After the bomb, can I drink the beer?

From a website called “Women Drinking Beer” (although they credit NPR):

A govt study from 1957 has just surfaced called “The Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages.” It addresses this question: After the bomb, can I drink the beer?

The Atomic Energy Commission exploded two bombs at a test site in Nevada. They carefully placed bottles and cans of beer and soda at various distances — some a couple miles from ground zero, some 1,000 feet away. Some were left in batches, others placed side by side, some were buried in the ground.

They found that BOTTLES closest to ground zero were mildly radioactive, but INSIDE, the beer was “well within the permissible limits for emergency use,” although the closest ones tasted funny.

Should you find yourself near an atomic blast and run short of potable water, you can chug a Coke or a beer, but don’t expect it to taste great.

Here’s the analysis, called “Beer and the Apocalypse“