In 1931, the Beerage became a pointed term during a Commons debate on a liquor prohibition bill promoted by Edwin Scrymgeour. Critics cited the number of peers, peeresses, knights, and MPs with interests in brewing companies. The exchange dramatised the political reach of drink capital.

The Commons debate challenging the beerage in 1931 provided a backdrop for satirical writing about brewers, aristocracy, and reform. This context was particularly relevant for interwar poets and essayists who critiqued the entangled systems of class power, using humor and irony to address societal issues.