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Glite Dictionary
draft beer

draft beer

3 2.5
Beer served from a keg through a tap instead of from a bottle or can
  • noun
  • /dræft bɪr/
  • US
translation icon : cerveza de barril
  • Draft beer, European wieners, and warm potatoes with bacon—quite possibly my favorite German meal!
  • draft beer from the tap
  • ice-cold draft beer
  • ordered a draft beer

Examples

  • "Have some more of your lovely draft beer and you'll feel better.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The vibe here is so local that most of the bar's 40 draft beers come from in-state.

    Blog text (32)

  • While both were definitely tasty, we were lucky to have a draft beer on hand, as both had an extraordinary amount of salt.

    Blog text (26)

  • I know that he will order, in succession, two draft beers, and that he will ask the waitress to help him choose the second.

    Academic text (2005)

  • At a quarter to five, she was sitting in a booth at the Buckhorn nursing a draft beer.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • For those seeking a diverse selection of draft beer, Free State Brewing Co. is a more than viable option.

    Blog text (17)

  • A big beefy bartender moves quickly, carrying a draft beer.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Most draft beers are only $1.50 for a mug, and a bucket of domestic beers costs $9.50.

    Blog text (19)

  • They sell Japanese food of different forms and flavors—grilled meat, seafood, veggies, the works—along with sweaty mugs of draft beer and whisky soda.

    Blog text (10)

  • After a long day, he enjoyed a refreshing draft beer while relaxing at the pub.

Synonyms

draft
vsdraft beer
  • US
12 5.3

A large drink taken quickly

is a specific beer served from a keg or cask through a tap

Antonyms

canned
1 1.0

Food preserved and sealed in a can for later use

Surface Forms

draft beer singular
draft beers plural

Morphology

draft + beer

The meaning is directly compositional: 'draft' (a serving of liquid, often beer) combined with 'beer' yields the sense 'beer served from a keg or tap' rather than from a bottle or can. This follows a common noun–noun combination and the on‑tap/on‑draught concept exists cross‑linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Draft beer comes from the simple image of beer being drawn from a barrel or keg through a tap. Because the drink is pulled straight from the container, draft beer now means beer served 'on tap' rather than from a bottle or can.