Beer ranks No. 1 as Americans’ favorite alcoholic drink, according to Gallup.
Mosquitos and flies are also apparently really attracted to beer.
The hack
Popular TikTok user John Brownn (@daddybrownn) often shares life hacks with his 257,000 followers. In one of his latest videos, he shares how to keep the flies and mosquitos away. All it takes is one ingredient: beer.
“If you’re outside and you’re getting bombarded with flies and mosquitoes, watch this video. I’m gonna show you how to keep them away,” Brownn says.
Fortunately, for those who enjoy their beer, this hack doesn’t require a fresh one.
“All you’re gonna need is any kind of beer. This doesn’t have to be a new beer that you just cracked open,” the content creator explains.
Next, Brownn takes out a stainless steel bowl. But he says you can use any open container that can hold liquid. He then dumps a beer into the bowl. “You can do multiple bowls and place them around the perimeter of your yard,” he says.
“When you go outside, the flies and mosquitoes are gonna be attracted to the bowls that are outside of your yard instead of where you’re sitting,” he explains. “The reason this works in mosquitoes is because an open beer is releasing CO2, which is what attracts mosquitoes to feed on mammals.”
Indeed, beer cans consist of CO2. “Keg, bottled, and canned beers often have additional CO2 added, usually post-filtration. Beers with this post-fermentation CO2 are sometimes known as ‘brewery-conditioned’ beers. CO2 will dissolve quite readily in beer, with solubility increasing with decreasing temperature,” per Craft Beer & Brewing. What attracts mosquitos to mammals is the CO2 we exhale. Mosquitos find human blood even tastier after a person consumes beer.
“The reason this works for flies is because they can sense glycerol. Glycerol is a sweet-tasting compound that yeasts make during fermentation which is how beer is made,” Brownn adds. “Beer contains both of these things, which is why it makes a perfect attractant for both flies and mosquitos.”
This is true. According to Science Daily, “Flies sense glycerol that yeasts make during fermentation. Specifically, they found that Gr64e, a receptor associated with neurons located in the fly’s mouth-parts, is instrumental in signaling a good taste for beer. Once a fly has settled on beer, Gr64e detects glycerol and transmits this information to the fly’s neurons, thus influencing the fly’s behavior.”
Brownn previously told the Daily Dot that his knowledge in chemistry helps him create his content. His video has over 209,000 views.
And using beer to keep away mosquitos and flies isn’t the only unconventional use for the substance. Here are some other uses for beer.
Cooking
Beer can apparently be your secret ingredient.
According to Allrecipes, beer can add a nice “earthy” flavor to certain dishes, like chili, soups and stews. In addition, you can use it as a marinate for vegetables and meat. Moreover, beer can create a savory flavor in crackers and add moisture to desserts, per Bake From Scratch.
However, the type of beer you choose is important. For baking, opt for porters and stouts. Wheat beer is best for when handling chicken and seafood. Ales, porters, and stouts work best for pork, beef, lamb, and stew. Also, alcohol vaporizes during cooking, so you won’t get drunk. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on what kind of person you are.
Polishing gold jewelry
If you have a rusted gold piece of jewelry and some leftover beer, you can use it to get rid of dirt and grime. “Beer is a great cleaning agent as the hops used during the brewing process contain alpha acids that are capable of polishing off dirt and grime from gold. Light beers contain less hops, which gives them the right acidity to protect and polish your gold,” per Heart In Diamond.
All you have to do is pour some light beer onto a cloth and gently rub off the grime. Once you’re done, use can use a clean cloth to dry the jewelry, per Bustle.
Bathing
Bathing in beer can be beneficial, research has suggested. In ancient China and Egypt, beer spas were used when treating sicknesses and diseases. The first record of a beer bath dates back to over 2,000 years ago. Today, some spas still offer beer baths, where one soaks in beer and herbs. “Research shows that soaking in a bath helps with fatigue, stress, and pain,” Oakwell Beer Spa notes on its site. The spa also claims beer baths are good for the skin and hair.
Extinguishing fires
Believe it or not, beer can be life-saving. If there’s a fire, and all you have is a can of beer, you can use it to put it out. Since beer mainly consists of water, it can be a great fire extinguisher. There are reports of people using beer to put out fires. In 2014, a firefighter reportedly used beer to extinguish a fire that was coming from an 18-wheeler off the side of the road. Six years later, a Northern California man reportedly used cans of Bud Light to put out a fire in his yard while waiting for emergency responders.
The Daily Dot reached out to @daddybrownn via TikTok comment and direct message.
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