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? 

Bathtub Beer Brew Day Photo Journal

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!

Cute T-shirts

My shirts have arrived!  I ordered shirts with my logo and website on it for the festival.  I think they turned out pretty cute!  What do you think?

Curing Racks

As I'm making more and more soap, the need for curing racks has surfaced.  I'm not at the place in my soap journey to get those big curing racks...  I do not have the volume of soap nor the space.  I've been struggling with an organized method of curing, because as a few weeks ago, soap has been curing on every surface of my office, making it impossible to work in there anymore.  It wasn't until I went to my mom's house a month ago, that I found the solution.

My mom and dad have been on the paleo diet for the past year.  The have stumbled on a way of baking  paleo, and the day I went over to visit, they were going to town making paleo muffins and breads.  They were cooling everything on stackable cooling racks.

ME:      "Those are so cool! I didn't know you can stack racks! Where did you get those from? "
MOM:  "A garage sale!  Why, do you need them for cooking?"
ME:      "No...  I can cure soap on them!!!!  Have you seen my office lately?"

Two weeks later, a big box was at my front door, the contents of which were three stackable cooling racks!  My mom, knowing I would not have the time to research and order them online, took it upon herself to make the curing process easier for me.  Now, I can have my office back!  Thanks MOM!!!!

From Top to Bottom:  Curing IPA, STOUT, and Abbey Ale Soap

Festival Booth: Getting My Soaps Ready For Oaktoberfest

Oaktoberfest is an annual festival in the Dimond District of Oakland.  In the 1900's this area of Oakland was known for Beer Gardens and German Resorts.  This year, I will have a booth there!   My first booth!!!  Yes, my first booth!  I am very excited... and a little nervous...

I had to submit a picture (with my application) of my booth to the organizers. That gave me a deadline to get things together.  So after a banner and display was purchased, this is what I submitted.  Let me know your thoughts on the booth.  I would love to hear tips on selling soaps at a festival too!

History: Black and Tan

What is a Black and Tan?  I know they serve it at Fenton's...  an amazing ice cream dish...  but what is it really in the beer world?  Traditionally, it a drink made from a blend of pale ale and a dark beer such as a stout.   But the term, Black and Tan, is not commonly used in Ireland, as the term is associated with the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, nicknamed the Black and Tans. The term "Half and Half" is therefore used for this drink.

To prepare a "Half and Half," a glass is filled halfway with pale ale where the stout is then added.  To honor the tradition of the "Half and Half," I have prepared a soap that combines home-brewed chocolate stout and an ale. The result is a uniquely colored bar of soap that is unscented, yet the esters of the beer remain including malts and chocolate.  It has a deep lather, and is moisturizing.