I am sure, if you are regular reader, that you know we got tickets to see the Panthers v Steelers game on Thursday night. You probably also know Jenn is a die-hard Steelers fan and I am a die-hard Panthers fan. We had a great time at the game! Although the final score was not all that much fun for me. On our trip to Charlotte, we took the time to stop by RJ Rockers in Spartanburg, SC and deliver the new Son of a Peach Beer Soaps. They have just moved into their new facility in Downtown Spartanburg. It is a very nice location. While there, we learned that RJ Rockers Son of a Peach beer would be available in the Wilmington area by the end of the year (stay tuned for locations). During our long drive to Charlotte via Spartanburg, Jenn and I took the time to discuss what soaps we would like to make for the fall. As is popular with game shows these days, we decided to poll the audience. We sent out a twitter message asking for fall scent suggestions. We received many responses, Thanks twitterverse! We will definitely be making a pumpkin soap (maybe pumpkin spice or punkin pie) and a gingerbread scent for fall. We got several suggestions for an apple or apple cider scent, and we will be researching & working to try to accommodate that scent. One thing I have learned since we have been making soaps is that it is not always easy to create a scent you want and keep the product all-natural. And here at Glynne’s Soaps we are committed to All Natural Soaps. We hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing Labor Day Weekend! Be safe. Want to be a part of our studio audience? Follow us on twitter (www.twitter.com/glynnesoaps) Gayle

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of meeting with Jason at RJ Rockers Brewery in Spartanburg, South Carolina. They make a peach beer that we were very interested in turning into soap. Turns out, they were very interested as well. The beer is called “Son of a Peach” and is described as unfiltered American wheat ale with mean peaches. We had to laugh because they have nicknamed the beer “S.O.A.P.”, so we would be making S.O.A.P. soap for them.

We made a test batch, and it was a very nice soap with a great smell. When talking with Jason, we discussed that maybe adding an essential oil to the soap could enhance the peachiness of it. After much back and forth with our apothecary, Eva, at Down to Earth Oils in downtown Wilmington, we decided on a mix of orange and clove essential oils. Let me tell you, it truly did what we were hoping for, the soap does smell like peaches with a hint of clove. It smells wonderful. We will be hand delivering the first batch to RJ Rockers tomorrow because we were fortunate to get tickets to the Panthers/Steelers pre-season game. I'm sure there will be some "smack talk" between the two of us on the way, since Gayle is a big Panthers fan and I will always pull for the Steelers.

RJ Rockers became Spartanburg’s first brewery in 1997. They have a long standing tradition of producing high quality brews by hand. In fact, their slogan is “HANDCRAFTED. EVERY BEER. EVERY DROP. EVERY TIME.” They no longer have a brew pub, but the beer can be purchased in locations throughout South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, DC, and Maryland. The folks there are terrific people! If you ever find yourself near Spartanburg SC find out about taking a tour of the brewery. For your reading pleasure, you can also check out blogs written by some of the employees.

You might be asking yourself, why beer in soap? Aside from the novelty of it; the ability to take your favorite beer home in a different form, there are some “skin healthy” qualities to using soap made with beer. Since beer is made from different grains, the mineral rich qualities of these grains are transferred to your skin, giving it a healthy glow. The hops are full of amino acids that are very softening and soothing to the skin. Many people with sensitive skin, and even eczema and psoriasis love the beer soap for its healing properties. In addition, hops are very relaxing herbs, so using it in the tub or shower can calm and relax your mind as well as your skin.

If you are excited or even intrigued about the Son of a Peach Beer soap, give it a try. It will not disappoint.

Jenn

Yesterday was a big day here in the Glynne’s Soaps Research and Development Lab (aka our kitchen). We tried some new soaps and improved on a nearly new soap. The curing area has some great smells this morning. The first smell I noticed come from the chocolate peppermint cupcake soaps we have created for Coastal Cupcakes, a local cupcake shop. They look great. Our resident “cupcake froster” did a great job after a tutoring session with the owner of Coastal Cupcakes. They look, and smell, good enough to eat. This brings us to the scary part of yesterday. It seems that Wrigley, our sales manager, also thought the cupcake soap looked good enough to eat, or at least taste. It seems that after a small lick of the cupcake (which really is just the oils and lye going through their chemical process to become soap) he decided they were not edible. I’m sure his tongue got quite a “zap”. We quickly took him outside and rinsed his mouth with lots of water, then called the vet. Her opinion was that he should be fine…..which he is. We told him to stick to being the best sales manager and not to worry about product testing. We are truly excited for our cupcake soaps to be featured alongside the wonderful (and edible!) cupcakes at Coastal Cupcakes. Look for them there soon. The next smell that I experience walking past our curing area is of the two beer soaps we made, testing some beers we received from breweries participating in Wilmington’s Brewgrass Festival. We had an IPA from Foothills Brewing Company in Winston-Salem, NC and a Peach Beer from RJ Rockers in Spartanburg, SC. My personal favorite is the peach, but they both have very nice scents. I think that is one of my favorite aspects of soapmaking – the different scents and blends that can be produced. My shower favorites now are the Front Street Brewery Scottish Ale and the Citrus Zing, a refreshing orange ginger blend. What are your favorite scents and smells? Leave us a coment and let us know. They don’t have to be soap smells, but maybe someday they will be! Wrigley wants to remind you to visit our websire www.glynnesoaps.com to purchase any of our soaps...remember, no matter how good they may smell Do NOT taste them!

Jenn soapmaker@glynnesoaps.com PS – Wrigley would like to offer a rebuttal to yesterday’s soap tasting incident. “They look (and smell) like cupcakes!” WOOF WOOF