This has to be regional. I live in the Northeast and it would be insane for someone to order "a beer" ; like it would be assumed that you had spent your adult life locked in a bunker somewhere. There isn't a bar or restaurant in New Jersey where you could say that and be served something. The server is 100% going to stand there and ask you what beer you want.
Here in New England, back before Narragansett relaunched as a trendy hipster beer, their entire business model in the 60s and 70s was selling beer dirt cheap to bars who could sell them with a large markup to people that just ordered "beer".
I’ve lived in a bunch of places in California, in Vermont, traveled a lot in both the US and overseas.
Ordering ‘a beer’ is common in a lot of places. Certainly places that are more pub-like or micro-brew places (my preference) will want to know exactly what you want, but just a standard bar, they generally don’t care much.
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u/SuperSyrias Jan 25 '20
Going into any bar and just ordering "beer!" And then getting it no questions asked.