I've done all beer. You can do 50/50 too. I do 50/50 when I cook it down to a syrup.
Beer Question
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mommycarlson
Well-Known Member
Thank you!
Mommycarlson --
Mx6inpenn's explanation is pretty much correct. To make a beer soap I use a lye solution that is 50% NaOH, 50% distilled water. This lye solution can be a masterbatched lye solution or it can be a freshly made solution.
The boiling goes quicker than you'd think -- maybe 10 minutes to boil it down to about 1/2 the original volume. The point is to pack more beery goodness into a smaller volume of liquid.
You can add the reduced beer to the oils, stick blend a bit, and then add the lye. Or you can add the reduced beer to the lye solution, and then add that mixture to the oils. I mix the beer with the oils and then add the lye. I think this method might reduce the amount of strong odor the lye and beer can produce when they first meet.
You could use just straight beer to make the lye solution, and in that case you would not need any extra water. There's no problem with that approach, so please don't think you have to use the method I do -- you can make nice beer soap just using plain beer, as long as the carbonation has been driven off.
The benefits of making the lye solution with water and then adding a concentrated beer are these -- I can use a masterbatched lye solution, there is less chance of strong odors, and the boiling reduces the carbonation of the beer.
I don't insulate my beer soaps, but I do want them to get warm enough to gel. I put the mold on top of my chest freezer that has a slightly warm top and sometimes will cover the mold loosely with a cardboard box if the room is chilly (winter). That seems to work fine. I don't get overheating, but the soap does gel.
I hope I've answered your questions!
Mx6inpenn's explanation is pretty much correct. To make a beer soap I use a lye solution that is 50% NaOH, 50% distilled water. This lye solution can be a masterbatched lye solution or it can be a freshly made solution.
The boiling goes quicker than you'd think -- maybe 10 minutes to boil it down to about 1/2 the original volume. The point is to pack more beery goodness into a smaller volume of liquid.
You can add the reduced beer to the oils, stick blend a bit, and then add the lye. Or you can add the reduced beer to the lye solution, and then add that mixture to the oils. I mix the beer with the oils and then add the lye. I think this method might reduce the amount of strong odor the lye and beer can produce when they first meet.
You could use just straight beer to make the lye solution, and in that case you would not need any extra water. There's no problem with that approach, so please don't think you have to use the method I do -- you can make nice beer soap just using plain beer, as long as the carbonation has been driven off.
The benefits of making the lye solution with water and then adding a concentrated beer are these -- I can use a masterbatched lye solution, there is less chance of strong odors, and the boiling reduces the carbonation of the beer.
I don't insulate my beer soaps, but I do want them to get warm enough to gel. I put the mold on top of my chest freezer that has a slightly warm top and sometimes will cover the mold loosely with a cardboard box if the room is chilly (winter). That seems to work fine. I don't get overheating, but the soap does gel.
I hope I've answered your questions!
mommycarlson
Well-Known Member
Thank you DeeAnna! I boiled my beer and have it in the fridge overnight, hopefully that will get the carbonation out. I reduced it by about 50%
Now, you say that there will be odors, should I not add essential oils for fragrance?
Also, I boiled my beer, and left it uncovered in the fridge overnight, when I put the lid on the jar and shake it, it still gets a head on it like it's been poured fresh. How will I know when the carbonation is gone, it has to be flat by now?
Thank you!
Now, you say that there will be odors, should I not add essential oils for fragrance?
Also, I boiled my beer, and left it uncovered in the fridge overnight, when I put the lid on the jar and shake it, it still gets a head on it like it's been poured fresh. How will I know when the carbonation is gone, it has to be flat by now?
Thank you!
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The unpleasant odor I talked about in my earlier post is when you first mix the beer with the lye, however you do it. That odor goes away as you make the soap, so it's really a non-issue except at first.
There can also be an odor from the beer in the finished soap. It is a mild warm, bready/beery scent that I don't mind. A hoppy beer will have more of this scent than a not-so-hoppy beer. (I'm sure a beer expert like BrewerGeorge can explain it better -- I'm not one.) This scent largely goes away during cure, so I don't worry too much about that.
So scent it or not as you wish -- the cured soap will be fine either way. Since I make my beer soap to be popular with gentlemen, I usually use a warm woody/clean/herbaceous fragrance with a masculine or unisex appeal. That kind of fragrance blends well with any residual beer scent.
"...How will I know when the carbonation is gone, it has to be flat by now?..."
I think BrewerGeorge explained why a flat beer can still foam, but I can't remember in what thread he gave his explanation -- sorry.
Honestly, I haven't really paid much attention to the beer I've used after I've boiled it down. I've never shaken it to see if it still foams; I just use it to make soap. I think as long as the worst of the carbonation is gone, it should be fine to use, but if others have better advice, I am all ears to learn too!
There can also be an odor from the beer in the finished soap. It is a mild warm, bready/beery scent that I don't mind. A hoppy beer will have more of this scent than a not-so-hoppy beer. (I'm sure a beer expert like BrewerGeorge can explain it better -- I'm not one.) This scent largely goes away during cure, so I don't worry too much about that.
So scent it or not as you wish -- the cured soap will be fine either way. Since I make my beer soap to be popular with gentlemen, I usually use a warm woody/clean/herbaceous fragrance with a masculine or unisex appeal. That kind of fragrance blends well with any residual beer scent.
"...How will I know when the carbonation is gone, it has to be flat by now?..."
I think BrewerGeorge explained why a flat beer can still foam, but I can't remember in what thread he gave his explanation -- sorry.
Honestly, I haven't really paid much attention to the beer I've used after I've boiled it down. I've never shaken it to see if it still foams; I just use it to make soap. I think as long as the worst of the carbonation is gone, it should be fine to use, but if others have better advice, I am all ears to learn too!
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mommycarlson
Well-Known Member
Thank you DeeAnna! I think I'm ready to make my beer soap 
but I do think I will re-think my fragrance options
but I do think I will re-think my fragrance options
BrewerGeorge
Well-Known Member
I would not consider the beer at all when deciding on a fragrance. By the time a soap is cured enough to use, there should be no residual smell from malt or hops and the initial ammonia smell should be gone. You can scent it with anything you would scent any other soap with.Thank you DeeAnna! I think I'm ready to make my beer soap
I agree with you, BG. The beery aroma goes away in a few weeks. I just happen to use fragrances that work well with the initial bit of aroma from the hops, but I did not want to imply one HAD to do that. I hope I'm being clear enough now!
mommycarlson
Well-Known Member
DeeAnna and BrewerGeorge, I so appreciate your help. My beer soap was cut today and is quite nice looking! It smells great, I used a woodsy/rum fragrance, I had initially planned to do a citrus EO blend but I used that in my tea and honey soap instead.
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