BERLIN >> A German motorist is being credited for his quick thinking after his engine caught fire on the Autobahn. He turned to a slightly different foam extinguisher to douse the flames: bottles of beer.

Police told the dpa news agency today that the man was on the highway near the town of Hoesbach in Bavaria the day before when he smelled something odd.

Pulling over, the man spotted flames under the hood of his car. He quickly grabbed bottles of beer from a case in his car and quenched the fire.

Authorities say the fire department responded but there was nothing left for them to do.