From Grains to Soap Part Two: Making Cold Processed Soap

Freshly Cut Oatmeal Stout Beer Soap

At Handbrewed Soaps, we believe that brewing beer and soap are both a science and an art.  Just like a science experiment, you must follow some basic rules in order to produce the desired outcome or product—in our case, beer and soap.  And, as with art, individual interpretation, experimentation, and improvisation are encouraged and expected.  While many brewers feel that they have found the “best way” to brew beer, there are so many variables in the brewing process, that there’s a good chance that a homebrewer in your own neighborhood is doing something radically different or just subtly unique enough that you could apply to your own brewing process to make more interesting or flavorful beers… and soaps!   At Handbrewed Soaps, we have developed our own unique style of brewing and soap-making by reading, researching, and hanging out with fellow homebrewers and soapmakers.  We hope that you enjoy the methods, tips, and tricks that we use in our brewing and soapmaking process!

If you are new to brewing beer or soap, and want to learn more about the basics of either (or both!), we highly recommend How to Brew  by John Palmer and The Soapmaker’s Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch.  Of course there are hundreds, if not thousands, of resources online to help you get started and support you every step along the way.  Below is an overview of how Brew Master Eric Swihart brews the beer, and how Soap Lady Alyson Swihart transforms the beer into soap.  Don’t worry, we don’t use all of the beer to make soap-- we drink a lot of it too!!!

Enjoy a tasty cold beverage and Make Some Soap!

At this point (please refer to Part One in this series, Making Homebrewed Beer) we take the beer for our cold processed soap, as we do not want it carbonated. Cold process soap is the act of mixing a few oils (olive oil, coconut oil, and sustainable palm oil in our case) to an alkali (Sodium Hydroxide: aka Lye).  When oils and sodium hydroxide are mixed together, it goes through a chemical process called saponification ultimately creating what we know as a bar of soap.  Due to this chemical process, it is important for the soap maker to take safety precautions (wearing gloves, eye protection, and being in a well ventilated area).  Through the chemical process, no lye remains and a great bar of soap is made!  

Preparing Lye Solution

Step One:  Prepare your Lye solution, which includes a liquid and sodium hydroxide. For our liquid, we use our homebrewed beer (again making sure the carbonation is completely out of it or it will volcano.) The ratio of liquid to Sodium Hydroxide depends on your recipe.  Always remember to pour the Lye into the liquid, not the other way around!  This solution will reach almost boiling point so make sure to be careful with it!  Wait for it to cool to under 130 degrees, I prefer 110 degrees.

Step Two:  Select your oils and melt them! Once they are is a 10-degree range of your lye (that is under 130 degrees,) start mixing your oils with a hand mixer and add your lye!

Mix, Mix, Mix

Step Three:  Mix, Mix, Mix!  Once you’ve noticed the soap thickening add any essential oils and exfoliants.  You are going to keep mixing until everything has ‘traced.’  Trace is when your soap has emulsified and looks like pudding.  You can check for trace by pulling your hand mixer out of your soap and if it leaves “trails” on top, it’s traced!

Pour into Molds

Step Four:  Pour the soap into your molds, and then cover with a towel to keep it warm.  Your soap will continue to saponify.  Leave in the molds for 24- 48 hour, after which you can cut.  But you will have to wait another 4-6 weeks before using, as the soap needs to cure.  During the curing process, excess moisture evaporates from the bars, leaving a harder, longer-lasting soap!

Meet the Team behind Handbrewed Soaps

Handbrewed Soaps is a family operation! As we have expanded, we've enlisted more family members and friends to help! As they say, to raise a business, it takes a village!

Beer Brewmaster: Eric Swihart

The talent behind the homebrewed beer.  When he's not brewing, you can find him teaching middle school band and orchestra here in Oakland!   Eric enjoys the outdoors, playing with his kids, and playing in his band Fast and Vengfully. He is also the mastermind behind many of our slogans, video ideas, and other Handbrewed Soaps shenanigans!

Soap Brewmaster: Alyson Swihart

That's me!  I'm the soap maker!! When I'm not making soap or any soap related activity, you can find me hiking, hangin' with the kids, or gardening.

Assistant Brewer: Fred Noel

That's my dad!  He's the brains behind the expansion.  He's always into making things bigger.  For example: he's the dad that when you say you want a dog as a child, he thinks Mastiff or Great Dane when you ment Yorkie. Or as a child you want to decorate the outside of the house for Christmas, he's the Dad that makes a bigger than life size wooden Santa Claus to stand on your lawn, when you were thinking maybe just some lights on the porch? So, he's built bigger soap molds, a soap studio, and now helps make soap as I get bigger in my pregnancy. 

Soap wrapper extraordinaire/ Daytime child overseer: Donna Noel 

That's my Mom!  Without her, soap production would slow WAY down! She watches the kids when soap needs to be made! And she's the person that wraps the majority of the soap! She is such a master of soap wrapping, that she goes into a zen like state reciting the mantra, "Peel, Wrap, Stick."

