Tasting

What do you order in Madrid if you want a beer? A caña. That's a small draft beer of about 20 centiliters, served in a tall, narrow glass to keep the beer cold and the carbonation lively.

Bigger options include the tubo, a taller, straight glass, and the doble, which holds twice as much. Then there are bottles: a quinto holds 20 centiliters, a tercio holds 33. Order a clara, and you'll get beer mixed with lemon soda.

Three beers are worth trying. Mahou Cinco Estrellas is the best known, golden yellow, with a mild grain note and a dry finish. San Miguel, also now part of the Mahou San Miguel Group, is a related pale lager. Then there are beers from the city's small breweries, which also pour yeast-hazy or more heavily hopped styles.

Temperature is no small matter in Madrid. The beer is poured very cold, often into a glass that's been sitting in the freezer. Take your time, and you'll notice how the flavor and aroma unfold as the glass warms slightly. That's intentional: on the terraza, what counts is the first cold sip. Anyone drinking slowly is better off ordering the next small one rather than a large one that will go warm.

Pouring is done with a slender tap and a short head of foam. The foam is thin, and the crown shouldn't spill over the rim. In many bars, a tapa comes with the drink, a small bite that, in the glass, sets salt against the cold.