3rd Batch: A pint full of fun! Guinness Soap

[Imblebee]

Slowly getting more adventurous...

Cracked open a tall one and left it in the fridge for a week. Let me tell you it was a sad fake-out every time I opened the fridge... "Oh my, what is that, a leftover Guinness! Oh, no... it's for soap."

I let the can sit open for a week and then I simmered what was left and added it to the lye once it was cool enough. P.s. It stunk to high heaven.

I mixed oils/lye and poured into small tupperware molds. I then added some steel ground oats to the tops. I did get heavy ashing, but the oats helped to camouflage that. I think it's because I used regular NYC tap water. Some soaps ended up with a partial gel. Set up pretty quickly and was nice to cut after a day or two. The soap stunk for the first week, not a nice smell, even remotely... Has calmed down after two weeks and is becoming mellow... dare I say pleasant.

1 lb. batch- Oh my goodness, it's Guinness!
50% Crisco
30% Coconut (76)
15% Lard
5% Castor
172.4 g of Guinness (as H2O)
65.1 g of NaOH

 

[desert_gold_hound]

Man you are making some fast batches. I finish reading one and you already got the next done.........J/K

That does camo it well but I worry that something already went rancid and you put it in the soap anyway. Will this contain bad things in your soap? I sure wouldn't trust it.

 

[Imblebee]

Thanks Gold hound,
I'll be keeping an eye on it to make sure it's still good months down the road.
I used all new/fresh oils for all of these batches, I am 90% sure the stink came from the lye reacting with the boiled down beer. Perhaps some other beer soapers can attest to this stench? I'd love to get some insight to add to my notes. :wink:

 

[Deda]

Imblebee, your soap looks great!

Alcohol can smell terrible when it's first soaped. My wine soap smells up the whole house for the first few days. Then it mellows out and smells wonderful.

 

[Deda]

Man you are making some fast batches. I finish reading one and you already got the next done.........J/K

That does camo it well but I worry that something already went rancid and you put it in the soap anyway. Will this contain bad things in your soap? I sure wouldn't trust it.

How do you make your alcohol/beer based soaps?

 

[Imblebee]

Alcohol can smell terrible when it's first soaped. My wine soap smells up the whole house for the first few days. Then it mellows out and smells wonderful.

Thanks Deda! That is really good to know! I am hoping to make several more beer based soaps as one of my good friends brews for Magic Hat! "Lucky Cat Suds", here we come!

 

[desert_gold_hound]

Well I know what your getting at and your right I havent.


What was scaring me is it read as though she said she left it in the fridge for a week and it stunk. I would worry about anything that sat that long and had a bad smell. I am not saying it is bad just said I would be worried about it.

I did not say she made her soap wrong but it sounded as though something went bad before being placed into the soap. This is what worried me.

I am sorry if I offended anyone.

 

[Imblebee]

Hey goldhound,
It did sound like I might have been soaping with foul "suds". I'm a newbie and I appreciate any info when I post, so everyone, keep em' coming!

 

[desert_gold_hound]

Yes I understand, I should have quoted what I was responding too. I haven't made my first batch yet so I cant help out total but bad stuff is bad stuff and it sounded like bad stuff LOL.

 

[IrishLass]

Desert Gold Hound- I see your concern and I don't think you offended anyone. Voicing your concern is a good thing because it gets a dialog going that will be of help for all who are venturing out to making this kind of soap.

Actually, where beer soap is concerned Imblebee's soap doing exactly what's expected of it. She just left the beer in the fridge uncovered to help it to go flat. I've never made beer soap either, but I've read that using flat beer is essential if you want avoid a Mt. St. Helens experience, and that it will stink to high heaven when it meets with the lye.

Actually, I find that anything except for water will stink to high heaven when mixed with lye. When I make my coffee soap, for example, my lye/coffee water stinks like horribly bad doggie breath X 100. :shock: It's pretty nasty, let me tell you, but it mellows out during cure (whew, thank God!).

IrishLass

 

[Jeremy]

I made a milk soap that stank to high heaven also but after about 6 weeks the ammonia smell has gone and what's left is a nice if a bit weak. I don't think you ruined anything unless you saw some curdling.
Just a quick tip for next time, instead of leaving the beer for week, cook it, the cooking will remove not only the alcohol but also the bubbles.

