Don’t toss out that beer that has a few sips in it yet – that is precious shining polish you’re about to let the drain chug away. Beer is perfect to help give your copper pots and pans a little shining action as well as gold jewelry. It’s as simple as a soak and a wipe to get the job done. LifeHacker found this cool tip from Men’s Health, which is one of the 15 uses they have listed for clever beer uses. Here’s what Men’s Health has to say about it this trick:

In days of yore, the last bit of beer from spent kegs was collected and used to polish the copper vats in breweries. Gregg Smith, general manager of the Idaho Brewing Company, is keeping the tradition alive by using beer to put a shine on the copper-top tables in his Idaho Falls establishment. "Because of its acidity," he explains, "you can just pour some on, let it sit for a while, then wipe it off. It also works well on Revere Ware pots."

You’ve probably heard of rubbing a slice of lemon and salt to shine up copper— so really it’s the acidity you’re dealing with when it comes to beer. Not a bad gig to shine up your pots and gold—especially with something you were going to pour down the drain!

Shine Copper Cooking Pots with Unused Beer