Many people take drinking beer for granted; others miss out on drinking this ancient, healthy, and delicious beverage entirely. The wise person neither lives without beer nor behaves like a barbarian (or perhaps a high school student). Here are the basics of enjoying beer.

First you must select a beer to drink. Do not do this in a restaurant, as restaurants stock many wines but know nothing of beer. The best places are brewpubs, the next are beer bars. A brewpub will always advertise that it brews its own beers. A beer bar can be recognized by the number of taps it has. If there are a dozen or more and few if any are mass market lagers, then it is a beer bar. To drink at home, if you do not brew yourself, purchase the beer at a specialty store, a gourmet store, or at least an upscale supermarket. Now you must pick the beer. The three main factors will be what, if anything, you will be eating with the beer, how hot and thirsty you are, and lastly what your favorite styles of beer are. Beers pair up with foods, although the exact pairings are a matter of taste. For example, if you start with a salad, a light, fresh beer such as a Wit or a Kolsch may fit best. With your meat entree, whether steak or burger, a hearty Ale such as an IPA could prove the best accompaniment. With your chocolate cake desert, a Stout will set it off. In a brewpub you will pick from their offerings in the style that will fit. In a beer bar you may choose between an import, a famous national brand, and something brewed locally. Try them all on different occasions; but, do not forget to support your local brewers. Fresh beer, in most styles, is best. If you are buying the beer to take home, the same advice applies; but, do remember to bring home a variety. Also, beware of beers that appear to have been too long on the shelf. How hot and thirsty are you? The hotter and thirstier you are the better lighter beers will taste. That is why many breweries offer lighter "Summer" ales and wits during the summer. So adjust your pick: if you are hot a Pilsner or Lager might work better with your meat entree than an IPA, for instance. If you are cold, even a Barley Wine or Porter might be just the thing at the start of your meal, which is why brewers produce Barley Wines and "winter warmers" during the winter. Finally, what are your favorite styles? Of course that matters; but, don't let it trap you in a rut. Keep on trying new beers, even old beers that you failed to appreciate before. Expand your palate!

The container for your beer, if you are being served, may be out of your hands (so to speak). However, if offered glass vs bottle choose glass. This will enable you to adjust the carbonation by how you pour the beer, and it will enable you to savor the aroma. If the establishment seems to be serving iced glasses, ask for one which is not iced. Iced mugs are for people who do not like the taste of beer. A beer container should be cold but not freezing. Some brewpubs and beer bars allow you to buy or bring your own beer stein. Beer steins are better than glasses for basic beer drinking, especially Lagers and Bocks; but, not necessarily for appreciating all styles and detecting subtle variations. Beer glasses are often shaped to capture aroma, and all glass containers allow the drinker to appreciate and remember the color of the brew. Belgian beers are best in their own specific glasses, which generally resemble brandy snifters.

If you are drinking at home you need to collect a variety of containers. A selection of ceramic, glass, and pewter containers can be bought for pennies at thrift stores and will server for basic drinking; but, collecting steins, brewery glasses, pewter, and other containers is a delightful hobby in itself. The most expensive collector steins are rarely used for drinking; but, if you have money to burn a gold-plated silver stein will cost a small fortune while being an excellent drinking stein. Remember these points in choosing from your collection. A glass vessel will allow you to appreciate the color of the beer. A wide mouth will allow you to drink more quickly. A heavy ceramic German beer stein will keep your beer cool longer. A wide body and moderate mouth will help concentrate aroma. A boot is for games and practicing for them. A puzzle stein, well, that deserves its own page. Size also matters. At Oktoberfest a whole liter stein (eine mass) is traditional; but, for a homebrewer beer tasting a 1/8 liter stein will enable you to taste all the brews.

How quickly to drink your beer? With a meal, your feelings as you eat the food will guide you. By itself, there is nothing wrong with drinking a large amount of beer quickly. Beer is the safest of drinks because of its moderate alcohol content and carbonation. If you attempt to drink too much too quickly, you will be bloated and unable to continue long before you reach alcohol poisoning levels or dangerous levels of hydration. Every year you may read of tragic incidents of people dying from drinking too much hard liquor or too much water too quickly. You will not see such incidents with beer. But that does not mean you should normally chug beer. For basic beer drinking of Lagers and Ales, let your thirst and body be your guide. But remember, when trying a Barley Wine or Triple IPA or Dopplebock, that these are sipping beers.To appreciate the brewer's art, sniff and sip your beer at least as often as you gulp it. And never, ever, chug Barley Wine.

When you have finished drinking a beer, then it is time to drink another. This is known as the 11th Commandment.or Paragraph 11, written with a paragraph symbol (which looks like superimposed "S"'s,) and is found on many German beer steins. It is usually translated from the German as "Keep on drinking!" It derives from the rules of the old German student drinking and fencing societies. Those were the days before the invention of motor vehicles, in the present day one must be sure to have a designated driver. At home, you will find that sleep is nature's sweet restorer that will come to you after you have consumed enough beer.