Gonna try a beer soap today, Any precautions?

[missmelis]

I know I have to use flat beer. Some say to boil it, others just say to open and leave out. Its opened going flat and I may boil it just for extra measure. Anyting else I should know. Does it accelerate trace? Do beer soaps tend to be tan or do they go darker than that. I am using a F.O. that goes tan on its own and I am wondering how dark I can expect. I am not using a real dark beer. Thanks for your help.

 

[Fullamoon]

Yes. No tasting!

 

[Soaplady22]

I haven't found any real difference between dark beer and regular. I went with dark to darken the soap, but it really didn't.

Make sure it is flat! Basic rull #1. !!
And I boiled it a little to concentrate the liquid. Then put my lye with the water and added the beer "at trace" more or less. I have also used it as the full amount of liquid for the lye.

The soap will be a slight tan. I didn't see where it made any difference to the soap from the color of a dark beer. Accept that I paid more for the beer!!

Does not accelerate. Works just like water. At least in my experience.

No smell is left after cure either. It smells so bad at the beginning that I was sure some of it would stay in the final product. But it didn't.

Because of the sugar in it (?) it makes for a nice lathering bar. Enjoy!!

 

[missmelis]

Thanks for the info. Just waiting for the baby to decide to take her nap and then a soaping I will go. Thanks.

 

[mmsigl]

I used a Guinness and added a little cocoa powder to make it the color of dark beer. I was warned to boil it to remove the alcohol it avoid a lye volcano. Mine is two months old now and still smells a little malty. But I'm sure that will go away with time. Good luck!

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... hp?t=23897

 

[judymoody]

Beer has sugars in it so keep an eye on your poured soap to make sure that it doesn't overheat.

 

[KimHartley24]

DEFINITELY boil it! I let mine sit out and didn't boil it... I thought it would be okay but it definitely wasn't!! Just a teeny bit of lye and two seconds later stinky burning liquid was all over my scale and counter! Also probably a good idea to mix it within the sink just in case Don't forget to post pics of your adventure!

 

[gekko62]

And when you add the NaOH,be prepared for the most feral stinky smell.Peeyoo that stuff smells! :shock: (doesnt carry thru into the soap thank heavens but it can be offputting if you dont know that!)

 

[soapbuddy]

Since beer has a lot of natural sugar, keep it cool. Depending on your recipe, I might not even insulate it.

 

[falldowngobump]

I boiled mine and then froze it. I added the lye into the frozed beer to make sure I didn't volcano and it smelled to high heaven--really bad. I scented my soap with almond and a little orange oil--it made a really bubbly bar. Good luck with yours!

 

[foresthome]

I used a really dark oatmeal stout. I left it out to go flat and then froze it. I let it thaw a little until it was slushy. I used it for 75% of my liquid with water 25%. No lye volcano, but I did have to mix it quickly and had some hard rock like pieces that I spooned out and tossed. Not sure if they were lye or crystalized sugar from the beer. I wanted the finished bar to look like a glass of oatmeal stout, so I also made a seperate small batch using 25% beer and 75% water. I darkened the beer batch with a little black and bronze oxide, then I put a small amount in the other lighter batch to give it a shade of the beer color. I put bay rum FO in it but the beer scent seems to have canceled that out. Anyway it is curing now, but this is how it looks.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee4 ... lstout.jpg

 

[foresthome]

Oh I forgot I sprinkled oatmeal between the two layers.

 

[Soaplady22]

Nice soap, foresthome!! I, too, put a white "head" on my beer soap.
Great minds think alike!!!