# Beer Soap?



## Gryphonisle (Feb 2, 2020)

I’m going to make a beer soap next weekend, setting out a medium colored beer, probably an IPA or Pale Ale, on wednesday to begin conditioning.   Questions abound.  A lot of the recipes I see call for oils I don’t use (avocado) or colorants so sparkly and “pretty” they just seem out of place in anything made with beer.  Of course assertions of medicinal properties abound while science seems absent.

Having spent the last year, my first, making some 80+ batches of soap, I’ve found that a lot of the oils that come so highly recommended (jojoba comes to mind) add nothing olive oil isn’t already bringing to the batter.  I hope beer isn’t going to join this category.

Can you adapt any recipe to a beer soap?  It sounds like great lathering is a given, so would I omit the castor I’m currently using to that end?   My go-to recipe currently has 53% olive oil with 20% each of palm and coco.  Is anything in that going to fail with beer?  And what of scents, if hops is coming through, it would seem some EOs would fit better than others...

Any other tips and suggestions from your own experience would be interesting to read.


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## TheGecko (Feb 2, 2020)

Gryphonisle said:


> Any other tips and suggestions from your own experience would be interesting to read.



I haven't made any beer (or other alcohol) soap myself, but I have been watching a lot of videos on YouTube (search for "beer soap cold process") and taking notes.  



> Can you adapt any recipe to a beer soap?



Based on what I have seen so far...yes and no.  I know, not helpful, but I think it's going to depend on what your current recipe is.  I've seen beer soaps thicken quickly...almost to the point of concrete.  I'm seen overheating.  And I've seen some beautiful beer soaps.  I've been writing down recipes, but haven't gotten to the point of comparing them to mine.


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 2, 2020)

I just use my standard soap recipe, but replace the water with beer.  I make it look like beer for the pour ( darker on the bottom and lighter on the top).  The fragrance tends to go brown, but I add a little bronze mica to help the bottom layer along - and use TD for the top. My go-to fragrance is Cypress and Bayberry by Candle Science.  It compliments the beer smell nicely (n.b.  the beer smell dissipates somewhat after cure).  Oh - I still use the castor.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 2, 2020)

I do the same as Kiwi -- my usual soap recipe except I use beer instead of water. The color of the finished soap is golden tan or a little darker, depending on the color of the beer.

I do not notice any acceleration or any other changes while soaping, but I do take the time to simmer the beer to remove carbonation. You could leave the beer at room temp to go flat if you don't want to heat it.

There are zero health benefits for using beer in soap. None. The only legitimate benefit is that beer increases the amount of lather. The Lather Lovers soap swap (in 2012 I believe?) demonstrated this, and I'd agree based on my experience with beer vs no beer in otherwise the same soap recipe.

SMF member BrewerGeorge explained why a year or two ago. Sugars, definitely, but he talked about other chemicals in beer that would boost the lather as well. I don't remember the conversation well enough to say much more than that -- I'd just be guessing.

Other than the added lather, beer is simply fun to add. A selling point. Something different to do.

edit -- Here's the one-year-later results at Kenna's website Modern Soapmaking -- https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/updated-lather-lovers-additive-testing/ See Sample #12. Kenna's comments -- "_It’s interesting that after a year of aging, the beer soap sample seemed to have a little less lather than it did originally. It’s still a huge improvement compared to the control sample, though!_..."


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## Gryphonisle (Feb 2, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> I do the same as Kiwi -- my usual soap recipe except I use beer instead of water. The color of the finished soap is golden tan or a little darker, depending on the color of the beer.
> 
> I do not notice any acceleration or any other changes while soaping, but I do take the time to simmer the beer to remove carbonation. You could leave the beer at room temp to go flat if you don't want to heat it.
> 
> ...


Do you use castor for suds in your regular recipe, and use it with beer then, or omit it?


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## DeeAnna (Feb 2, 2020)

@Gryphonisle -- Can you explain why you think it's necessary to omit castor if using beer? I am not following your thinking on this point.

To answer your question directly -- I don't use castor any more. I used to use it, but I realized it didn't make a lot of difference for my soap. Not saying that's true for everyone, just that I have not seen any especial benefits for myself. So whether or not to omit it when using beer is a moot point for me.

Castor oil soap doesn't create lather in and of itself, despite what the Soapcalc numbers seem to imply. Castor does stabilize the lather produced by other fatty acid soaps. If soap doesn't lather well without castor, it's not going to lather any much better with castor.

edit -- Here's a beer soap I made this past Friday. This batch was made with Blue Moon, a wheat ale with a light amber color. The pale parts of the soap have no added colorant, and normally these areas would be a creamy white if the soap was made without beer. The beer has caused a color shift to a light beige.


