Beer is one of the world’s most consumed alcoholic beverages. People across the world love drinking beer, and would hate to have a can or bottle of beer go to waste. However, sometimes you may not be able to drink it all; maybe you’ve had just a little too much to drink and can’t make it through that last bottle, or maybe you have lots of open bottles from your party the night before that have gone flat.
Beer lovers, fear no more! This alcoholic beverage can be used for many other useful functions, besides just getting you drunk and tasting good (to some people, that is).
1. Put out a fire
Full disclosure: if there is a fire extinguisher close by, use that to put out a fire. However, if you are nowhere near a fire extinguisher and happen to have a can of beer, it will do the trick. Just shake up the can and spray the beer all over the fire (this will not work for large fires, just small fires like grill flare-ups).
2. Take a bath
Frat houses aren’t the only place where people go to get soaked in beer. Although the thought of bathing in beer may seem disgusting and sticky, beer is actually filled with antioxidants and other ingredients that are great for your skin. Some people pay money to visit beer spas, but there are also many homemade beer bath recipes if you are feeling adventurous and want to try out the treatment without paying for a spa visit.
3. Marinate meat
Beer will greatly enhance the flavor of your meat, as well as make it much more tender. When cooked, the alcohol from the beer evaporates and leaves behind its delicious flavor, forming the perfect meat marinade.
Different flavor beers will lead to different flavored steaks, so feel free to experiment with different types of beers such as spiced lagers, nut browns, or pale ales. Besides just enhancing the flavor, using beer as a marinade before throwing your meat on the grill can also reduce the production of dangerous chemical compounds known as carcinogens.
4. Clean pots, pans, and jewelry
Beer is highly acidic, which makes for a great polisher of pots, pans, and even jewelry. Just rub some beer on anything that has turned rusty or a little dull, and it will soon be shiny as new.
5. Cook great recipes
Many great recipes use beer for a bold flavor. For example, Paula Deen uses beer in her Drunken Chicken recipe to enhance the flavor of her roasted chicken. If you’re an adventurous chef, you can try this Beer Can Chicken recipe, in which you stuff a beer-can up the chicken’s you-know-what and let the steam from the beer evaporate, flavoring the chicken and keeping it moist.
If you’re a German food lover, you can try making this Beer Glazed Brats and Sauerkraut recipe. And how could you forget about the beer-battered fish? Beer is a key ingredient in so many fantastic dishes.
6. Improve your lawn
Beer contains fermented sugars that stimulate plant growth, in addition to killing fungi. All you need to do is spray some beer on any brown spots in your lawn, and the grass will absorb the sugar from the beer, giving it energy to grow again.
7. Pass a kidney stone
It’s no surprise to learn that beer is a diuretic. However, this slightly annoying side effect of drinking beer can actually be a good thing if you’re trying to pass a kidney stone. Not only does beer make you have to pee more frequently, but it also helps dilate the tubes that connect your kidney to your bladder, which can help you pass a kidney stone easier and faster. Additionally, the alcohol will help to ease the pain, so it’s a win-win situation.
8. Soothe your feet
Are your feet sore after standing on them all day? Well sit down, grab a can of beer to drink, and a couple additional cold ones to pour in a large bowl, bucket, or even a tub. The high carbonation of the ice cold beer will work wonders for your sore feet after a long day. Additionally, the acidity of beer and the bacteria in the yeast gives off nutrients that soak into your skin and repair hair follicles.
9. Make your waffles fluffier
Some people use club soda in their waffle mix to make their waffles fluffier. While club soda works, beer will also do the trick. There are some great beer-infused waffle recipes out there like this one.
10. Kill slugs in your yard
If you’re one of the many people suffering from slugs invading your yard (it’s actually quite common), this problem can be solved with a half-filled cup of beer. Just dig a hole in the soil and carefully place your beer cup in the hole. When the slugs get near the beer, the scent will literally cause the slugs to drop dead and fall into the cup, and viola! You no longer have a slug-infested yard.
#SpoonTip: This trick also works with mice, just uses a bigger container for the beer such as a pot or pan.
11. Make your hair shinier
Just as beer can liven up a dull party, it can liven up dull or dry hair. Just boil 1/4 cup of beer in a sauce pan so that the alcohol evaporates, then let it cool. Next, mix the beer with a cup of shampoo. After just one wash with your new shampoo, your hair will be strong, healthy, and shiny.
This process works because the malted barley releases B vitamins in the brewing process that nourish your hair, and the hops in beer contain antioxidants and essential oils that are great for your hair. If this process seems like too much work, you can buy beer shampoo from BRÖÖ, who has taken beer hair “from saloon to salon.”
12. Give yourself a facial
All you’ll need to make a super easy beer facemask is one tablespoon of beer, one tablespoon of plain yogurt, one teaspoon of olive oil, one egg white, and one teaspoon of almond extract. The yeast in the beer works to balance your skin’s pH levels, leaving your skin extra soft and rejuvenated when you remove the mask.
13. Remove coffee stains
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, it works. Just as Expo markers unexpectedly erase Sharpie on certain surfaces, beer removes coffee stains. Just pour a little beer over the stain and lightly rub it in. You may have to repeat this process a few times, but eventually the coffee stain will disappear.
14. Cook rice
Most people cook their rice in water. However, few people know that cooking rice in beer gives the rice more flavor. The alcohol burns off in the cooking process, and what is left is the bold flavor of beer to enhance the taste of your otherwise bland rice.
#SpoonTip: Beer can also be used to steam seafood such as mussels, clams, shrimp, and crab, giving them a more flavorful taste as well.
So now you have no reason not to keep your fridge stocked with beer at all times. If you can’t drink it all, there’s plenty more that you can use if for. Not only is beer a popular alcoholic beverage, but it is also an extremely functional one.