Macbook always at lowest brightness I have a Early 2011 Macbook pro. A few days ago, I turned on my computer and it was on the lowest brightness setting (almost pitch black). 

FYI, about a year ago I spilled beer on my keyboard and a few keys stopped working, including F2. Therefore, to fix it, I plugged it into my external monitor and readjusted the brightness from the System preferences. Nothing changed! 

If I look closely at the screen, I can see that it's still working. I'm thinking (hoping?) it's just a bug. Any ideas on how to fix it?
I agree with IconDaemon's comment, so don't think there's much help you're going to find here.

However, one thing you could try is resetting your System Management Controller (SMC). Now, before doing this I should add that while resetting the SMC is usually a totally safe thing to do, you may get unwanted results in the case of liquid damage. So, if you have the option of using your MBP with an external display and keyboard, you may want to just opt for that.

Another thing you should do is ensure you have a good backup of your data. Not just because you should have a backup anyway, but also because of the liquid damage. Your MBP is at a much higher risk now of just one day not working anymore.

If you'd like to try the SMC reset, follow these steps for doing so on your model of MBP:


Shut down your Mac
Keep the MagSafe adapter (power cable) plugged in.
Press at the same time shiftoptioncontrol (on the left side of the built-in keyboard) and the power button
Let go
Turn your computer back on with the power button.


I'm assuming, of course, that the left shiftoption and control keys still work.