Okay, so what's the best way to ask for Beer???

We've all been there, making the size with our hands and asking for "Big Beer & Little Beer" but what is the correct, best and more Spanish way of asking?

"dos cervezas por favor, uno grande y uno pequeño

or

más grande de cerveza y una cerveza pequeña por favor

or

un litro y medio de cerveza, por favor

or

???

Kel

Una caña = a small beer (around 200ml)

Un tubo = a beer served in a straight glass (250ml - 330ml)

Una pinta or una jarra = a pint

Thanks Sanchez1, I did not realise that una pinta is a pint!, so would the correct phrase for a large beer and a small beer (pint and half) be:

Una Pinta y una cana por favor

Sorry don't know how to get the thing above the n.

Kel

You're probably better off using "jarra" instead of "pinta".  So it would be:

"Una jarra y una caña"

Thanks Sanchez1

Kel

Hi Sanchez

I thought 'cana' was like a bottle beer and cerveza was the pump beer? whats the difference please.

s

Tis th'other way around  cana is house beer and cerveza is bottled as in  "una cana y una cerveza sin alcoho" however as sin alcolhol is becoming more common in some bars it is on tap so you could ask for "una cana sin alcohol y una cerveza"

My understanding is that "una caña" is a small beer (really small in my world!!), as Sanchez1 says about 200ml and, as auntielinda says, usually on draft (as a bottle probably wouldn't come that small!!).

Whenever we have ordered beer, we have always asked for "cerveza" and it has always been draft, unless we have specifically asked for a bottled beer.

auntielinda - cerveza sin alcohol??? following the logic of petrol and sin plomo does sin alcohol mean beer without alcohol??

a strange request indeed in these parts of South Yorkshire, not even the ladies would think of asking for a half of lager without any alcoholic content, or am i missing something in the intepretation?

Kel

Just tried to find the siesta show No 58 -How to order a beer, but seems to have gone. It was very amusing.

I always ask for a tubo

Do you pronounce jarra as in English with a J or an H as in "harra" ?

I think you need to watch this video.  It explains it all (with a bit of slurring).

Justin

Round here 'una jarra' will get you exactly that ,a jug of beer. ( pronounced harra )

Una caña, or una fresca, = draft beer

Una cerveza = a bottle

Una cerveza grande = Large draft beer.

I was quite surprised how much cerveza sin alcohol ( pronounced alcool ) is drunk here. The only one you used to see was Bucklers, both draft & bottles , although one or to other manufacturers , like san miguel have them out now.

Justin,

Loved the video

I once ordered a jarra in Manilva pueblo.  The barman looked at me a bit funny and asked me if I was sure.  He then handed over a 2 litre plastic jug full of beer!

Pitby, you can actually get 200ml bottles of beer - "botellin" in Spanish.

"Sorry don't know how to get the thing above the n." Try Alt+0241. And for the best pronunciation of jarra, try hoiking up some phlegm! Salud!!

Hi Roberto

The thing above the 'n' is called a 'tilde' I think, dont know how to get it on a English key board, I guess on a spanish key board it would be on the n key.

Me and the other half just ask for 'Dos cerveza pequenas por favor', always seems to be understood.

I was answering an earlier comment. It's a separate key on the Spanish keyboard, but on any other keyboard, use Alt+0241

Just for the record, I usually ask for a Mahou, just in case they bring me Cruzcampo, which makes me feel like puking. And in the local dialect in Benalmádena, I believe the correct pronunciation is "two pintsa lager guv".

OK - the tilde above the "n" as in ñ is on the Spanish keyboard next to the JKLkeys.  I think a UK keyboard has a tilde somewhere, which you should be able to get with an Alt key???

Anyway...MUCH more importantly....

Un quinto...................bottle of beer 200ml

Un cuarto (rare)........bottle of beer 250ml

Un tercio....................bottle of beer 330ml

Caña..........................wine glass of draught beer approx 200ml

Tubo...........................tube of draught 330ml approx. (they don't seem to understand this in Murcia)

Tanque pequeño....glass tankard of approx 500ml

Pinta..........................blank looks from bar staff except on coast.

Tanque.....................Anything from glass tankard of 500ml to 1 litre.

If you go to Granada or Jaen provinces, you will get a FREE tapa as well, and they are very good!  If you are hungry, order cañas and you will have eaten well after 4 or 5 glasses.  Each tapa is different, and may include prawns, magra, lomo etc. etc.  These are given without asking.

OK, for the last time: Alt+0241!!!!!!

Never ever heard quinto, cuarto, tercio etc., nor for that matter tanque, but every region has it's own peculiarities. Try ordering a nube (weak milky coffee) in a cafe outside of Andalucia, for example. When in Granada, try the local Alhambra, which also beats the cr*p out of the local dirty dishwater in Malaga (Cruzcrappo), and yes, the free tapas is a nice traditional touch still observed, but Max, you must have a small appetite! There are still a few places around here doing it, one very popular one in La Carihuela called Tio something or other (although they serve dirty dishwater with it).