La cerveza (del celto-latín cerevisĭa) es una bebida alcohólica, no destilada, de sabor amargo, que se fabrica con granos de cebada germinados u otros cereales cuyo almidón se fermenta en agua con levadura (básicamente Saccharomyces cerevisiae o Saccharomyces pastorianus) y se aromatiza a menudo con lúpulo, entre otras plantas. De ella se conocen múltiples variantes con una amplia gama de matices debidos a las diferentes formas de elaboración y a los ingredientes utilizados. Generalmente presenta un color ambarino con tonos que van del amarillo oro al negro pasando por los marrones rojizos. Se la considera «gaseosa» (contiene CO2 disuelto en saturación que se manifiesta en forma de burbujas a la presión ambiente) y suele estar coronada de una espuma más o menos persistente. Su aspecto puede ser cristalino o turbio. Su graduación alcohólica puede alcanzar hasta cerca de los 30 % vol., aunque principalmente se encuentra entre los 3 % y los 9 % vol.

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Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably the oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. The production of beer is called brewing, which involves the fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are widely used. Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The fermentation process causes a natural carbonation effect, although this is often removed during processing, and replaced with forced carbonation. Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Beer is sold in bottles and cans; it may also be available on draught, particularly in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (abv), although it may vary between 0.5% and 20%, with some breweries creating examples of 40% abv and above. Beer forms part of the culture of beer-drinking nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as a rich pub culture involving activities like pub crawling, and pub games such as bar billiards.

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