Differing Drinking Ages:

Alcohol percentage plays a significant role in the amount one can drink in a night. American beers have a much lower alcohol percentage than that of British beers. “Beer strength varies by local custom. British ale tends to average 4.4% abv.”[1] “The strongest beer sold in Britain was Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout, a 21% abv stout which was available from UK Safeways in 2003.”[2] I experienced first hand the effects of a higher alcohol content in England when I went out with my friends to the local pubs. Upon ordering one beer we all felt as if we had consumed two. The effects of British beer on us was significantly stronger than what we were normally used too. However, the fact that the British drink so frequently, they tend to have naturally higher tolerances than us, Americans, to begin with. As a result to their high tolerances, they must increase the alcohol content of their beverages in order for the same feeling to be experienced. It is apparent, even in alcohol content alone, how different Americans view alcohol as opposed to the English. Americans find alcohol as a health risk and do not promote heavy consumption of it, neither do the British; however, the fact that American beer has lower alcohol content says something about our drinking habits. We, Americans, tend to drink less frequently keeping our tolerances at a lower lever. We also begin drinking at an older age as opposed to the British who can begin drinking at the age of 14 years where their tolerance grows higher as time goes on. However, “not everyone can drink beer legally in the UK - there's a minimum age limit as to when you can start buying alcohol. But this limit isn't clear cut. If you're in a restaurant you can have a glass with a meal at the age of 14. At 16 you can drink shady in pubs,” which is lemonade mixed with beer. “At 18 you can start buying alcohol legally in pubs” [3] The differences between drinking ages and alcohol content highlight the contrast in values of Americans verses the English where Americans hold drinking to a much stricter standard than that of the British.
[1] WikiAnswers
[2] WikiAnswers
[3] Beer Laws

Bibliography:
1 & 2) WikiAnswers. What Is the Alcohol Content of Beer? 2008. 24 Apr. 2008 .
3) BBC. Beer Laws. 3 Mar. 2000. 26 Apr. 2008 .