 

[SimplyE]

Actually, I find that anything except for water will stink to high heaven when mixed with lye. When I make my coffee soap, for example, my lye/coffee water stinks like horribly bad doggie breath X 100. :shock: It's pretty nasty, let me tell you, but it mellows out during cure (whew, thank God!). IrishLass

Ditto! Nasty! I thought I was going to vomit with my coffee soap. It almost is worse than cooking liver treats for the dogs and stenching up the entire house for a week. Well, maybe not. :shock:

 

[Deda]

Well I know what your getting at and your right I havent.

What was scaring me is it read as though she said she left it in the fridge for a week and it stunk. I would worry about anything that sat that long and had a bad smell. I am not saying it is bad just said I would be worried about it.

I did not say she made her soap wrong but it sounded as though something went bad before being placed into the soap. This is what worried me.

I am sorry if I offended anyone.

Yes I understand, I should have quoted what I was responding too. I haven't made my first batch yet so I cant help out total but bad stuff is bad stuff and it sounded like bad stuff LOL.

Well color me embarrassed! I didn't mean to 'call you out' on not having made your first batch.
I simply thought you knew a way to do it without the smell!
When you do get that first soap under your belt, make sure you take lots of pics.

 

[honor435]

Slowly getting more adventurous...

Cracked open a tall one and left it in the fridge for a week. Let me tell you it was a sad fake-out every time I opened the fridge... "Oh my, what is that, a leftover Guinness! Oh, no... it's for soap."

I let the can sit open for a week and then I simmered what was left and added it to the lye once it was cool enough. P.s. It stunk to high heaven.

I mixed oils/lye and poured into small tupperware molds. I then added some steel ground oats to the tops. I did get heavy ashing, but the oats helped to camouflage that. I think it's because I used regular NYC tap water. Some soaps ended up with a partial gel. Set up pretty quickly and was nice to cut after a day or two. The soap stunk for the first week, not a nice smell, even remotely... Has calmed down after two weeks and is becoming mellow... dare I say pleasant.

1 lb. batch- Oh my goodness, it's Guinness!
50% Crisco
30% Coconut (76)
15% Lard
5% Castor
172.4 g of Guinness (as H2O)
65.1 g of NaOH

just wondering, do people like beer smelling soap???

 

[Imblebee]

just wondering, do people like beer smelling soap??? Smile

At this point it doesn't really smell like beer. It's mellow, creamy with a yummy undertone. Maybe it's the oats talking... :wink:

 

[desert_gold_hound]

Well I know what your getting at and your right I havent.

What was scaring me is it read as though she said she left it in the fridge for a week and it stunk. I would worry about anything that sat that long and had a bad smell. I am not saying it is bad just said I would be worried about it.

I did not say she made her soap wrong but it sounded as though something went bad before being placed into the soap. This is what worried me.

I am sorry if I offended anyone.

[quote="desert_gold_hound":1xr1e585]Yes I understand, I should have quoted what I was responding too. I haven't made my first batch yet so I cant help out total but bad stuff is bad stuff and it sounded like bad stuff LOL.

Well color me embarrassed! I didn't mean to 'call you out' on not having made your first batch.
I simply thought you knew a way to do it without the smell!
When you do get that first soap under your belt, make sure you take lots of pics.[/quote:1xr1e585]


No problem LOL I will post even if bad.

 

[TurbidBlue]

Good to know the stench goes away!!! I made my first beer soap tonight. It looks amazing in the mold.....but it stank so bad, it's now resting in my storage shed to do its gelling. My tiny apartement can't handle that kinda stench!! I'll check it again in the morning.

 

[Lindy]

I made an ale soap and after I let it go flat I boiled it to get the alchol out. When I made the soap it smelled good within a couple of days. Just thought I would share this one....... Now I need to try that with wine....

 

[Jeremy]

I've got another way to make your guinness go flat.
Open the can/bottle, up end it into your mouth, after the contents are drained the gas naturally releases through the same port of entry.
This is course just my personal experience, you may find other ways of releasing the gas.

 

[surf girl]

Jeremy -

I have made exactly one batch of beer soap. I can't remember it smelling bad, but I did use a very small amount of cinnamon EO, now that I think of it. Likewise can't remember the beer/lye smelling awful. Maybe it did. I can't remember. I simmered the beer down because I am far too impatient to think of something, then wait to make it.