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## Gryphonisle (Feb 2, 2020)

Ah.  That is my problem with soap making.  A book with science behind soap making turned out to be a science course I didn’t need or want, with few of the answers I did.  I’ve been adding castor under the belief it was producing suds but you say it does not.  If it was, and beer makes a sudsy soap, then it would seem that adding castor would be redundant.  But, you say castor doesn’t add suds at all, so the question broadens to why waste money on it in any recipe?


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## DeeAnna (Feb 2, 2020)

Well, for me, castor doesn't make sense. But this isn't a black and white decision that applies to all. Just because castor doesn't do much for my bar soap doesn't mean it's a worthless ingredient. Other soap makers use it because they think it does have an impact for their soap. Their water quality and their recipes are probably different than my water and my recipes. (And I do use it in my liquid soap making because it helps to add clarity, if I'm making liquid soap that I want to be crystal clear.)

Even if castor doesn't "make suds" it does have the benefit that it makes the bubbles stronger. Stronger bubbles mean the lather doesn't break down and dissipate as fast. Glycerin is another lather enhancer for much the same reason. 

Bear in mind even commercial soap makers will make soap targeted for specific regional markets with different customer tastes and different types of water quality. So it stands to reason that we handcrafted soap makers will also see some variation in the performance of the soaps we make that might lead us to choose somewhat different ingredients.


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## CathyB (Feb 2, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> @Gryphonisle  Here's a beer soap I made this past Friday. This batch was made with Blue Moon, a wheat ale with a light amber color. The pale parts of the soap have no added colorant, and normally these areas would be a creamy white if the soap was made without beer. The beer has caused a color shift to a light beige.
> 
> View attachment 43755


  I will raise an eyebrow at your misuse of a highly quaffable beverage such as Blue Moon, but as I'm in awe of your soap knowledge and willingness to share, I won't comment further.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 2, 2020)

Herm, uh, yes, err ... yeah ... busted.  You're quite right, @CathyB. 

Blue Moon is a favorite of mine too. But sometimes ya gotta take one for da team. I wanted to use a light colored beer. The only beer in the house that qualified was Blue Moon. It was that or Shiner Bock or one of several very dark porters. So I was kinda stuck. 

I need to have a party, so friends will leave various assorted beers that I hate to drink. Like IPAs or various "lite" beers. Those I have no qualms about using it in soap.


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## Dawni (Feb 3, 2020)

I don't always use castor anymore either..... I do when I have a lot of ingredients that might need a boost - which is what castor does, boosts, not produces lather - like a lot of butters, a lot of salt, etc.

This beer soap of mine did not have castor oil and I think it's enough. It's uncolored except for the top, and unscented. There's a pic of the lather when it was really new. I should update that; I'm currently using a bar in the shower.


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## amd (Feb 3, 2020)

I'm going to weigh in here a bit as a wholesale soapmaker to two breweries (at one time I had three, but those beer snobs prefer to drink their beer rather than wash with it, so we called it a day there).



Gryphonisle said:


> I’m going to make a beer soap next weekend, setting out a medium colored beer, probably an IPA or Pale Ale, on wednesday to begin conditioning.


Many dark colored beers don't end up dark in the soap. IPA's and blonds (I would put the Pale Ale on this list too) end up almost white. I had an AltBier that was very dark (as in not see-through dark) that turned white when made into soap... and shocked the heck out of me! It worked with the soap design so all was well in the end. IPA, blonde, or pale ale are a good choice for your first batch, they tend to have less sugar than a porter, lager or stout. The higher sugar beers tend to move faster in my experience. 
Although I am curious what you mean by "conditioning", I'm only familiar with it in brewer terms.



Gryphonisle said:


> I hope beer isn’t going to join this category.


I think you'll be very pleased with your beer soap.



Gryphonisle said:


> Can you adapt any recipe to a beer soap? It sounds like great lathering is a given, so would I omit the castor I’m currently using to that end? My go-to recipe currently has 53% olive oil with 20% each of palm and coco. Is anything in that going to fail with beer? And what of scents, if hops is coming through, it would seem some EOs would fit better than others...


Yes, you can adapt any recipe, although you may want to adjust your cocoa butter just to give your batter more fluidity. Slower tracing lard would help. In the lighter beers you won't find any beer scent coming through. To date I can only get malt scent from porters or stouts, no hops from any of the beers. Knock yourself out with scent combos. I usually try to pick something that pairs well with the original beer fragrance.



Gryphonisle said:


> Any other tips and suggestions from your own experience would be interesting to read.


I'm one in favor of boiling beer (10 minutes is plenty to reduce 70-80% of the alcohol) for the sake of safety. My first beer soap I didn't boil, I let it sit for several days to flatten, and I had a volcano when I added the lye. I never really recovered from it (and cleanup wasn't fun). I put safety first.



