During my 2018 summer vacation in London, I learned that one way Brits famously relish their beer while avoiding excess is through small glasses. Just about every pub or café I visited prominently listed prices for small and large sizes across all its taps. How different from America, where beer purchased in public generally comes only in big old pint glasses (or larger).

And I quickly discovered how much I liked this foreign arrangement! To be more specific, I discovered that when I felt like a beer, I often just want some: enough for a refreshing loosen-up, but not the filling, firm twist that a whole pint offers. I did miss the English style of unabashed half-pints when I returned to familiar shores.

Since then, the pandemic has taken the pubs away from me entirely, but I have discovered a marvelous method for simulating British serving styles when enjoying beer at home. When I open a bottle of Lagunitas or whatnot, I now often eschew my pint-glass collection and reach for a small glass to fill up instead. And then, having done so, I stop the bottle with a bottle-stopper — the sort of thing one generally associates with wine bottles, you see — and replace it in the fridge. This remainder shall accompany some future lunch.

And that’s it! I truly feel like I’ve discovered a new way to enjoy beer. The bottle’s design, to say nothing of the culture surrounding it, do not make clear that you don’t need to drink the whole beer, especially if you’re a grown-up fixing a meal or snack in your own kitchen. I feel like I’ve found a new and more personable side of beer, by having less of it at once.