In earlier
centuries the drinking
water in many towns and cities was of poor quality and drinking it could lead to
disease. Many of these places also knew the fine art of
brewing, and thus the worthy citizens would brew a lighter bodied, lower
alcohol beer that could be drunk at any time of day. Traditional beer is
unfiltered, thus containing
yeast, which prevented the growth of
pathogens. The
hops in beer are a natural
antibiotic, and the small level of alcohol would also play its part in safegaurding the drinker's
health. Some small beer would also be flavoured with
fruit in a similar way to
Belgium's Lambic.
Note:
J. Totale's writeup is technically correct, but misleading, as it suggests that the term "small beer" refers to a drink made without
hops and consumed only by
children. People have been brewing in order to allow safer consumption of water since long before the
English discovered the use of hops, as is documented in
the legend of Saint Arnold. Historically beer brewed without hops was known as "ale" and brewed with hops as "beer", and, according to
Kevin Trayner, small beer (also known as
table beer) was consumed by adults and children alike.