DeeAnna said:


> The only legitimate benefit is that beer increases the amount of lather. The Lather Lovers soap swap (in 2012 I believe?) demonstrated this, and I'd agree based on my experience with beer vs no beer in otherwise the same soap recipe.


I second this. So.much.



Gryphonisle said:


> But, you say castor doesn’t add suds at all, so the question broadens to why waste money on it in any recipe?


My thoughts on castor: Castor alone doesn't make nice soap, but it acts as an amplifier for the other oils in the recipe. I use castor in my beer soaps to "amp up" the soap properties, and then beer just adds more to it, which makes the beer soap unique from my other soap products. Novelty in using a beer soap, added bonus in the "improvement" of an already good recipe. That said, I have used some very nice soaps that didn't have any castor oil at all.


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## clouser (Feb 3, 2020)

One thing I'll add that I didn't see anyone else mention: After you've simmered the alcohol off, freeze the beer before you add the lye to it. The first time I tried making beer soap, I just let the beer cool before adding the lye. It got REALLY hot, bubbled up big time, and stunk like burnt hair. It was burning all the sugars in the beer. That didn't happen a day later once I froze the beer before adding the lye.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 3, 2020)

There's nothing wrong with freezing the beer, if this gives you more control and peace of mind.

I don't know that this is mandatory, however. I've never frozen or even chilled the beer and have only briefly smelled a slight odor occasionally (my last batch didn't have any odor). I've never had anything like bubbling or volcano-ish behavior. 

But I do simmer the beer until it foams up and then for awhile longer until the foam subsides. Not sure if that's the secret or not ... who knows?


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## clouser (Feb 5, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> There's nothing wrong with freezing the beer, if this gives you more control and peace of mind.
> 
> I don't know that this is mandatory, however. I've never frozen or even chilled the beer and have only briefly smelled a slight odor occasionally (my last batch didn't have any odor). I've never had anything like bubbling or volcano-ish behavior.
> 
> But I do simmer the beer until it foams up and then for awhile longer until the foam subsides. Not sure if that's the secret or not ... who knows?


Looking back, my problem was probably adding all the lye to the beer at once. I should have added the lye little by little while stirring.


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## Jennifer Horne (Feb 5, 2020)

You probably  want to add colorant bc the color of the beer will go tan regardless  of the color of the beer


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## DeeAnna (Feb 5, 2020)

Or just work with the tan caused by the beer with no added colorant. That can be a reasonable design choice too.


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## amd (Feb 5, 2020)

Jennifer Horne said:


> You probably want to add colorant bc the color of the beer will go tan regardless of the color of the beer


Well... maybe define "tan"... because I don't consider all of these to be tan. All made with different beer styles, the uncolored portions are naturally colored.




Made with an Altbier, the natural color is almost white. This was a surprise result as the beer was so dark you couldn't see through it.





Made with a Blonde, the natural color is probably close to a tan, but more golden I would say.





Made with a stout beer, the second layer from the top is the natural color - I would call this tan.





Made with an IPA, I would say this color is pale gold - it's lighter than the Blonde above, but not white like the Altbier.

You can see how the different styles contribute to the natural color of the soap. These are all the same base recipe, the only changes were the beer used, and of course colorant in the design portions and fragrances. None of the fragrances used were discoloring FO's. I like to leave part of the soap uncolored so the natural coloring effect of the beer shows.

Edited to correct slight wording because I added a picture of one that I consider tan.


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## Misschief (Feb 5, 2020)

clouser said:


> Looking back, my problem was probably adding all the lye to the beer at once. I should have added the lye little by little while stirring.


Yup, that will do it. I don't freeze my beer before adding lye; I just add it a little at a time and I have no issues whatsoever.


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## math ace (Feb 6, 2020)

I'm following this thread because I want to make beer soap too.  After reading some of the comments, I'm thinking I'm taking this project outside to my garden sink area!

A beer soap volcano in my kitchen does not sound good!


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## jcandleattic (Feb 6, 2020)

Jennifer Horne said:


> You probably  want to add colorant bc the color of the beer will go tan regardless  of the color of the beer


I dont' find this to be true. I've used Guinness in soap (a very dark stout) with no real colorant, and my soap was slightly ecru. I think it has a lot to do with if you gel your soap, and the oils used. 

I'm one of those that don't simmer the alcohol out of my beer. I just let it sit open for a few hours to a day so it will go flat, add a pinch of salt (this will help it go flat) soap at room temp and either let it sit uncovered on the counter, or throw it in the fridge - depending on the fragrance used. My beer and milk soaps are the only soaps I try to discourage gel in because they do tend to heat. 
By not simmering out the alcohol my soap does get thicker faster, but it's nothing I'm not used to or not prepared for, so it's just not a problem for me.


