I don’t remember if it was I who approached Glynne’s Soaps or if it was they who approached the Twitterverse but three bars of their beer soap were sent my way. This was months ago. I never took the time to review them for a few reasons. First, I always wanted to review the three as a set; that way I could compare and contrast the different bars. Second, they’re just so… artisanal… that I didn’t want to ruin them by actually using them. Lastly, things get busy that sometimes I’d rather be drinking beer than reviewing something made from it. Lame of me, I know.
In any case, guilt has finally gotten the best of me. Glynne Soaps and I follow each other on Twitter. I’ve always felt a tinge of guilt whenever they would ping me to see if I’ve used the product yet. While some may consider this nagging, I consider it follow up. I was sent samples for review and they’re just following up on my experiences. From a business standpoint, it’s costly for a small business to send some stranger 3 bars of product and you hope the stranger not only uses the product but has something tangible (as tangible as the web gets anyway) to say about it. So here I am with something tangible to say and clean.
I was sent 3 different types of beer soap: RJ Rocker’s Son of a Peach, Front Street Brewery Scotch Ale and Front Street Brewery IPA Citrus. I felt it would’ve been as waste to crack all three open just to wash our hands, nor did I feel I was compelled enough to shower 3 times, so we picked one and ran with it.
Front Street Brewery Scotch Ale Beer Soap
I have been enamored with the idea of making my own soap for years, or at least for as long as Fight Club has been out on DVD. I just think the ability to make your own things is cool, hence the homebrewing (and eventually, the queso de leche materna). Front Street Brewery Scotch Ale Beer Soap (Scotch Ale) is made from a variety of natural ingredients: olive, coconut, cotton seed, soybean, castor oils, lye, salt, and Front Street Brewery’s Dram Tree Scottish Ale.
Unwrapped, the Scotch Ale looks like a big piece of irregularly shaped caramel. Compared to the commercial soaps we’ve had, the aroma is subtle and familiar; slightly sweet malt aroma. In hindsight, I should’ve taken better aroma notes when I first received the soap months ago as it may have faded a bit. The texture is bumpy, waxy and crumbles slightly at the edges.
My wife washed her hands with the Scotch Ale and noted that it doesn’t lather a lot, it does but not a lot. By the time she finished, she said her hands felt “squeakly clean” without leaving a soapy residue. She also noted how neutral the aroma was. My housemate washed his hands with it and said, “it’s a’ight”, which is about as glowing an endorsement as he’s ever going to give anything.
Unsatisfied with their results, I hopped in the shower and opted to use Scotch Ale instead of our regular bar of Dove. While the Scotch Ale didn’t lather as much as the Dove, I didn’t feel any less clean. I like using Dove, I think their product leaves my skin clean while not being as harsh as some other products I’ve used. The Scotch Ale not only equaled the Dove with regards to cleanliness but left my skin a little softer while the areas that are normally left dry from Dove were surprisingly less so. Even though Dove markets the use of moisturizers in their product, the bar of Scotch Ale left my skin less dry and “chalky” the morning after.
Overall
Even though I came into this review with an open mind, I fully expected Dove to perform better than Glynne Soaps’ Front Street Brewery Scotch Ale Beer Soap. Dove is a multi-million dollar company with huge resources on their side, you would expect them to be “better”. Not in this case, I felt the Scotch Ale did as good as job as Dove getting me clean, out-performing them a bit with regards to keeping my skin moisturized.
There are a few criticisms I do have. While showering, I found the shape of the soap to be somewhat cumbersome; it felt “clunky” to hold. There’s a reason companies like Dove shape their products with rounded edges and contoured shapes, it makes them easier to hold and use. I’m not saying this is a “con” on the product, just noting my personal experience. I find the block shape in tune with the artisanal aspect of the product and a complete throwback to more traditional processes.
The other criticism is the lack of a heavy lather. Many people equate a heavy lather with cleanliness. The more bubbles, the more clean. I know this to be untrue, more bubbles does not mean more clean. Just be aware of that when using the product.
The other thing I really enjoyed about this product was the neutral aroma profile. Many soaps are scented and leave your skin smelling that way. I a not a huge fan of heavily scented soaps, especially when judging homebrew competitions. Give me a nickel for every time I’ve used the restroom at a homebrew competition, washed my hands, and then have had my hands reeking of fragrance that would end up competing against the aroma of the beer. This product would’ve been a godsend.
The big caveat to this is that this is all in regards to my skin type. My wife, who has very sensitive skin, was reluctant to try this product on any areas other than her hands. If you have any questions or issues, you should give Glynne Soaps a call.
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