A Tasty Trifecta: IPA, Hops & Soap

For our latest collaboration we created a beer and hops-infused bricc with our friends at Stone Brewing. We know what you’re saying…beer in the soap? Beer is for drinking! Yeah, you’re definitely right about that, beer is delicious and hops are an important part of beer making. But did you know they both also make excellent additions to our natural soap and have a range of skin-related benefits? Go ahead, pour yourself a cold one, we’re taking a dive into how these three things come together to make foamy magic.

In The Beginning...There Was Stone

Ah Stone Brewing, a mecca for some of the tastiest brews this side of, well, anywhere. Founded in 1996 in San Diego, CA, Stone brews over 25 different year-round, limited edition, and special release beers, including the iconic West Coast-style IPA that inspired our Stone IPA soap. Just like us here at Dr. Squatch, the good folks at Stone are dedicated to creating high-quality products using only the finest natural ingredients and we knew they would be the perfect partner for this special collaboration. So, we got to creating, mixing, and collaborating with their team to figure out how to utilize some of their ingredients in a special Dr. Squatch bricc.

Let's Get Hoppy

Put simply, hops are the linchpin of the beer-making process. Not only are they responsible for that delicious bitter flavor (fresh, piney, floral, bright) that makes IPA so special, they’re also a key ingredient in fermentation and balancing the beer’s overall flavor profile. Hops also play a crucial role in our Stone IPA soap. When we first began collaborating with Stone on this soap our teams figured out that the spent hops that are leftover from their brewing process would make a fantastic ingredient in the soap’s formula. The hops help to both calm and condition your skin, making for a rich lather that’s nourishing and soothing. This upcycling of spent hops from Stone’s brewing process is also important because it helps reduce waste. We’re taking natural byproduct from the brewing process and repurposing it into a whole new use. How’s that for teamwork? If you want to take a deeper dive into the actual brewing process at Stone, check out this feature right here.

Beer Makes It Better

It probably makes sense that great beer is gonna make for great soap, right? In addition to the upcycled hops from Stone’s brewing process, we also wanted to tap the skin-friendly powers of beer itself. And what better beer to use in our soap than Stone’s flagship beer, their iconic West Coast-style IPA? Just like our personal care products, Stone starts with only the best natural ingredients available, and their brewing creates extremely high-quality brews that highlight the characteristics of their classic styles and excellent ingredients. We chose this IPA as a foundational ingredient in our Stone IPA soap because the yeast cultures in the beer help to dissolve dead skin cells, leaving your skin soft and smooth. We also add in a splash of menthol to complement the skin-conditioning benefits of the beer because it brings a cooling element to the lather and a crisp, energizing scent.

Ok, we’ll go ahead and say what you’ve been waiting to hear, beer is good for you! Not only can a tasty Stone IPA transport you to a fun-filled time with friends and family, but the power of beer and hops can transform your lather into a whole new shower experience.