If you’ve ever hosted a party, you’ll be familiar with the inevitable opened-but-not-quite-empty beer dilemma.

Rather than glugging the abandoned beverages down the sink, put them to good use with these hacks.  

Meaty madness

Meat lovers, beer is your new best friend. If you struggle to get tender, melt-in-your-mouth chicken, beef or pork, a beer-based marinade, brine or stew might be the solution.

Beer is slightly acidic, which means it will hydrate and tenderise even the toughest of cuts. It gives a sweet, hoppy flavour without altering the meat’s flavour too much. Recent findings also suggest that beer can combat nasty chemicals that form on meat when cooked at high temperatures. 

Greener grass

Owner of a patchy, lacklustre lawn? The fermented sugars in beer can help kill fungi and boost plant growth to eliminate brown spots, leaving you with a lush looking pasture.

Pest control

For a natural way to exterminate those pesky pests lurking in your garden or around your home, beer will do the trick. Slugs, fruit flies, cockroaches and mozzies are known to appreciate a brew. Fill a bowl or jar with beer, leave it out over night and the insects will track it down and be pests no more.  

Rust remedy

Break free rusty bolts with a splash of beer. The carbonation and acid will get rid of the rust.

Eat it

Before you ditch those post-shindig bottles and cans, you might want to take them into the kitchen. Beer can be used in a range of creative foodie ways – from the intriguing Beer Can Chicken to beer bread and a classic fish beer batter.

Hoppy (and happy) hair

There’s no doubt beer can turn any woeful party into a good time but as we’ve pointed out, it’s a multi-talented beverage. Malt and hops are jam-packed with proteins, which strengthen locks and the sugars tighten the hair’s cuticles, giving it a healthy shine.

Stay gold (pots/jewellery)

Didn’t quite manage to polish off your beer last night? Use it to clean your pots, pans or any gold jewellery that need brightening up. Simply soak the kitchenware overnight or gently rub with a beer-saturated soft cloth. 

Soak it up

Beer baths are a thing. The ingredients found in beer are said to contain powerful skin-friendly antioxidants and properties, which can help tone down unwanted skin conditions. Muscle tension, achy joints and immunity problems may also be cured.

While we’re not planning on DIY beer bathing anytime soon, beer spas are popping up across Europe, offering beer baths, facials, wraps and even massages.

Wax on, wax off

Wooden furniture and flat beer get on rather well. Dampen a soft cloth with beer, rub it into the wood (perhaps test the underside before going for it). This will give it a clean, polished glow. Make sure you follow with a clean cloth afterwards.

Beer-fuelled lullaby

This one could be an old wive's tale but beer might put an end to those sleepless nights. If drifting to dreamland is a struggle, try washing your pillowcases in a hop-heavy beer. Hops are said to have a sedative element to them so the scent will knock you out in no time.