I have always wondered this ...

Because then the show would be criticized for promoting drunkeness and would have been cancelled, that's part of the reason the creators made Sam a recovering alcoholic.

They spent so much time there, beer has no effect on them.

They certainly appeared drunk when they were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in May 1993 after the series finale aired! :lol:

Well, I always assumed that Al was supposed to be the resident "drunk", but I could be wrong.

Rebecca and Frasier were shown to be drunk on several occasions (especially Rebecca), and obviously Sam fell off the wagon when he and Diane broke up. But beyond that, I think they were very careful not to showcase intoxication or drunken behavior, especially since people were regularly featured leaving and arriving to the bar and presumably they weren't all taking taxicabs and buses. And Cliff frequently stopped in for a beer during his rounds, something I'm actually surprised didn't get more attention or complaints (granted, Cliff wasn't the best representative for the US Post Office anyhow, but still).

because Sam watered the beer down so much it was almost non-alcoholic

I have always wondered this ...

So true - as much beer as Norm drank I have never witness him drunk. Was that really beer or ice tea.

It's commonly accepted that once a person's body gets more and more used to alcohol they build up a tolerance. For example I remember when I was younger and first started drinking my limit was like 3 beers before it was lights out. But now my body has adjusted to alcohol and my given limit is considerably higher. And I only drink maybe once or twice a week. Image how much tolerance Norm has built up over the years. Also, anyone who drinks long enough eventually learns how to curb intoxication with certain rules such as never drinking on an empty stomach.

"It's Lonely On The Top" is one of the very few episodes that centers around being drunk (in addition to being knee-slapping hilarious for anybody who's had a crazy night they regretted the next day). As Guy Incognito points out, the biggest mystery is Cliff who is often drinking while technically ON THE JOB. That always boggled my mind.

Well the show did take place in a bar but seriously who would want to watch a series where the characters were drunk all the time? True, having them appear sober all the time probably wasn't realistic, but that's why people watch TV. I was never a fan of Cheers but even on Frasier they showed a lot of drinking-not to the point of what was shown on Cheers, but they were definitely trying to focus on the social aspect of it.

Did it ever occur to you guys that they were not really drinking beer.

They certainly appeared drunk when they were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in May 1993 after the series finale aired! :lol:
That's because they were drunk on purpose.