Frank,
I don't know if you are familiar with English folk clubs(I doubt it) but the few venues that I visit normally serve a really good pint.

If alcohol minimized the appreciation of music then there would be even less traditional songs preserved than have been.

The truth of the matter is that folk song is again a minority sport just as it was before the "Folk Scare".

Even if we still had some traditional singers around appearing on a good stage in a good setting with a knowlegeable compere (few of those around) with or without alcohol you would still have a problem finding an audience. It just isn't there.

Like one of Jimmy Witherspoon's songs said "Time brings on a change, nothing remains the same".

C'est la vie.