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## Gryphonisle (Feb 10, 2020)

I made my beer soap this weekend, using a Presidio Pale Ale—-and as one post predicted, it came out an off white.  Hmmph!  Nice yeasty smell on cutting.  I set the beer out to de-carbonate on wednesday and froze it Friday night, making the soap Saturday night.    Any suggestions for getting a darker, perhaps more of an amber colored bar if a dark beer (like a bock) wouldn’t necessarily make a darker shade, again amber?



jcandleattic said:


> I dont' find this to be true. I've used Guinness in soap (a very dark stout) with no real colorant, and my soap was slightly ecru. I think it has a lot to do with if you gel your soap, and the oils used.
> 
> I'm one of those that don't simmer the alcohol out of my beer. I just let it sit open for a few hours to a day so it will go flat, add a pinch of salt (this will help it go flat) soap at room temp and either let it sit uncovered on the counter, or throw it in the fridge - depending on the fragrance used. My beer and milk soaps are the only soaps I try to discourage gel in because they do tend to heat.
> By not simmering out the alcohol my soap does get thicker faster, but it's nothing I'm not used to or not prepared for, so it's just not a problem for me.


I didn’t wrap it to encourage gel either, but more because it didn’t have any color to “pop” but that is another consideration you gave!  It certainly thickened quickly!  It hadn’t even reached emulsion when the lower part of the bowl was thickening—-I had to push the blending in order to ensure the oils were mixed, and hoped it wouldn’t seize.  It didn’t.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 10, 2020)

"..._Any suggestions for getting a darker, perhaps more of an amber colored bar if a dark beer (like a bock) wouldn’t necessarily make a darker shade, again amber?_..."

If you don't like the color the beer is giving you, then it's time to look at adding other colorants to get what you want. Lots of options there depending on what color direction you want to go. Cocoa powder, annatto infused oil, micas, yellow and/or red iron oxide ........


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 10, 2020)

I've used a discolouring FO in the past - with a hint of bronze mica.  That seems to do the trick.


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## JakeBlanton (Feb 10, 2020)

Like with other types of cooking, I think that the best use of beer in the recipe is for the cook to drink the beer and it not be wasted in the recipe.


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## amd (Feb 12, 2020)

JakeBlanton said:


> Like with other types of cooking, I think that the best use of beer in the recipe is for the cook to drink the beer and it not be wasted in the recipe.


I have this conversation often with my husband and I remind him that on my favorite things list, soap and beer are 1st and 2nd, and he is only 3rd, so his opinion doesn't matter. If the soap is used and enjoyed I don't consider it wasted. My wholesale accounts would also agree, it sells well for them and has a good following.


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## Zen Pretzel (Feb 15, 2020)

I've also started playing with the beer soaps. A tall boy can is the perfect amount. After boiling off the alcohol, I just needed to add a tiny bit of water. I made soap with Guinness today. In the future, I plan on making beer using Corona, to test a light beer, Rickards Red to use a red beer and Labbatt Blue, as a control pilsner beer for comparison. No fragrances or anything. Just replacing water for beer and keeping everything else the same.


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## ShirleyHailstock (Feb 16, 2020)

Zen Pretzel said:


> I've also started playing with the beer soaps. A tall boy can is the perfect amount. After boiling off the alcohol, I just needed to add a tiny bit of water. I made soap with Guinness today. In the future, I plan on making beer using Corona, to test a light beer, Rickards Red to use a red beer and Labbatt Blue, as a control pilsner beer for comparison. No fragrances or anything. Just replacing water for beer and keeping everything else the same.


What does the beer do in the soap? Does it make the skin softer? Is it moisturizing, etc.? since FO's are added, I imagine it doesn't smell like beer.


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## Zen Pretzel (Feb 16, 2020)

ShirleyHailstock said:


> What does the beer do in the soap? Does it make the skin softer? Is it moisturizing, etc.? since FO's are added, I imagine it doesn't smell like beer.


From what I've been able to research, the beer doesn't add a whole lot to the soap. There are some minor qualities that get affected when beer is used, along with a slight odor, but I'm making this more for the novelty factor. Beer soaps are big sellers for a lot of soapmakers, so it's something I want to research. As for the fragrances,  I'm not adding any FO to my beer soaps at this time until I'm more comfortable making them. Perhaps others know some good fragrances to add to their beer soap.


