@mitch that doesn't mean they were low alcohol. If I did the math right, even the weak grog they served to sailors with drunkenness problems was 9% abv.

It's actually a pretty interesting part of human evolution. By coming down from the trees, our ancestors were picking fresh fruit less often and eating fallen, overripe, fermenting fruit more often. So we self-selected for the ability to metabolise alcohol, which enabled us to take quantities of drink that wouldn't spoil on journeys where potable water wasn't available.