Beer Drinking

There are a couple of ways to approach this question. First, the beers that they drink probably have a low alcoholic level and they know how much they can safely have and still remain below the limit. Second, the roads in and around Oxford seem to be country lanes and so the driving wouldn't be that challenging, because the worst that could happen is that they end up crashed into one of those infamous hedgerows.

The type of beer favoured by Morse (draught bitter) is typically 3% - 5%. I think it's still probably frowned upon for a policeman to drink on duty but a senior plain-clothes cop like Morse can probably get away with it more easily than a man in uniform. My recollection also is that Lewis quite often has a soft drink so that he can drive.

The father of a friend of mine used to live in a beautiful village about 20 miles from Oxford. In those days the pubs had to close at 11pm but in this village pub they used to lock the doors at 11 and the locals would carry on drinking (against the law). It was not unknown for the local duty policeman to pop in for a pint at 2 or 3 in the morning. Of course he was never asked to pay for it.

Policeman drinking on duty would have been more acceptable in the 80s and early 90s than it is nowadays. For example, in Midsomer Murders which started in 1997, Barnaby usually refuses if someone offers him whiskey or other hard liquor and while he might go to a pub during the day, his assistant, the one driving the car, would order orange juice or something like that. During the latter series, he increasingly drinks just on his spare time.

In Europe (especially continental Europe) it is also much more acceptable to drink during the day. In Austria, for example, they have this custom in the rural areas that after the sunday church at about 11 am, everyone will go to a pub and have few pints of wheat beer. Working people drink wine or beer during their lunch hours everywhere.

Well, that's the thing, Morse is clearly an alcoholic. A highly functioning alcoholic, but an alcoholic nonetheless. It's something his assistant Lewis can't do much about, and it's something his boss Strange knows perfectly well about. But he never drinks too much or seems overtly drunk, so as long as he doesn't appear to be intoxicated, there's not much anyone can do about it. It gets constantly worse, as well, until the moment when he asks one of the constables for a cup of coffee so he can spike it with whiskey. And that makes him look so bad it even reaches Superintendent Strange.

I don't know how much you could drink and still be under the limit, but I'd guess one or two beers would be safe. Lewis never drinks more than one beer, if he even drinks beer at all. In the early series, he usually have one to accompany Morses drinking. But you can see he isn't comfortable with it, and later on in the series he has drawn a line and only drinks orange juice. Morse on the other hand, usually have one or two or three or four beers during the day. Though, he draws the line with drinking and driving. As he has an assistant, he don't have to drive while under the infleunce. And though it isn't in his job decription, Lewis is constantly reminded by Strange to "keep an eye" on Morse, hinting on that it's Lewis responsibility to see that Morse behaves accordingly.

England was very much a class oriented society, and when you have reached over a certain level, your position is given some leeway. The higher the position, the higher the infallibility. That means, Morse was allowed to do things that wouldn't be acceptable for anyone in a position lower than his, certainly not a constable. People had respect, not for Morse personally, but for the position he held as a Chief Inspector. A society like that gives much power to anyone with a position, a power that can be used or abused. And Morse clearly abused that power, much to the chagrin of his fellow mates.

On the funny side, his constant thirst for beer is used almost to comedic effect, because of the extremely quirky and very English opening hours. Pubs were only opened between noon and half past two in the afternoon, and between half past six and half past nine in the evening. Even a minute after closing time doesn't matter, you're not allowed a beer even if you are the police. So, Morse is constantly annoyed he can't have his beer before lunch or late in the afternoon. One time Lewis even went to the supermarket to get him some canned beer, but Morse just threw it away sneering that it's not the same, frowning on the thought like the snob he is.

For all those calling Morse an alcoholic - Every person has a different tolerance to various poisons(yes, alcohol IS a poison - so are most drugs). For me alcohol has never been a problem - I once drank over a liter of 'jungle juice' at a party in less than 3 hours, yet was still about to ride a bicycle home, at speed, without an accident. I'm well known among my friends for drinking other under a table and never showing a sign of being drunk. I have never had a hangover in my life. I prefer hard liquor(usually high-end whiskey or scotch), as I cannot stand the taste of most beer. The beer I do like is usually dark, with high alcohol content(and usually expensive).

Some people have a genetic trait that can cause their liver to NOT filter the alcohol from their blood, American Indians are one group that have this trait. I believe that as with many things, this can also work the other way - their may be a genetic trait that allows someone to be able to drink large quantities of alcohol with little effect on their behavior or abilities.

Given some of Morse's behavior in the series, he might be a high functioning alcoholic, but I doubt this - most high functioning alcoholics require many drinks during the day, and often drink heavily after the workday is over. Morse is never shown to be that heavy of a drinker in the series.
I believe he is just one of those people that prefer to drink beer over other choices. I am the same way, I prefer to drink certain sodas or a glass of whiskey over anything else - even water.
I do drink water during exercise, but that is about the only time.

I think it was the idea of the producers to portray Morse as an Alcoholic -- law enforcement people often fall prey to the disease so it's no insult. But as a career law enforcement officer of 25 years, I'll bet the constabulary in England do NOT drink alcohol on duty. If they do, more power to them. Agatha Christie portrayed constables having a pint quite often. The English wouldn't drink our American beer -- it's like pee-water.

Just watch The Wench Is Dead. All is reveled there.