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## LittleBlackHeart (Feb 16, 2020)

First time posting but figured this is one I can I can chime in on. Oddly enough I have made almost all my soaps out of beer and I'm 3 years into making at about 40 batches total. Using beer just happened due to my Father in law being a big home brewer and when he moved we got about 5 boxes of beer and these were the not great beers...drinkable but not his best work. So I started using them in making soaps. I do use scents, mostly EO's, that would go with the type of beer. Like a Grapefruit Hefeweizen soap, etc.  I just boiled Lime a rita to try a salt soap and just did a Cranberry Ginger Shandy bar.  I use a standard recipe and switch beer for water. I've found more issues with trace due to fragrances than the beer. I was also using a bit more Castor oil as I was under the impression that it added to lather until recently learning it's just a stabilizer so my last two batches I put it way low. Haven't got to test those yet so we'll see difference once they're done.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 16, 2020)

ShirleyHailstock said:


> What does the beer do in the soap? Does it make the skin softer? Is it moisturizing, etc.? since FO's are added, I imagine it doesn't smell like beer.



I shared my perspective on this in Post #4 in this thread. The short answer is beer increases the amount of lather. And it's just fun to use. 

I'm sipping on a Blue Moon as I write this -- not every beer in my house gets turned into soap, just to relieve @CathyB 's mind.


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## math ace (Feb 16, 2020)

I'm giving beer soap a try tomorrow!  Hoping for great bubbles.


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## SoapSisters (Feb 17, 2020)

When I started making beer soap, I thought I needed a fragrance that "matched" the beer. Now I just use any fragrance because I'm doing it for the lather. I've made lavender apricot FO beer soap, lime beer soap, etc.


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## Zen Pretzel (Feb 17, 2020)

SoapSisters said:


> When I started making beer soap, I thought I needed a fragrance that "matched" the beer. Now I just use any fragrance because I'm doing it for the lather. I've made lavender apricot FO beer soap, lime beer soap, etc.


Cool. So far I've made beer soap using Guinness and another batch using a red beer. Today I'm going to make a beer soap using Corona. I wasn't planning on adding any fragrances, but adding a lime scent to a Corona bar of soap sounds like a great idea.


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## Nanette (Feb 17, 2020)

I did that last summer....Corona with  lime eo....had to do it...the lather was crazy, and it was fun.


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## ShirleyHailstock (Feb 17, 2020)

LittleBlackHeart said:


> First time posting but figured this is one I can I can chime in on. Oddly enough I have made almost all my soaps out of beer and I'm 3 years into making at about 40 batches total. Using beer just happened due to my Father in law being a big home brewer and when he moved we got about 5 boxes of beer and these were the not great beers...drinkable but not his best work. So I started using them in making soaps. I do use scents, mostly EO's, that would go with the type of beer. Like a Grapefruit Hefeweizen soap, etc.  I just boiled Lime a rita to try a salt soap and just did a Cranberry Ginger Shandy bar.  I use a standard recipe and switch beer for water. I've found more issues with trace due to fragrances than the beer. I was also using a bit more Castor oil as I was under the impression that it added to lather until recently learning it's just a stabilizer so my last two batches I put it way low. Haven't got to test those yet so we'll see difference once they're done.


I have no beer in my house and no beer drinkers.  No, we're not tea-tollers, just not beer. Picnic weather is coming up.  Maybe I'll grab a beer at one of the cookouts and try it in the future.


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 17, 2020)

I've made beer & hard cider soaps. There are a lot of local breweries in our area, so it's fun to make the soap from the local establishments. My "never met a stranger" daughter is now wanting to pitch sales of these soaps in the tasting rooms of these breweries. We'll see what happens, but I guess I better get cracking as I have only been making 20 oz batches of these soaps.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 17, 2020)

Parties and cookouts are great places to sneak a beer for making soap. I think that's a stellar plan!


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## bookreader451 (Feb 17, 2020)

I made my first beer soap yesterday and I was actually surprised that it moved as slow as it did.  I was ready for acceleration and I had time for an ITPS.


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## Claire.martin2 (Feb 17, 2020)

I have some homemade cider which is just undrinkable could I use this instead of beer? It's a natural cider of apples, yeast and a little extra apple juice at the end of processing? If so does anyone has a good cider soap recipe I can experiment with  please


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 17, 2020)

Claire.martin2 said:


> I have some homemade cider which is just undrinkable could I use this instead of beer? It's a natural cider of apples, yeast and a little extra apple juice at the end of processing? If so does anyone has a good cider soap recipe I can experiment with  please


I used my same basic recipe, just substituted the cider for the same weight in water. 
The difference is the process, here is what works for me:
1. Weigh your cider, you want  the weight to at least equal the weight of liquid you need
2. Simmer the cider for 20 minutes to get rid of any alcohol or carbonation. The amount of liquid will reduce as it simmers. That's ok. Just keep an eye on it, don't let it boil dry. Add a little distilled water to keep it from boiling dry, if needed. You want the liquid to reduce by about half.
3. While the cider is cooking, weigh out distilled water for half of the amount of liquid. Add the lye to this water and set aside to cool.
4. Once the cider is finished simmering, set the pan in an ice bath to cool.
5. Prepare your oils/fats.
6. Once the cider has cooled to 60 -70 F, weigh it. You need it to weigh 1/2 of your needed liquid amount. Add a little distilled water, if needed to get to the weight you need.
7. Once the lye water has reached room temperature, add the cider. Mix well. The sugars in the cider will make the lye mixture heat up a little and may give off a little burnt smell. That's ok. It will disappear as the soap cures.
8. Continue with your normal soap process.

