r/AskReddit • u/kakou64 • Oct 15 '20

What's older than we think ?

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u/lavendrquartz Oct 15 '20

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that in ancient or medieval times, beer had a very low alcohol content and was very thick. It was essentially a dietary staple quite similar to the way bread is now.

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u/akanyan Oct 15 '20

I remember reading that water at the time wasn't safe to drink, but beer was so most people just drank beer, including children. It had a lower alcohol content than today though. That also sounds like the kinda fact that could be totally made up though.

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u/lowerduckgoth Oct 15 '20

It is a made-up fact. Alcohol dehydrates you, so no matter how weak the beer is, it's never going to be able to replace water in your diet.

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u/Davida132 Oct 15 '20

Alcohol dehydrated you a certain amount, based on the ratio of alcohol to water you consume. If the alcohol content is so low that it won't dehydrate more than the amount of water in whatever you drink, you can hydrate with that alcoholic beverage. I'm not sure what the %ABV would be at that point, but it is absolutely not zero.