A Dutch beer truck apparently side-swiped a tree around 5.30 Monday morning in western Germany, spilled some amber liquid but kept on going.

Why the driver continued on is unknown but as he drove his truck lost more bottles and cases of precious cargo. The trail of broken glass and golden rivulets made it easy for police to track down their suspect.

Police in the small town of Sonsbeck, about 30 km (18 miles) from the Dutch border say truck lost 30-40 cases of beer when it nicked the tree.

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When police finally caught up with the beer spiller they took him to an alcohol abuse center, though it was not immediately clear that the man was drunk at the time. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

A main thoroughfare in Sonseck was closed for several hours while the spilled brews and broken glass were cleaned up.

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