Explore the Enriching Power of Beer in Soap

Beer in soap? Really? Well yes we have a line of soap made with the stilled (boiled down) beer of several different known beers. Each has essential oil that elevates the soap with a rich fragrance. But why use beer in soap?

Our origins of doing this go back to the 60s, growing up in a neighborhood rich with immigrants from eastern europe. An elderly grandmother that lived next door always smelled like beer on saturdays. She would be hanging out clothes, and her hair wrapped in a towel. I soon learned that she would use beer as a treatment to improve her hair, rubbing it in and wrapping in a towel for an hour. Her hair always looked wonderful, full bodied and shined so wonderfully. While i never did this, as an adult, and a soap maker’s assistant we began to explore the idea, to determine why this was beneficial, and how could we create a line of soap people would like.

So what are the benefits of beer in soap making?

• Unique Texture: Beer can produce a smoother, more conditioning bar. 
• Soothing & Anti-inflammatory: Hops contain amino acids that soothe irritated skin and reduce inflammation.
• Enhanced Lather: The natural sugars and carbonation in beer boost the soap’s bubbly, luxurious, and creamy foam.
• Skin Conditioning: Vitamins and amino acids in beer help hydrate, nourish, and improve skin elasticity.
• Antibacterial Properties: Brewer’s yeast provides antibacterial benefits, making the soap effective for cleansing and acne-prone skin.

Research proved that the next door grandma was on to something….. and while she didn’t mind smelling like a brewery blew up, we wanted to make our soap smell amazing, and not like beer.

And here is a little bit of detail on how we use beer in our soap. All cold processed soap begins with one bowl with the measured oils, and the other bowl with water or liquid and the lye. When the temperatures of both bowl are even the contents are carefully blended, resulting in a pudding like mix that is poured into our molds, allowed to set up and cure before they are cut. Beer is not that easy – because of the carbonation and alcohol content we can’t just add it like we do water… the beer has to be boiled until it is still (no carbonation), then cooled before using. Its a fun process when we are boiling beer in the studio – our studio neighbors knock on the door to see what’s going on… Honestly they are getting used to our crazy chemistry moments!!!

Here are the soaps we make, what beer is in them and what scent is used:

Half and Half Beer Soap – we use guiness beer. The batch of soap is divided in half, with one portion scented with Oatmeal Stout fragrant oil ( a blend of Creamy Oatmeal, Orange Peel, Butterscotch, Farm-fresh Milk, Nutty Almond and Rich Vanilla) The other half of the batch uses an almond essential oil and a touch of an almond biscotti fragrant oil that give hint to baked biscotti. The bar is two toned, looking much like its name sake “half and half”.

Killians Irish Red Ale Soap – We use Killians Irish Red Ale. The batch of soap is scented with Cassia Essential Oil. red Moroccan clay and activated charcoal for a deep colored soap. Cassia is an essential oil extracted from the cinnamon plant.

IPA Beer Soap – We use Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA beer to add a richness to this soap that is scented with hints of citrus. Yes, We fruited the beer!!! 

PA Lager Soap – We use Yueng Ling Lager and the scent is called harvest ale – A crisp fall ale with a squeeze of orange and touches of vanilla with golden hops.