Note that if you want the finished soap to smell like cider, you will need to add a fragrance.
Also, I usually simmer the cider the night before and let it set in the refrigerator overnight. But you can cool it more quickly with an ice bath, if that works better for you. For example, I don't always know in advance when I'll have a window of time to do some soaping. So the ice bath is good for those sudden bandwidths of time that appear.
Hope this helps.


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## linne1gi (Feb 18, 2020)

ShirleyHailstock said:


> I have no beer in my house and no beer drinkers.  No, we're not tea-tollers, just not beer. Picnic weather is coming up.  Maybe I'll grab a beer at one of the cookouts and try it in the future.


I buy beer just for the soap. I usually buy a six pack of beer in the grocery store, make beer with it and just buy new beer when it’s used up. I don’t drink the beer just make soap with it. Makes luscious lather. And I also scent it however. No rhyme or reason to it.


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 18, 2020)

I just made a batch of beer soap today  I added Orange and Patchouli EOs and am going to call it Brass Monkey (if you don't know what a brass monkey is, it's a poor man's mimosa, beer and OJ). @Nona'sFarm I don't simmer my beer, I just leave it open in the fridge for at least 3 days to make sure all of the carbonation is gone and I don't use an ice bath since my beer is already refrigerator cold.


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## linne1gi (Feb 18, 2020)

MarnieSoapien said:


> I just made a batch of beer soap today  I added Orange and Patchouli EOs and am going to call it Brass Monkey (if you don't know what a brass monkey is, it's a poor man's mimosa, beer and OJ). @Nona'sFarm I don't simmer my beer, I just leave it open in the fridge for at least 3 days to make sure all of the carbonation is gone and I don't use an ice bath since my beer is already refrigerator cold.


I make my beer soap like you. I don’t simmer either. But I leave it open on my soaping table for several days then refrigerate it, then use the liquid to dissolve my lye. Maybe I’ll try leaving it open in the refrigerator instead.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 18, 2020)

People have had their room-temp beer get moldy (edit: as in an open bottle of beer left out to go flat). Even though I know I'll add lye to it, the idea of using moldy beer in my soap doesn't have a lot of appeal.


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## linne1gi (Feb 18, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> People have had their room-temp beer get moldy (edit: as in an open bottle of beer left out to go flat). Even though I know I'll add lye to it, the idea of using moldy beer in my soap doesn't have a lot of appeal.


Well, I’ve let my beer go flat dozens of times and it hasn’t gone moldy yet. Since Florida is pretty much the mold capital of the world, and it hasn’t happened, I’m not going to worry about it.


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 18, 2020)

My understanding is that you also want to boil out the alcohol, that the alcohol is not conducive to soap making. You are left with the sugars, but not the actual alcohol. But perhaps it depends on the ABV, perhaps low ABVs do not need the same treatment. Either way, this is working for me and am glad your process is working for you, @linne1gi & @MarnieSoapien .


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## linne1gi (Feb 18, 2020)

Nona'sFarm said:


> My understanding is that you also want to boil out the alcohol, that the alcohol is not conducive to soap making. You are left with the sugars, but not the actual alcohol. But perhaps it depends on the ABV, perhaps low ABVs do not need the same treatment. Either way, this is working for me and am glad your process is working for you, @linne1gi & @MarnieSoapien .


I understood that by letting the beer sit out, the alcohol also evaporates, as well as the fizziness.


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## ShirleyHailstock (Feb 18, 2020)

linne1gi said:


> I buy beer just for the soap. I usually buy a six pack of beer in the grocery store, make beer with it and just buy new beer when it’s used up. I don’t drink the beer just make soap with it. Makes luscious lather. And I also scent it however. No rhyme or reason to it.


I might try this. The more I read about beer soap, the more I want to try it. I love a lot of lather.


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## linne1gi (Feb 18, 2020)

ShirleyHailstock said:


> I might try this. The more I read about beer soap, the more I want to try it. I love a lot of lather.


It cannot be beat for luxurious lather.


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## amd (Feb 18, 2020)

linne1gi said:


> I understood that by letting the beer sit out, the alcohol also evaporates, as well as the fizziness.


