[General] chronicle small beer

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you help to me to interpret in plain English the meaning of the expression in bold in the following sentence?

Every evening Mr. Charles went to the club where he and the other members would chronicle small beer.

chronicle small beer = concern oneself with trifles, concern oneself with small things
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

 

[corum]

Never heard this before.

 

[vil]

Iago: She that was ever fair, and never proud;
Had tongue at will, and yet was never loud...
She that could think, and never disclose his mind;
See suitors following and not look behind;
She was a wight, if ever such wights were,-
Desdemona: To do what?
Iago: To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer. (Shakespeare, "Othello")

 

[Tdol]

It's correct, but I think it would throw the majority of speakers because small beer is colloquial and the collocation would sound strained nowadays. It might work in a title like The Small Beer Chronicles.