How the Beer Can Was Saved from Extinction - HISTORY

Love it or hate it, the beer can is an iconic part of American culture. But there was a time when the beer can was almost made extinct.

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In this Hands on History video with Ron Hazelton, learn how beer is made from some of the oldest breweries in America. Discover how dozens of flavors of beer are made from just four simple ingredients: water, yeast, barley malt, and hops. See these actual ingredients in a Sam Adams Brewery and then travel to Yuengling & Son, the oldest brewery in America, to witness the evolution of beer. In this video, you will learn all of the steps it takes to create a truly great-tasting beer.

In this Hands on History video with Ron Hazelton, trace the history of great American breweries to the immigrants who started them. Take for example the city of Boston, famous as the birthplace of the American Revolution and has a long tradition in brewing. One man played a key role in both the Revolution and the brewing, Samuel Adams. Throughout the early 1800's, immigrant families began starting up breweries like the ones they knew back in Europe. During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the Yuengling family began brewing beer in Pennsylvania; six generations later, they are still brewing almost the same way as they used to. Hazelton talks with Dick Yuengling, a brewer who carries on years of tradition, for he is the fifth generation to run his family's brewery. Yuengling tells the history of his family's brewery and explains how they still practice brewing in many of the same ways that it was done 170 years ago. Also see how beer used to be bottled back in the day!

Five days after Hurricane Katrina trapped nearly 300 residents in their apartment building, known as The American Can, former recon Marine John Keller fought off looters, swam through floodwaters, and hot-wired boats to help guide them to safety.

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