How Beer Saved the World (TV 2011)

This show traces the important role that beer has played in human history from the probable origins of the first beer at the dawn of history to the development of a special beer for use in zero gravity space missions.

Writer:

Martyn Ives

Stars:

Henry Strozier, George Armelagos, Charlie Bamforth

Cast

Credited cast:
Henry Strozier	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Armelagos	...	Himself - Professor of Anthropology, Emory University (as Dr. George Armelagos)
Charlie Bamforth	...	Himself - Professor of Brewing Science, University of California (as Dr. Charlie Bamforth)
Kyria Boundy-Mills	...	Herself - Professor of Microbiology, University of California (as Dr. Kyria Boundy-Mills)
Drew Brosseau	...	Himself - Mayflower Brewery
Betsy Bryan	...	Herself - Professor of Egyptology, John Hopkins University (as Dr. Betsy Bryan)
Patrick Hayes	...	Himself - Professor of Food Science, Oregon State University (as Dr. Patrick Hayes)
Patrick McGovern	...	Himself - Professor of Bio-Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania (as Dr. Patrick McGovern)
Jaron Mitchell	...	Himself - 4Pines Brewing Company
Bernard Nagengast	...	Himself - Author & Technical Historian
Maureen Ogle	...	Herself - Author & Historian
David Ryder	...	Himself - Vice President Brewing & Research MillerCoors (as Dr. David Ryder)
Thomas Shellhammer	...	Himself - Professor of Fermentation Science, Oregon State University (as Dr. Thomas Shellhammer)
Quentin R. Skrabec Jr.	...	Himself - Associate Professor of Business, University of Findlay (as Dr. Quentin R. Skrabec Jr.)
Gregg Smith	...	Himself - Author & Historian

Storyline

This show traces the important role that beer has played in human history from the probable origins of the first beer at the dawn of history to the development of a special beer for use in zero gravity space missions.

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Plot Keywords:

beer | mesopotamia | beer bottle | refrigeration | agricultural revolution | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Discovery Channel [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 2011 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beyond Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

User Reviews

Very Educational And Entertaining

This show traces the important role that beer has played in human history from the probable origins of the first beer at the dawn of history to the development of a special beer for use in zero gravity space missions.

I suspect some of the claims made in this show exaggerate the importance of beer. Was barley made exclusively for beer and not for bread? I do not know, but it seems a bit odd. Even the theory of how beer was accidentally discovered relies heavily on speculation.

But overall, it is pretty decent with real experts explaining things about beer's history that are not well known. Did it "save" the world? I do not know. I mean, sure, beer was safer to drink than bacteria-filled water... but clearly other societies thrived besides the Europeans. The world was not "saved".