Ive never heard that alcohol breaks one's fast. The monks invented beer and drank it during the year, most of which was spent fasting. I read that Lent used to be one meal per day (in the morning, i.e. "break fast"), but when the afternoon came, the monks drank wine, but some monk's health was affected by drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, so the tradition started to have a small piece of bread with wine, and that was the first time a second "meal" was allowed during a fast / Lent.