Never underestimate the ingenuity of beer drinkers. Last week, an old man in a North Dakota apartment complex rigged up a home alarm system made of empty beer cans, and it actually worked!

Police were initially summoned to the building after a report at 1:24 a.m. of two elderly naked men attacking each other. They weren't naked, although the tenant was in his underwear, having been awoken when an intruder stumbled into his place and tripped his homemade alarm.

"The renter of the apartment had set up a stepstool with empty beer cans on it and set that in front of the door so that if anybody were to open the door it would knock all the beer cans off and that would wake him up, which it did, so I guess it worked," said Sgt. Bill Ahlfeldt of the Fargo Police Department.

"He called it his burglar alarm," Ahlfeldt said. "He said he doesn't really lock his doors, so he does that instead."

The renter got out of bed and turned on the light to find Daniel Gable, 61, who lives one floor below, hiding in a closet. A fight between the two men ensued and Gable was sent to jail on suspicion of robbery, although police said it was possible that his drunken state led him to believe he had entered his own apartment.

Either way, we think this simple beer can-based security system could give ADT a run for its money. What burglar in the world would dare attempt to break into a place with a sign outside reading, "This apartment protected by PBR."