When else would you need a beer more than the nuclear end of days? But you wouldn't want it to kill you, that's for sure. Well, good news, A 1957 US government study discovered that beer and soda would be safe to drink, if it survives a nuclear explosion.
From Robert Krulwich's NPR blog:
...in 1956, the Atomic Energy Commission exploded two bombs, one "with an energy release equivalent to 20 kilotons of TNT," the other 30 kilotons, a test site in Nevada. Bottles and cans were carefully placed various distances from ground zero....
The closest containers were placed "less than a quarter mile away," says Alex [Wellerstein, science historian], "a mere 1,056 feet", the outliers a couple of miles off. Some were buried, some left in batches, others were placed side by side.
Beers close to the blast site were slightly radioactive and still totally drinkable in dire situations. Those further away were less radioactive.
The researchers even taste tested the beers and sodas, most of which they deemed good (except those nearest the blast).
See the NPR article and hit up Wellerstein's blog post to glance over the actual document.
