Check Out These 8 Brilliant Uses For Beer
Polish copper? Feed the garden? A frosty brew tastes great but it also has several other surprising uses. Check out this list!
Quick Reference: 8 Surprising Uses for Beer
- For skin and hair: a bath soak softens skin (B vitamins, protein, hops), a foot soak is mildly antifungal.
- Around the house: a splash of beer loosens rusted screws; the acidity polishes copper and stainless steel.
- For sleep: not the beer itself, the hops. Dried hops in a pillow sachet are an old folk sedative.
- For kidney stones: studies link a moderate daily beer to about a 41 percent lower stone risk; check with your doctor before relying on it.
- In the garden: a watered-down “beer tea” perks tired lawns, and a shallow dish drowns slugs and fruit flies.
- What to avoid: drinking beer with antibiotics or pain meds; mixing with prescription drugs can be dangerous or counter-productive.
Who says beer is just for drinking? A frosty brew tastes great, but it also has several other surprising uses, as part of your health and beauty routine, around the home, and in the garden. Here are 8 interesting uses, read on as you sip your favorite brand. The Britannica entry on beer traces the brew back at least 5,000 years; people have been finding alternative uses for it for almost as long.
8 Brilliant Ways To Use Beer
1. Take a Beer Bath
If you are looking for a soothing bubble bath, look no further than the refrigerator. Beer is full of B vitamins and protein that nourish skin, hair, and nails. Empty a can or two of your favorite brand into a steaming bath and relax as the beer helps soften and smooth your skin. Czech spa towns like Karlovy Vary built an entire tourism niche on the beer bath.
Beer also makes a good soak for tired, sore feet. Pour two cans of cold beer into a large bowl and let the cool, fizzy brew soothe your aching feet. Beer is mildly antifungal and the carbonated bubbles act as an exfoliant, which means that a beer foot soak will leave your feet smooth and clean.
2. Get Rid of Rust
If you have a screw that is rusted in place and will not budge, try dousing it with a fresh, bubbly beer. The beer’s carbonation and slight acidity may loosen the screw. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then work the screw back and forth.
3. Give Yourself a Massage
A beer can works better than any handheld massage tool you can buy. For one thing, it is cold, which helps minimize inflammation and reduce swelling. It is also easy to use. For a foot massage, lay an unopened can of beer on the floor and roll it around to soothe and relax the balls of your feet, your arches, and your toes. To loosen up other areas of your body, use the flat of your palm to roll the frosty can around. Note: if you plan on opening this can, wait until it settles before cracking it open.
4. Hops May Help You Sleep
A beer or two before bed might make you sleepy, but who needs the extra calories? If you need a good sleep aid, try hops (a key ingredient in beer). Many people find the scent of hops soothing, so if you have trouble drifting off, make a sachet containing a handful of dried hops and place it inside your pillowcase.
5. Fight Kidney Stones
This beverage is also helpful against kidney stones. Studies have shown that people who drink one beer per day have a 41 percent lower risk for developing kidney stones. Because it dilates the tubes connecting the kidneys and bladder, it may also help you pass kidney stones more easily. Just make sure you do not use beer in conjunction with antibiotics or pain medications. Not only can it neutralize the drugs, there is a chance you will do yourself more harm than good. Always check with a doctor first.
6. Use It As A Fertilizer
Plants, potted plants, vegetables, and even grass love the fermented sugars and nutrients in beer. If you have brown spots in your lawn or you are looking for a quick way to perk up other plants, choose a chemical-free brand and apply it with a spray bottle. Dilute one beer in a quart of water for spot treatment; full-strength is too rich.
7. Make A Beer Trap
You have probably heard about beer as a remedy for slugs in the garden, but it works on other pests, too. To make a fruit fly trap, pour about a cup of beer in a drinking glass or empty jar, cover with plastic wrap, and secure with a rubber band. Poke small holes in the plastic wrap and set it out on your counter (make the holes big enough so the flies can fly in but small enough that they cannot get back out; a small nail works well). They will fly in and meet their end.
