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Description

Small beer (also known as small ale or table beer) is a lager or ale that contains a lower amount of alcohol by volume.

Small beer was seen as acceptable in 18th-century England because its low alcohol content allowed people to drink several glasses without becoming intoxicated. William Hogarth’s portrait Beer Street (1751) shows a group of happy workers going about their business after drinking table beer.  It became increasingly popular during the 19th century, displacing malt liquor as the drink of choice for families and servants.

 From the original edition of The Graphic.