But if you occupy the counter for too long during a busy time, you may end up inconveniencing others. The shortcut to finding a bar you want to keep returning to is to enjoy the world of bar beer slowly, while maintaining that “adult distance” that lets both you and those around you stay comfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions from Beer Beginners

If you’re new to beer or to bars, even small things can start to feel uncertain, and it may not be obvious who to ask. In this section, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions beginners have and answered them in a practical Q&A style that you can use right away.

What should I do if the menu is too difficult and I can’t choose?

f the beer menu is full of technical terms and you don’t know what to pick, there is absolutely no need to pretend you understand. Saying something like, “I’m not very knowledgeable about beer—could you recommend something easy to drink?” is honestly the shortest path to the right choice. Staff are usually very used to this kind of question, and can suggest styles that fit you after hearing about your tastes and your mood that day.

Even if you just communicate your likes and dislikes in a simple way, it becomes much easier. “I’m not good with bitter beer,” “I like fruity aromas,” or “I want something lighter” are all useful clues. You don’t need to master all the beer types from the beginning—after you visit a few times, they will naturally start to stick.

How should I choose beer when going to a bar alone?

Going to a bar alone may take a little courage, but it is also one of the best environments for enjoying beer properly. At first, it helps not to get too ambitious with variety, but instead plan for two or three drinks in a calm way, such as “start with a light lager” and then “move on to an aromatic ale.” If you decide in advance that your first drink will be a classic style to get a sense of the bar’s basic flavor profile, and your second drink will be a more adventurous IPA or dark beer, it becomes much easier to avoid feeling lost.

When drinking alone, sitting at the counter makes it easier to speak with the staff at a comfortable distance and ask about different beer types. If you simply say, “It’s my first time coming alone,” many bars will be more attentive. If you don’t force yourself to stay too long and finish neatly within an hour or two, it also becomes easier to come back again next time, and that may become the start of finding your own “home bar.”

How can I remember the beer types I liked for next time? (notes, photos, apps, etc.)

Almost everyone has had the experience of drinking a beer at a bar that was delicious, and then later forgetting its name. The best way to connect a beer you liked to a future order is simply to get into the habit of leaving yourself a small record. Taking a picture of the label or the menu is often enough, and it also helps to save notes in your phone such as “bar name / beer name / style / short impression.”

There are also many beer-recording apps and social platforms specifically for craft beer, and using check-in features allows your beer history to accumulate naturally over time. The next time you go to a bar, being able to say, “Last time I had 〇〇 here and really liked it—do you have something similar?” immediately improves the precision of your choices. Slowly seeing the pattern of your own preferences become clearer is one of the pleasures of keeping records.

If You Want to Find Your Ideal Bar, Try Bar-Find

Once you start to understand the world of beer types and how to enjoy them at a bar, more concrete desires often appear, like “Next time I want to try a bar with this kind of lineup,” or “I want to know a place that’s easy to enter alone.” But with ordinary internet searches alone, it can be surprisingly hard to judge whether a bar is particularly strong in beer, or whether its atmosphere actually suits you.

That’s where a specialized bar search portal like “Bar-Find” becomes useful. It lets you search not only by opening hours or bar genre, but even by drink type. Beer becomes much more enjoyable once you move beyond simply learning about types and styles and connect that knowledge to “which actual bar should I try them in?” As a tool to support your meeting with your ideal bar, it is well worth making use of it.

Summary｜Find Your Own Way to Enjoy “Bars × Beer Types”

Up to this point, we’ve organized the basics of “bar beer” from start to finish: why beer at a bar feels special, the different beer types by style and country, how to read a menu, how to choose by situation, how to pair with food, and the important manners and common beginner questions. Even if it all felt difficult at first, if you think in simple terms such as “lager or ale?” or “light or full-bodied?” you can gradually get closer to the glass that really suits you.

• The next time you go to a bar, try these small steps:
   
• For your first drink, choose a thirst-quenching lager or pilsner
   
• For your second drink, try something more adventurous like an aromatic ale or IPA
   
• Take a photo or write a quick note about any beer you especially liked

And if you start choosing bars from the perspective of “which kinds of beer they offer,” you’ll probably begin finding places you never would have chosen before. Make use of specialist bar sites like Bar-Find, and enjoy the process of discovering your own best combination of “bar × beer.”