Comments on: Soapfest 2011: Black and Tan Beer Soap

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:09:15 +0000

Zoinks! I made this soap today, first time using the verticle mold.. I doddled after pouring and didn’t take the devider out right away… When I did my 25 degree twist it separated the already thick soap…. Only like 1 min after pour. Do u think it will melt back together as it heats up? Blargggg

By: Becky with Bramble Berry

Becky with Bramble Berry — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:56:37 +0000

We are so glad that you tried it out! It might not turn out how you expected, but I bet it will smell absolutely delightful. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry

By: Denise at Northern Lite Naturals

Denise at Northern Lite Naturals — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 02:32:04 +0000

loved this idea so I gave it a try my first time with beer. Followed your idea of pouring with my own recipe and round molds. Hubby warned it would bleed through one side to the other and sure enough it did. I was bummed but I’ll see what the outcome is when I remove from mold. Guess next time I’ll use my loaf mold though I won’t get the zig or zag Thanks for the idea!

By: Homemade Gifts for Men

Homemade Gifts for Men — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:03:36 +0000

[...] Black & Tan Beer Soap – Soap Queen [...]

By: 101 Handmade St. Patrick’s Day Ideas

101 Handmade St. Patrick’s Day Ideas — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:07:38 +0000

[...] DIY Beer Soap – Soap Queen [...]

By: Sly

Sly — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:12:35 +0000

Dear Becky:
Great ideas! Thank you so much for your expertise! Sly

By: Becky with Bramble Berry

Becky with Bramble Berry — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:13:45 +0000

Good morning, Sly!

Water discounting will make any batch of soap accelerate slightly faster, but I’d suggest adding that extra 1 ounce of water so that you have enough time to work with this fun design and you aren’t rushed. The water is a range and is isn’t as important as getting the exact lye amounts.

If you want to increase your working time on this recipe, I’d suggest increasing the Olive Oil amount and decreasing the Palm Oil, or even increasing the superfat. Doing both of those will give you much more time to play around with this recipe. Just make sure if you change any of the amounts to run it through the lye calculator again.

Lye Calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx

-Becky with Bramble Berry

By: Sly

Sly — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:15:37 +0000

RE: Black & Tan Beer Soap Recipe above:
14.8 oz. Coconut Oil
15.3 oz. Olive Oil
14.8 oz. Palm Oil
6.5 oz. Lye
275 ml dark beer and 139 ml distilled water (mixed together) By Volume.

275 ml = 9.3 oz
139 ml = 4.7 oz
Total liquid = 414 ml or 14 oz

When I run this through your lye calculator at 4% superfat, I get the above 6.5 oz of lye, but 14.82 oz of liquid. That’s almost 1 oz difference.
Is this because this recipe calls for liquids by volume?
(If I figure this by weight, I still get only 14.6 oz of liquid.)

Does the water discounting in this batch make it more difficult to work with? (Will it set up quicker?)

With all the coconut & palm oil, this looks like a really hard bar of soap. Looking at the comments on this soap, several people had difficulties with it – would it be easier to work with (set up slower) if I replaced some of the palm oil with something less hard?

Thank you for your help.

By: Becky with Bramble Berry

Becky with Bramble Berry — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:27:42 +0000

I’m so glad to hear you love the vertical mold as much as we do, it’s so much fun to make soap in! If you have any pictures of your soapy creations we’d love to see how they turned out. You can share them with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry

-Becky with Bramble Berry

By: Teri Wilmarth

Teri Wilmarth — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:08:38 +0000

I had so much fun using my vertical mold for this!! The soap sold out lightning fast!! I’ll be making lots more for a cowboy event I have in March!!