Beer is sacred nectar, from the time it is brewed to the time it reaches your mouth. We know it would be sacrilege to waste a drop — heck, it’s house rules to finish every can, even when it’s flat. But in spite of these inalienable facts, there is something else to consider — beer, being the mystical mana that it is, can be used for, GASP, other things than just drinking. Yes, it is true.
Here are 8 More Uses for Beer (other than drinking).
Hair Product
Australian stylist Joh Bailey says he spritzes his clients’ hair with beer as a setting lotion. “Put it in a spray bottle and mist it in before a blow-dry. The effect is really beautiful.” Leave it up to the beer-obsessed Australians to find a way to keep beer around at the salon.
Slug Killer
Personally, we think slugs are pretty cool. But apparently, they eff up your lawn and scare away chicks. Slugs want to eat your plants (wait, do you have plants?), but they want to eat your fermenting beer even more. If you pour some beer into a dish near your plants, they’ll crawl in and, gasp, drown. You slug killer!!
Pass a Kidney Stone
Ouch. Kidney stones are horrifying. But, in moderation, beer can help dissolve the stuff that forms into kidney stones. It’s because beer causes you to urinate more often than normal, and that helps flush your kidneys of the particles that form kidney stones. But guess what? Beer in excess can actually CAUSE kidney stones because beer is high in oxalate, one of the key ingredients in a painful, ultra-sharp kidney stone. So… proceed with caution here.
Lower Your Blood Pressure
Doctors, experts, and alcoholics have been saying that wine lowers your blood pressure for ages. And now those same people (especially alcoholics) are saying beer has similar effects. In fact, one study found that beer lowered blood pressure more than wine. It makes sense — what’s more relaxing than a cold one?
Beer Bath
Apparently, the occasional beer bath really helps your pores and skin. And at some insane spas in Austria, you can drink a stein of the same delicious beer you’re soaking in, which is perversely incredible. And hey, it HAS to be good for you, right?
The New York Times wrote about it here.
Catch Mice
Mice are a lot like slugs. Okay, they’re not that much like slugs. But they’re attracted to the scent of fermented hops just like slugs. And, like slugs, this can be used to lure them in and then drown them. Got a mouse problem? Just get a large bucket, fill it with a couple of beers (sigh), and set up a mini ramp to go into the bucket. By morning, you should have a drowning pool filled with mouse carcasses. Or is it carcassi?!
Cure Your Insomnia
This is only half true. You will certainly fall asleep if you drink enough beers (but not too many… you don’t want to be awakened by the sweet caress of vomit in your throat). But alcohol-induced sleep doesn’t lead to the restful REM sleep that fully recharges your body. The same goes for sleeping pills, though. And when you’re an insomniac, sometimes all it takes is a little help from your friends (Milwaukee’s Best and PBR being your besties, of course).
Marinate Food
Duh. Everyone knows that beer makes food taste great. Pork is the best meat to marinate in beer, and beer-battered anything (fish, chicken… steak?!) is a close second. Even vegetables are great when sauteed in some brew — you’ve never tasted Brussels sprouts until they’ve been served in beer.