Not much though. 
https://oureverydaylife.com/what-ha...n-bottles-of-beer-are-left-open-12389841.html
This article references 30%, but I quickly asked my husband and another guy in our brew club and they feel it would be less than 30% loss due to evaporation. They were more concerned about wild yeast being collected in the beer by sitting out opened, which would give the beer unpleasant smells and tastes (which my husband also expressed to me when I first started making beer soaps)... but as this is going into soap I'm not as concerned with those things as long as my soap doesn't smell unpleasant. The smell concern [from wild yeast] is why I prefer to give my beer a quick boil rather than letting it sit. It's faster, more thorough (a 10 minute low boil will remove approx 70% of the alcohol), and doesn't have the risk of being spilled and/or drank (drunk?) by accident.


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## MGM (Feb 18, 2020)

I only soap with leftover beer. There are only a handful over the years that I absolutely would not drink another sip of, and so now I have a good use for them.


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## Nona'sFarm (Feb 18, 2020)

linne1gi said:


> I understood that by letting the beer sit out, the alcohol also evaporates, as well as the fizziness.


Oh, did not know that, interesting. Just read the article @amd referenced, looks like about 30% of the alcohol evaporates overnight. So maybe that is enough to offset whatever negative effects the alcohol has on soap. I honestly can't remember what these negative effects are, just that there are some.


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## jcandleattic (Feb 18, 2020)

Nona'sFarm said:


> My understanding is that you also want to boil out the alcohol, that the alcohol is not conducive to soap making.


Alcohol _can _make the soap seize or get thick quick. I've never had a soap seize with beer (even with an ABV of up to 13%) and I don't boil out the alcohol. 
I've also soaped with wine of about 18% and although it got thick quick, it didn't seize. 
So I guess it depends on what you are doing and how fast you want to work. I do swirls in almost all of my soaps, and even with the thicker batter of my alcohol soaps, I'm still able to bend it to my will... LOL


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## Claire.martin2 (Feb 18, 2020)

Nona'sFarm said:


> I used my same basic recipe, just substituted the cider for the same weight in water.
> The difference is the process, here is what works for me:
> 1. Weigh your cider, you want  the weight to at least equal the weight of liquid you need
> 2. Simmer the cider for 20 minutes to get rid of any alcohol or carbonation. The amount of liquid will reduce as it simmers. That's ok. Just keep an eye on it, don't let it boil dry. Add a little distilled water to keep it from boiling dry, if needed. You want the liquid to reduce by about half.
> ...


Thanks I'm deffo going to try this  Will post the results


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## Saffron (Feb 18, 2020)

I use the cheapest non-alcoholic beer on the supermarket shelf.  No need to boil - just pour into a shallow dish and stir until the fizz is gone, then freeze into cubes before mixing with NaOH.


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## Zen Pretzel (Feb 18, 2020)

Nanette said:


> I did that last summer....Corona with  lime eo....had to do it...the lather was crazy, and it was fun.


We could definitely make some Corona beer soap with lime fragrance oils. Given the state of today's society, I'd call it "Coronavirus with a slice of Lyme disease". I'm sure it will be a bestseller.


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## ShirleyHailstock (Feb 18, 2020)

Saffron said:


> I use the cheapest non-alcoholic beer on the supermarket shelf.  No need to boil - just pour into a shallow dish and stir until the fizz is gone, then freeze into cubes before mixing with NaOH.


Good idea. As an FYI, beer, wine and alcohol are not sold in our supermarkets. A few have them, but you have to go to a special cash register or through a dedicated door to buy them.  I'm seen wine at Trader Joe's, and I don't know how that works. There is no separate door or signs leading to a particular cash register. Just an FYI.


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## Arimara (Feb 18, 2020)

ShirleyHailstock said:


> Good idea. As an FYI, beer, wine and alcohol are not sold in our supermarkets. A few have them, but you have to go to a special cash register or through a dedicated door to buy them.  I'm seen wine at Trader Joe's, and I don't know how that works. There is no separate door or signs leading to a particular cash register. Just an FYI.


Was it just wine in that Trader Joe's?


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## ShirleyHailstock (Feb 18, 2020)

Arimara said:


> Was it just wine in that Trader Joe's?


That's all I noticed. I don't go there often and I'm rarely looking for wine. I have my favorites and they don't sell them there.


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## Arimara (Feb 18, 2020)

ShirleyHailstock said:


> That's all I noticed. I don't go there often and I'm rarely looking for wine. I have my favorites and they don't sell them there.


Ok then. I know they have wine stores and I don't drink as much as I did when I was a little healthier.


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## Mobjack Bay (Feb 18, 2020)

When I make soap with beer, I reduced the volume by about 75%.  I get some color, even from the lighter ales.


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## IwantItgreen (Feb 19, 2020)

When I make beer soap, I crack it open, let it set for awhile, stir it up a bit until the fizz is gone and then add my lye.  I set the container in a ice bath to prevent overheating.


