Did they drink real beer on the set? I know I heard it was fake at first (because John was only 18), but how about later on?

They never serve real beer on set. They do so many takes that the actors might be drunk by the time they got done. LOL. I have heard they use either non-alcoholic beer, apple juice, or tea.

I've done a little acting. You'd be surprised how little you "drink". Ever notice how the level of liquid rarely moves much? It's more like drinking the wine at mass -- you just let the liquid touch your lips. At least for main characters. As for extras; yeah, they may sip much more on the beverage at hand. They'd be the ones to worry about with real beer!!

Beer? I always drink milk and water, because it is good for health.

I always noticed Cooter either drank milk, coffee or what looks to be soda. He never (or rarely) had a beer.

I always noticed Cooter either drank milk, coffee or what looks to be soda. He never (or rarely) had a beer.

yeah not forget Enos drink milk and sometime Rosco drink beer or milk when he on duty... yeah I look like real beer to me but more like apple juice since how put on top with white on it make look like real beer to be.

I always noticed Cooter either drank milk, coffee or what looks to be soda. He never (or rarely) had a beer.

Cooter gets served a beer in 'Luke's Love Story'. He even picks it up, but we never see him drink it:

Ben Jones was an alcoholic when he was in his teens and early 20's,and he turned his life around and stopped drinking a few years before Dukes,as a result he asked producers to only give Cooter coffee and sodas.

I'm guessing the scene that Hoss is referring to was planned to cut away before Ben drank the beer,even if it was apple juice or non alcoholic beer.

Ben Jones was an alcoholic when he was in his teens and early 20's,and he turned his life around and stopped drinking a few years before Dukes,as a result he asked producers to only give Cooter coffee and sodas.

Ben actually went to audition for Dukes in September 1978, exactly a year after he nearly died from alcohol abuse. Even though the alcohol in Dukes wasn't real, I'm sure those early scenes can't have been easy for him.

Back when Dukes was being filmed everybody thought that there was a law making it illegal to drink alchohol on television...I don't mean on the set....I mean airing it for the audience to see. I don't know if that was a real law back then but I do know that everybody used to believe it was.....or at least everybody in my neck of the woods.

LOL That's funny. Maybe they had that written on the glasses on the set. Good thing they never turned the glasses so the camera could see it.