Soap testers: My kids

They are the ones who are first to wash their hands with a newly made batch of soap! They are also marketing managers as I often find video on my ipad that they have made talking about Handbrewed Soaps: See recent video.

Promotion Guru's: Friends, Family, You!

These are the people that have answered the call when we needed help with running a booth at a festival, needing homebrew because we have run out, mentioned us on social media, walked into stores and have talked to retail owners about our products both here in California and out of state.  Most importantly, it's the users of Handbrewed Soaps that enjoy and give feedback to what we do!! Thanks for all you do!

Our New Packaging: From Cigar Labels to Boxes

Our first label

I just calculated how much time it takes me to wrap my soap. From design, to print, to cutting, to wrapping for 60 bars of soap… three hours!  Clearly, I am not very efficient in the area.  Our first label was vellum paper with my logo and ingredients on the label.   It was secured with double sided tape.  The tape wouldn’t hold the label past three weeks.  

Our second label

So the next version was created.  This time, it was printed on Kraft paper and secured with an ingredient sticker.  It gave the soap the look I wanted, but… if it was a hot day and my soaps started to sweat, it would affect the cigar band with wet spots.  Plus, I was cutting labels and stickers out myself which took HOURS!

The Box! 

So now, I’m on to boxes.  It took me awhile to streamline the packaging, but I’m happy with the design.  It tell’s our story, and answers the question I get the most…  Will I smell like beer?  These boxes have cut hours off my wrapping process!  So what do you think of our new boxes? How you have streamline processes in your business to make life easier for yourself?

Why We Brew Beer

We are all about enjoying life and really taking in the things that bring us true happiness- our family, our friends, and the little things in life.

There is nothing better than a walk through the forest on a crisp fall day, or watching a sunset on the beach.  But more than that, it's enjoying the first sip of coffee in the morning, an ice-cold beer on a hot day, or a glass of wine with your best friend!

Handbrewed Soaps makes soap out of anything you can brew in order to create more of the “little things in life.”  And we specialize in Homebrewed Beer Soap!

We brew for many reasons. We DO brew beer and make soap so that we know what ingredients go into it…  but it’s more than that.  The main reason we love brewing is because it’s a day that forces us to slow down and enjoy the “little things in life.”

• ·   It’s the community that comes together for the event.  We enjoy having family and friends over to brew with us.  Many bring their own brew stands to have a brew-off. 
• ·   It’s watching the kids mill the grains, and sneaking tastes of it throughout the day.
• ·   It’s smelling the aroma of the grain as it’s mashing. 
• ·   It’s the hours spent smelling the variety of hops, spices, and fruit and discussing the perfect combination to add to the brew.
• ·   And while the brewing is going on, it’s the conversations of techniques people have used, the advice others brewers give, and of course drinking each others homebrew that have been brought over to consume from the last time we got together. 

We add our homebrewed beer to our soap with the hope that our soaps remind you of the little things in life.  For us, the aroma of our soaps reminds us of family a, friends, and a great day of brewing every time we bathe.  We hope that our soaps remind you to slow down and enjoy the little things in life!

What gets you to "Stop and smell the roses?"

Celebrating the Super Bowl!!!!

Just a little fun on Super bowl Sunday!  And I think this served as a therapy session for my husband!!! He's a 49er's fan....

Jack of All Trades Oakland Market Nov. 9th

I am so excited to participate in this wonderful event!  Please stop by my booth and say HI!  You can sample some soap too!!

Reflections on my First Festival

Well, I did it.  A check off the old bucket list!  And I have to say, I'm coming back for more. I participated in my first festival... Oakland's 'Oak'toberfest in the Dimond.  Despite the early morning wind and the scramble to find tie-downs..., it was a successful day.  I was directly across from homebrew alley, were local homebrewers were giving out tastings of there brew.  This proved to be a great location, because two of my soaps, the Dunkelweizen and Hefeweizen, were being poured at the Brewmaster booth.  After the beer soap was purchased, I could direct people to taste the same brews used in my beer!  The best part of the day was meeting so many wonderful people!  And to top it off, the A's won game 2  !!!! So proud to be an Oaklander!

New Labels! What do you think?

Fresh off the rack... Hefeweizen and Stout Bathtub Beer !  

 This is my first go at a cigar band with my logo.  I'm still undecided if the band should be vellum.  In these pics, I'm using card stock. When placed on my Stout Soap, I think the label is to stark. I would love to hear what you think.  What do think is the best for soap labels? 

Pumpkin Spice Ale Soap

Despite the fact that we don't have a seasonal fall, here in Oakland, I have to admit, it's my favorite season. Maybe it's because I've never experienced a "real" fall with the leaves falling and crispness in the air.  For me, the fall month's bring with it a season of anticipation.  Plants, animals, everything making its last preparations for the cold months to come... (Again, I don't experience a real winter either...)  So, I may not be the best person to talk about the hardships of weather, but I do appreciate it. On that note, and my preparation for the fall, I present the Pumpkin Spice Ale Soap!!!!  I added pumpkin and swirled it with cinnamon!  Yummy!  I also added paprika to enhance the color.  I'm happy with my orange color....  I think it came out pretty good!