Making my first beer soap tomorrow

[silvercb67]

so my dark beer has been sitting on counter for a week now. Any tips would be appreciated. Pretty nervous. :think:

Does anyone use distilled water and add beer at trace?

 

[Obsidian]

I always boil my beer for a bit to make sure the alcohol is gone. If you cook it long enough, it will reduce down to just a few ounces and it would be easier to add at trace if you wanted. Make sure your beer is refrigerated overnight so its good and cold.

 

[silvercb67]

I always boil my beer for a bit to make sure the alcohol is gone. If you cook it long enough, it will reduce down to just a few ounces and it would be easier to add at trace if you wanted. Make sure your beer is refrigerated overnight so its good and cold.

Ok thank you. I just checked it and it is still very carbonated. Will boiling fix this as well?

 

[Yooper]

Ok thank you. I just checked it and it is still very carbonated. Will boiling fix this as well?

Yes. Boil it, and then stick it in the freezer and use it cold/slushy in place of the water if you're using a lot of it. Some people condense it and add it at trace, but if it's very cold when you start, it won't burn and it works great in place of the water.

 

[paillo]

Yes, definitely boil it until there you're sure there is no carbonation remaining. I usually use mine as the lye portion of the liquid. You'll get a soap that retains some of the yeasty, hoppy fragrance of the hops. Beer soap is sooo wonderful. We'll be eager to hear how it turns out!

 

[cmzaha]

Yes. Boil it, and then stick it in the freezer and use it cold/slushy in place of the water if you're using a lot of it. Some people condense it and add it at trace, but if it's very cold when you start, it won't burn and it works great in place of the water.

Just make sure your lye pitcher is in the sink and tall enough to give you extra room. I have posted this before but there are some beers that can volcano even if left out for a week, boiled and frozen. Just use extreme caution. I have posted this before that I have three IPA beers I use for a brewery and no matter what I do they will go over if added to the lye in place of water. So my lye is mixed with 55 percent water and the remaining liquid I would use which is the beer is added after the lye water is added to my oils. Also soap with room temp oils.
I love beer soap and make a lot of it, but never get lack when making it. Not trying to scare just want you to take all precautions. I can say I have never had a problem with mass manufactured beer just the handcrafted

 

[evilnurse]

I used refrigerated beer (after boiling), in place of water and didn't have any problems

 

[pamielynn]

The volcano may not happen every time, but always be prepared for it. Mixing in the sink is a good idea.

 

[paillo]

Yes, excellent point about adding your lye in an extra-tall container in the sink. I too have had near-volcanoes using hand-crafted beer, even boiled and cooled. Don't add your lye all at once, but in small portions, and make sure all the fizz is gone with each addition before you add more.

 

[TVivian]

I did my first beer soap last week. I boiled it, then froze it then "slushed" it up and put it into a bowl in my sink that sat in an ice bath.. (Maybe I was too worried, but I didn't want it to burn) then I added the lye so slowly. .. One tablespoon at a time. It took about 30-40 minutes to mix all of the lye in. But the beer never got smelly or dark and the soap turned out great!

I replaced all of the water with beer.

 

[judymoody]

I use cold flat beer in place of water. If you use a tall pitcher with plenty of head space and add your lye gradually, you shouldn't have any trouble. It might froth and bubble but will simmer down as you stir. Doing this in a sink is definitely a good idea.

 

[OliveOil2]

I've made beer soap the way you described, and also adding lye to the beer, and I really like adding the beer to the mixed oils. I do cook the alcohol out, and add the chilled beer to my oils. If you are nervous ( I was) try the first batch using either water or a mix of water and aloe vera juice for the lye water, and add the beer to your oils.

 

[Nikon]

I do what several others have said and boil then freeze. Depending on the beer, I may use a slush that the lye is added to, or I may use an almost frozen chunk that the lye goes into. Different beer heats different when lye is added to it. Some beer will melt through slush in no time, and some beer will slowly melt the slush.

 

[silvercb67]

Wow! Thank you for all of your advice everyone. I will defiantly let you know how it goes.

 

[silvercb67]

Ok so I'm making the soap right now. My only problem is that the lye solution is cooling much faster than the oils. Can I heat the solution in the microwave? Help!

 

[Obsidian]

Put your lye container in a bowl of hot water to help keep it warmer. Put the oils in a bowl of cold water to cool it faster. Honestly, I never worry if the lye and oil are different temps as long as both are under 125*

 

[silvercb67]

Put your lye container in a bowl of hot water to help keep it warmer. Put the oils in a bowl of cold water to cool it faster. Honestly, I never worry if the lye and oil are different temps as long as both are under 125*

Thank you for the quick response. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Obsidian]

How did your soap turn out? Have any issues at all?

 

[NurseEmily]

I'm dying to know how it turned out too. I really want to start experimenting with booze soon.

 

[shivani]

Is everything fyn?