>>63849712
Ackshyually brewing introduces additional health risks, most notably botulism; people just drank beer/wine instead of water because they liked it and weren't having to drive home afterwards anyway (even if your house isn't just a short walk from the village alehouse, you've probably made the journey enough times that your horse knows the way back on its own)
It was also historically prescribed to only be served diluted (and in small amounts) to people like children for whom alcohol isn't necessarily good for; it's not my main area of study, but to my recollection the ancient romans actually diluted their wine as standard, and thought the gauls were weird for drinking it undiluted.