Using beer as your liquid

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

betsbird

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2014
Messages
11
Reaction score
4
Hi everyone! I am fairly new here and have been making soap for about 4 months now, both bar and liquid, so I am no where near a expert!

I have been reading some recipes where they are using beer as the liquid. My question is; what benefits are there from using beer in your soap? I am in need of a new shampoo bar so I am going to be making a batch tomorrow along with re-batching some of my other bars and was thinking of making the shampoo bar with beer. I had read somewhere where they made a shampoo bar using it and was curious. I like my recipe for shampoo but we can always improve right?:???:
 
beer adds lather to your soap, due to the sugars and carbs found in it. some say it has conditioning properties as well. for me i find it adds to the lather , hard to say about condition properties since i SF at 7%.
be sure to get the carbonation out of the beer and the alcohol as well . you can do this by letting the beer sit out for a few days . some warm it up to get the alcohol out as well. once you done that you can freeze your beer so when mixing it with lye you keep the temperature down.
here is a link that can kind of get you up to speed on making beer soaps : http://www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking/creative/october/beerwinesoap.html
 
Yeah, it does appeal to the guys. One fella said to me: I drink beer, I cook with beer, and now I can shower with beer!
 
yeah, it does appeal to the guys. One fella said to me: I drink beer, i cook with beer, and now i can shower with beer!

beer shower.jpg shower caddy.jpg

tub beer.jpg
 
I made beer soap for the first time on the weekend. First I boiled the beer and cooled it slightly in the pitcher before popping it in the freezer for about 20 mins. Then I put a bowl in an ice bath inside a bucket (in case of volcano). I added the super-chilled but not frozen beer to the bowl with a few sprinkles of salt. I gradually added the lye. No problems, no spills, no volcano. I just wish I used more essential oils because I don't like the smell.

Note: the black dots are poppy seeds.

IMG_1139.jpg


IMG_1147.jpg


IMG_1152.jpg


beer soap 1.jpg


beer soapTN.jpg
 
Last edited:
To get ride of the fizz, DON'T leave the beer open at room temp. Beer can grow some nasty mold really quickly. I like to pour it into a wide-mouthed container and leave it in the fridge, stirring now & then if I think of it.
 
my bf sometimes leaves beers in the freezer (bad on him), so I thaw those out, weigh, put in another container, and freeze it again. then use THAT frozen beer for lye solution. I tried it once like that, and it worked great! no volcano (even though I was expecting it - mix in the sink!).
 
I do the same as PinkCupcake: I leave it in a wide mouth container in the fridge, stirring when I think of it. It usually takes a couple days to get completely flat. I never boil it or freeze it (but everyone has their own method they're comfortable with), I just make sure I take it right from the fridge to add the lye so it's cold. Then I gradually add the lye, making sure it's fully dissolved before adding more. I've never had a volcano (fingers crossed), and about half my soaps I make with beer. It's a fun ingredient to use!
 
Kylie -- The beer smell will mellow with time -- let it cure and see what you think in a month.

Dennis -- You are a hoot! :)
 
Is there any beer that is better to make soap with than another? Does the kind of beer used make a difference in the color of the soap?
 
I just did a beer soap this past weekend. The fragrance is something called "cool spring" and I can't say I'm in love with the combination of the beer odor and this FO right now. It's not awful or nasty, but that odd bready-hoppy-sweatsock thing is really dominant. When the beer scent mellows, it should be a warm undercurrent to the FO and I expect it will end up smelling nice.
 
I just did a beer soap this past weekend. The fragrance is something called "cool spring" and I can't say I'm in love with the combination of the beer odor and this FO right now. It's not awful or nasty, but that odd bready-hoppy-sweatsock thing is really dominant. When the beer scent mellows, it should be a warm undercurrent to the FO and I expect it will end up smelling nice.

Beer "odor" is correct. I added grapefruit and orange essential oils and it still smells like a dirty pub/tavern/bar.
 
Has anyone tried making soap with the non-alcoholic beer? I have several that have been in my fridge for months....
 
Has anyone tried making soap with the non-alcoholic beer? I have several that have been in my fridge for months....

I haven't but I'm sure you could use any liquid that doesn't burn/discolour/go rancid. I'd start by looking at the ingredients - do you see anything that would cause a super-heat or go "off" easily?
When trying something new I just do a "muffin" worth to see how it goes. Here are some soaps I made using a rose muffin pan. I was testing colour. Here is where I learned that manganese violet goes a vile khaki green in CP and also that titanium dioxide needs to be premixed - and I didn't waste an entire KG of oils :)

IMG_1093.jpg
 
Last edited:
I haven't but I'm sure you could use any liquid that doesn't burn/discolour/go rancid. I'd start by looking at the ingredients - do you see anything that would cause a super-heat or go "off" easily?
When trying something new I just do a "muffin" worth to see how it goes. Here are some soaps I made using a rose muffin pan. I was testing colour. Here is where I learned that manganese violet goes a vile khaki green in CP and also that titanium dioxide needs to be premixed - and I didn't waste an entire KG of oils :)

I looked at the picture before reading your comments and the "vile khaki green" on the lower left was my favorite. Kinda made me laugh. Not sure if I was laughing at myself or what. Gosh, and I haven't had my coffee yet. Better take care of that now and then place vile khaki green on my list of color pursuits. :lol:
 
"...Is there any beer that is better to make soap with than another? Does the kind of beer used make a difference in the color of the soap? ..."

Nope! Just pick any one and go for it. Beers with a lot of hops will have more "beer odor", but like I said earlier, the odor mellows with time so don't let that stop you from using a hoppy beer. If friends come over and leave their leftover beer behind (they often seem to do that) I'll make soap out of it ... if I don't want to drink it first, that is. My stepson, wonderful as he is, really likes hoppy beer, but I don't. That's how I know a very hoppy beer makes a more odoriferous soap than beer with less hops.

The color of the beer does make a difference. Beer will always darken the soap somewhat, so don't set your hopes on getting a white or really pale soap from a beer-based recipe. A beer that is darker will make a darker soap and vice versa. Chocolate stout anyone?

Ruthie -- I'd try the non-alcoholic beer! Look at the bright side -- you don't have to worry about the alcohol in it. :)
 
Back
Top