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## Christine K (Feb 20, 2020)

I ve been asked to make beer soap for a brewing company, and I've never done that before.  I've got my recipe down pat, but would like to do something to make the soap look like it has bubbles in it...like a glass of beer.  any suggestions of imbeds that I could use?  Thanks a bunch!


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## amd (Feb 20, 2020)

@Christine K you might get more/better responses by starting your own thread. Those who know how to do this in general, may not be following this particular soap thread.

But to answer your question... I would skip embeds, and just do a foamy layer.


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## Zen Pretzel (Feb 20, 2020)

I now have four kinds of beer soaps I've been making this past week. From left to right: Corona, Labatt Blue, Rickards Red and Guinness. I wanted to experiment with different types of beer from light to dark. Labatt Blue was my middle of the road beer soap. Strange thing with Labatt Blue: I boiled the alcohol off the beer before adding my lye to the liquid. All the other beers reacted the same way to lye as it does with water. When I added it to the Labatt Blue, it was a stronger reaction. It bubbled up, but not over and there was a brownish/yellow color in the foam. I'm thinking Labatt adds something to their beer that reacts funny with the lye. It has me thinking twice about drinking it.


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## amd (Feb 21, 2020)

Zen Pretzel said:


> When I added it to the Labatt Blue, it was a stronger reaction. It bubbled up, but not over and there was a brownish/yellow color in the foam. I'm thinking Labatt adds something to their beer that reacts funny with the lye. It has me thinking twice about drinking it.


This seems like a typical response for beer that still has alcohol in it. The brownish/yellow color in the foam is likely some of the sugars burning off in the heat. How long did you boil for? What's the ABV for that beer? Also, did you allow the beer to cool before adding the lye? (I typically put mine in a closed container in the fridge for 24 hours before I make soap, so I'm adding my lye solution to cold beer.) Those things will make a difference in the lye reaction. 

That said, I believe that LaBatt is now owned by AB inBev, who are notorious for using corn syrup in beers. I do think the reaction that you saw is more due to alcohol rather than sugars.


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## Zen Pretzel (Feb 21, 2020)

amd said:


> This seems like a typical response for beer that still has alcohol in it. The brownish/yellow color in the foam is likely some of the sugars burning off in the heat. How long did you boil for? What's the ABV for that beer? Also, did you allow the beer to cool before adding the lye? (I typically put mine in a closed container in the fridge for 24 hours before I make soap, so I'm adding my lye solution to cold beer.) Those things will make a difference in the lye reaction.
> 
> That said, I believe that LaBatt is now owned by AB inBev, who are notorious for using corn syrup in beers. I do think the reaction that you saw is more due to alcohol rather than sugars.




That probably is what happened. I brought the beer to a full boil, but didn't give it enough time to cool off.  The other times I gave it a few minutes and had no problems. I'll pay closer attention to this in the future. Thanks.

For my next batch, I'm going to make a soap out of a beer lye mixture and hemp oil. I'm calling it "Drunk and Stoned". I'm positive this one will also sell out.


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## math ace (Feb 22, 2020)

I made my first beer soap tonight.  I let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days.  Then I froze it into ice cubes.  

Let me tell you what,. When the lye mixes with the beer, that is one nasty smell!  I added the very slowly.  I added a little  lye and stirred the beer.  The Frozen beer cubes  melted and prevented any obnoxious over heating issues that I've read about.  Then I added more lye and kept stirring.

Stink... Lordy... I'm hoping that smell goes away during the cure!


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## MarnieSoapien (Feb 22, 2020)

Zen Pretzel said:


> For my next batch, I'm going to make a soap out of a beer lye mixture and hemp oil. I'm calling it "Drunk and Stoned". I'm positive this one will also sell out.



My beer recipe has hemp oil in it as well. I call it Hemp & Hops. I haven't tried selling it but I think it's a good name.


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## Johanna Miner (Sep 6, 2020)

Love the drunk and stoned


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## Todd Ziegler (Sep 9, 2020)

I know you got a lot of responses but I am going to give you one more lol. I used freeze dried beer powder and it works great, plus you don't have to worry about the alcohol or boiling it out. You just add it to your oils. It created a really nice soap.


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## beckster51 (Sep 9, 2020)

Todd Ziegler said:


> I know you got a lot of responses but I am going to give you one more lol. I used freeze dried beer powder and it works great, plus you don't have to worry about the alcohol or boiling it out. You just add it to your oils. It created a really nice soap.


Well, that's interesting.  I never heard of beer powder!


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## Todd Ziegler (Sep 9, 2020)

beckster51 said:


> Well, that's interesting.  I never heard of beer powder!


I get it from Wholesale supplies plus


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## beckster51 (Sep 9, 2020)

Thanks for the recommendation, Todd.


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## earlene (Sep 9, 2020)

Todd, do you find it to be cost effect to use the powder instead of just using beer?


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