Beer Soap?

[jcandleattic]

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.

 

[Gryphonisle]

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?

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.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...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 ........

 

[KiwiMoose]

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

 

[JakeBlanton]

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.

 

[amd]

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.

 

[Zen Pretzel]

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.

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

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.

 

[Zen Pretzel]

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.

 

[LittleBlackHeart]

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.

 

[DeeAnna]

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.

 

[math ace]

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

 

[SoapSisters]

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.

 

[Zen Pretzel]

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.

 

[Nanette]

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

 

[ShirleyHailstock]

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.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

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.

 

[DeeAnna]

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

 

[bookreader451]

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.

 

[Claire.martin2]

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