On the south side of the Mediterranean island of Crete, near a Greek Orthodox monastery, is a long, golden-white beach accessible only via a steep path down a 30-metre cliff. When I was there more than 25 years ago, it was popular with young Germans, one of whom, with admirable enterprise, had set up a shack on the beach that sold snacks and, more importantly, iced beers.
Keeping those beers cold after they were purchased was not a problem, since the beach was dissected by a stream that ran down from the mountains in the centre of the island, and its waters were chilly, even in summer. Stick the beer bottles up to their necks in the stream to keep them cold, go for a swim in the warm azure Mediterranean, come back, dry off in the sun, pop the top off a bottle, and neck the icy beer. Paradise.
I can't remember what the beer was and, to be honest, it doesn't matter. For the beach, almost anything will do, provided it's cold and refreshing.
This may come as a surprise if you haven't tried the beer for years, but you would be as well off with that old local favourite San Miguel, which I've always found tastes fresher than anything else in Hong Kong. That's because some of the San Miguel available in Hong Kong is brewed in the New Territories, in Yuen Long.
It is about the freshest beer available, since it will not have been shipped thousands of kilometres to get here. (That lovely smell hitting your nose when you get out of the MTR at Yuen Long is the malt being mashed at the brewery.) Fresh is definitely best for all but the very strongest beers.
One big warning, though: don't take any beer to the beach that comes in clear glass bottles. Brewers don't like to admit this, but beer and sunlight do not mix. The ultraviolet rays that tan your skin react badly with the hop resins that give beer its flavour, causing a reaction that is very similar in chemistry and aroma to the fluid sprayed by a frightened skunk. This can happen within 20 minutes of beer being exposed to sunlight, even in a beer glass: that is why most beer bottles are coloured, because this stops the UV rays getting through, and prevents the brew inside from going skunky.
But it's a little different if you're planning a barbecue or picnic. You want a beer that will complement the food. There are beers that will do the job far better than pale lager.