Six Crafty Uses for Beer – Other Than Drinking

Beer is one of the oldest beverages in the world and the most widely consumed alcoholic drink on Earth. In fact, global beer consumption was approximately 177.50 million kiloliters – equivalent to approximately 280.4 billion 633 ml bottles – in 2020. It is also said to be the third most popular drink, more popular than wine and coffee, but behind the classics water and tea.

While it may be a firm favourite at a sports game, around the campfire or after a long day at work, beer can do so much more than just being drunk. It is actually rather crafty. From using it around the home, in the garden or even as a safety net, beer has a rather long list of unusual uses. You may even feel the need to buy an extra case when you’re next buying some.

So, for those of you thinking of your new year's resolutions and trying to be more responsible – perhaps by drinking less, switching casino games for board games, or even using social media more responsibly – why not turn one of your habits into something a little different?

Read on to see how you can use beer in other ways than just drinking.

Polish pots

Thanks to the high volume of acidity in beer, those days of scrubbing pots for hours on end are over. Back in the day, the last bit of beer from spent kegs was collected and used to polish the copper vats in breweries. So, next time you have a stubborn mark on your favourite pot, let it soak in a bath of beer for up to 10 minutes, then use a soft cloth to gently buff up the surface. And it’s not only good for polishing pots and pans, but it can also help clean anything that’s rusty or just needs a bit of sprucing up!

Help your garden grow

Beer may be powerful enough to keep bugs and slugs at bay, but it happens to have the exact opposite effect on plants. The idea of using beer on plants has been around for a while, possibly as long as beer, but this may be news to you. You can add it to compost, pour some into a reusable spray bottle and spray it on any plants that may be suffering from fungi growth, and even spray it on the brown spots on your lawn to help act as a fertilizer and stimulate growth.

Remove coffee stains

Most of us know the tricks of the trade when it comes to removing tough stains – from vinegar, water, and baking soda to white wine getting out red wine stains. But did you know that beer is also an effective, efficient and sustainable stain remover? All you need to do is trickle a few drops of beer over the coffee stain and rub it in. It may take a couple of attempts, but the stain should disappear completely.

Homemade beer bath

Said to have been used by the Ancient Egyptians and Romans as part of their beauty regime to keep their skin silky smooth and evenly toned, bathing in beer baths isn’t a new fad. Beer spas have even popped up around Europe and other continents, which offer people beer-inspired treatments such as healing baths, facials, wraps and massages. To create your own beer bath, all you need is an olive oil-based soap or castile soap and some beer. Add it to running water, adjust the levels of ingredients to suit you, then hop in and relax!

Extinguish a fire

Beers and campfires tend to go hand in hand. Whilst this is great for those of us who enjoy drinking around a fire, it is also good if things get out of hand. Beer can also help to extinguish a fire as it happens to be mostly made of water. The trick is to shake the can or bottle up first, then spray the beer all over the burning fire. There’s even been stories in the news about beers used to extinguish fires.

If you do have a safer option, say a fire extinguisher, then that is your best bet, but this is a good tip to know just in case.

Cook with beer

We’ve mentioned some household beer hacks, but one of the other fantastic uses of beer is in cooking. It is famed for adding flavor to meat, but did you know it can also be used to steam seafood? Or to add a deep, earthy flavor to savory dishes like chili, soup and stew and a nutty, caramelized flavor to baked goods? It is, in fact, great for pretty much all the cooking techniques out there: baking, braising, battering, sauces, marinating, and even grilling.