An addition to the drinking water issue

[bigpaul]

I thought 'small beer' was produced in medieval times and long before, in our agrarian society, as an alternative to often-polluted water sources? This was known - perhaps just forgotten in the rush to the cities during industrialisation?

yes GG, that's what I was told too, they drank ALE because the water was polluted, I think BEER came a lot later when hops arrived?