Also, the alcohol people consumed most freely back then had very low ABV. "Small beers" were 0.5% - 2.8% ABV, and "table beers" drank by all ages were were typi

Also, the alcohol people consumed most freely back then had very low ABV. "Small beers" were 0.5% - 2.8% ABV, and "table beers" drank by all ages were were typically under 1% ABV: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_beer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_beer Kinda niche, but the closest modern analog I know to table beer that's commonly purchased is some Kombucha brands. Most Kombucha in the US aims for under 0.5% ABV so that it can be sold to people under 21, but some lines, e.g. GT's Classic, are more lax and go up to about 1% ABV. In all but legal classification, these are basically non-alcoholic: you wouldn't substitute a light beer, or even an "extra light" beer, for this. You can't feel the alcohol at such low ABV.