8. Polish Metal
Because it is acidic, beer makes an effective metal polish. Use it on copper pots, stainless steel fixtures, and more to remove tarnish and grime. Once you are done, rinse the metal with clean water and dry thoroughly. Flat beer works as well as fresh, so this is a useful home for the half-can that lost its fizz at last night’s party.
Which Beer For Which Job
| Job | Best style | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Skin bath / foot soak | Light lager or pilsner | Cleaner smell, fewer dyes |
| Hair rinse | Pale ale (flat) | Hops and proteins add body |
| Slug trap | Cheap lager, the yeastier the better | Yeast smell pulls slugs in |
| Fruit fly trap | Anything sweet, half-flat works | Sugars attract |
| Metal polish | Lager, the older the better | Mild acidity, low color |
| Rusted screw | Anything bubbly, fresh | Carbonation is the active |
| Lawn feed | Chemical-free craft lager | Yeast + sugars perk up grass |
Slug season tracks the rain forecast
Set the beer trap the night before the wet spell.
Slugs hunt on warm, damp nights. The Farmers’ Almanac extended forecast tells you when to bait the trap and when to put it away.
Uses for Beer FAQ
Does beer really make a good slug trap?
Yes. Pour an inch or two of cheap, yeasty lager into a shallow dish or sink an empty tuna can to soil level. Slugs are drawn by the yeast smell, fall in, and drown overnight. Empty and refresh every couple of days.
Will beer water hurt my lawn?
Full-strength beer can scorch grass. Dilute one beer per quart of water and spot-spray brown patches. Hops, sugars, and yeasts feed the lawn and the soil microbes.
Can a beer bath actually improve my skin?
A 20-minute soak can soften skin thanks to B vitamins, proteins, and the mildly acidic pH. It will not cure a skin condition, but the spa industry has used it for centuries for a reason.
Is the kidney stone benefit really real?
Observational studies have shown about a 41 percent lower stone risk for moderate beer drinkers, likely thanks to the high water content and mild diuretic effect. It is not a treatment plan; talk to a doctor.
Can I use any beer to polish copper?
Yes. Lager works best because it has the mildest color. Apply with a soft cloth, let it sit a minute, rinse with water, and buff dry. Flat beer is fine; carbonation is not the active ingredient here.
Are hops actually a sleep aid?
A small but consistent body of research backs hops as a mild sedative. Brewers and pickers have long noticed drowsiness from the resin. A pillow sachet of dried hops, sometimes paired with lavender, is the standard folk remedy.
Why is beer good at loosening rusted screws?
A combination of carbonation, water, and a mildly acidic pH from the hops works its way into the rust layer. Penetrating oil is faster and more reliable, but if you have nothing else on the workbench, beer will do.
We would love to hear your ideas. Tell us in the comments below. For more low-cost household tricks, read our companion guides: 10 rust remedies for the home, 10 smart uses for used coffee grounds, and 20 uses for Epsom salt.
All-Access Membership
The home and garden archive, all in one membership.
Members get the full archive: tested home tips, garden calendars by zip code, weekly updates, the long-range forecast, and the printable Almanac for the year ahead.
Amber Kanuckel
Amber Kanuckel is a freelance writer from rural Ohio who loves all things outdoors. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics.
- Amber Kanuckel
- Amber Kanuckel
- Amber Kanuckel
- Amber Kanuckel
But then everything smells like beer…
I add a bottle of lager when I make a pot of beans. Best beans ever!
So, is it HEAT or COLD that opens up blood vessels?
Using HEAT opens up your blood vessels and increases blood flow – cold slows down blood flow.
for meeker
Beer batter for shrimp or onion rings, fire extinguisher (not electrical) shake and spray.
Isn’t alcohol flammable?
WHAT??? Keith. Can you elaborate???