Beer soap sounds like a joke until you actually try a bar. The malt and hops bring B vitamins, amino acids and a natural foaming boost to the lather, and the better bars smell like a brewery instead of a frat house. I tracked down the best ones you can buy right now, from a $8 grocery-store bar to small-batch soap actually made by a brewery, plus how to make your own if you would rather brew it than buy it.
Every pick below is a real product I could verify is currently for sale, with a real photo and a link straight to where you can buy it. None of these are affiliated with any brewery’s alcohol sales, they are cosmetic bar soap made with beer as an ingredient.
Best Beer Soaps, Ranked
| Rank | Pick | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke Cannon Big Ass Brick of Soap (Budweiser) | Best overall / easiest to find | ~$8 |
| 2 | Dr. Squatch x PBR Blue Ribbon Breeze | Best for gifting | ~$18 (3-pack) |
| 3 | Dr. Livsey's Brewery Edition (Orange Valley Stout) | Best 3-pack value | ~$15 |
| 4 | The Blind Switch Tallow Beer Soap | Best small-batch / artisan | ~$16 |
| 5 | Oatmeal & Guinness Extra Stout Soap | Best for Guinness fans | ~$18 |
| 6 | Four Peaks Brewing Beer Soap | Best actually made by a brewery | ~$8 per bar |
| 7 | Glenna Ave Soap Beer Soap Collection | Best variety pack | Varies by bundle |
The Top Picks at a Glance
Swipe the shortlist, then jump to the full write-up on any pick.
Duke Cannon Big Ass Brick of Soap, Budweiser
Duke Cannon brewed Budweiser right into a 10 oz brick with a warm cedarwood scent. It is the widest-stocked beer soap on this list (Target, Amazon, Duke Cannon’s own site all carry it), it lasts forever because the bar is huge, and a portion of proceeds goes to veterans’ causes. If you only try one beer soap, make it this one.
$8.09 for a 10 oz bar
Check the Price →Dr. Squatch x Pabst Blue Ribbon, Blue Ribbon Breeze
Dr. Squatch’s collab line runs real PBR into the cold-process bar, and the box art alone makes this a better gift than a card. It comes in a 3-pack, over 98% natural origin, light grit for everyday use. Dr. Squatch also sells the same collab in a Wood Barrel Bourbon PBR scent on the same product page, so check both before you buy.
Around $18 for a 3-pack, price and exact scent vary by listing
Check the Price →Dr. Livsey’s Brewery Edition, Orange Valley Stout
Cold-processed, 100% natural, made in the USA, and it actually smells like an orange-peel stout rather than a candle. You get three full 5 oz bars for under $15, which is the best per-bar price of any small-batch pick here.
$14.99 for a 3-pack (5 oz each)
Check the Price →The Blind Switch, Cold Process Tallow Beer Soap
A genuinely small-batch bar made with home-brewed beer, grass-fed tallow and shea butter, no filler ingredients padding out the label. Notes of blackberry, star peony and vanilla sit on top of the beer, so it reads more like a craft fragrance bar than a novelty gag gift.
$15.99 for a 5.25 oz bar
Check the Price →Oatmeal and Guinness Extra Stout Artisan Soap
Built around real Guinness Extra Stout with rolled oats worked into the top for gentle exfoliation. If you already keep a shelf of Guinness gear, this is the one to add to it, and it pairs naturally with our Guinness gift guide.
$17.99 for a bar
Check the Price →Four Peaks Brewing Beer Soap
Most beer soap is made by a soap company that buys beer as an ingredient. Four Peaks, an actual Tempe, Arizona brewery, makes its own soap line using its own beers, Kilt Lifter, Hop Knot IPA, Hazy Daydream and WOW Wheat all get their own bar. If you want the closest thing to a beer soap straight from a brewhouse, this is it.
Around $8 per 4.5 oz bar
Shop Four Peaks →Glenna Ave Soap, Beer Soap Collection
Glenna Ave sources actual craft beer, BrewDog Elvis Juice, Seventh Son Scientist IPA, Wolf’s Ridge Pack IPA and more, and turns each one into its own small-batch round. Buying the collection is the easiest way to figure out which beer style makes the soap you actually like before committing to a full-size bar of just one.
Priced per bundle, check the current collection for sizes
Shop Glenna Ave Soap →Beer Soaps by Country: Ireland
Beer soap is not just an American novelty. We are starting a running list of the best beer soap from each country’s own brewing tradition, and Ireland is the obvious place to start given how tied stout is to Irish identity.
Murphy’s Irish Soap Co., Stout Soap
Made in Ireland and built around Irish stout rather than a generic “dark beer” blend, with a deliberately masculine, malty scent. It is the most on-theme pick here if you want the soap to actually match the country’s beer culture instead of just slapping a shamrock on the label. Pairs well with our Best Irish Beers guide if you want the drink to match the soap.
Check current price on the retailer’s site
Shop Murphy’s Stout Soap →What Does Beer Actually Do in Soap?
Beer brings a few real things to a soap bar, not just a smell. The malt and hops carry B vitamins and amino acids that some soapmakers claim help condition skin, and the natural sugars and proteins left over from brewing add a creamier, longer-lasting lather than a plain water-based bar. The alcohol itself burns off during the cold-process reaction with lye, so you are not getting drunk in the shower, you are getting the leftover malt, hop and yeast compounds baked into the bar.
Dark beers, stouts and porters especially, tend to make better soap than hoppy pale ales or IPAs. The roasted malt gives the bar a rich tan-to-brown color without artificial dye, and it holds up to the soap-making process better than delicate hop aromatics, which can turn skunky or muddy once they hit lye and heat.
How to Make Your Own Beer Soap at Home
If you would rather brew your own bar than buy one, the basic method is a standard cold-process soap recipe with flat, reduced beer swapped in for some or all of the water. You flatten the beer first (stirring or simmering it to release the carbonation), chill it, then use it to dissolve your lye exactly like you would with water, before combining it with your oils and letting the bar cure for several weeks.
Watch it done start to finish below, using two different beers side by side in the same batch:
Which Beer Should You Use for DIY Beer Soap?
Stick with a dark, malt-forward beer if this is your first attempt. Stouts and porters give you the best color, the most forgiving scent once lye hits the mix, and enough roasted character to actually notice in the finished bar. Save the hoppy IPA in your fridge for drinking instead, since hop oils are the most likely thing to go wrong in the pot.
FAQs
Does beer soap actually smell like beer?
A little, but it fades fast once you lather up and most brands blend in a scent like cedarwood, citrus or vanilla on top. None of the picks above smell like a spilled six-pack once you are out of the shower.
Can beer soap get you drunk or fail a breathalyzer?
No. The alcohol in beer breaks down during the cold-process soap reaction with lye, and any trace left is far too small to affect you, even if you somehow ate the bar.
Is beer soap safe for sensitive skin?
Most beer soaps are cold-process bars with natural oils, which tend to be gentler than mass-market detergent bars, but check the ingredient list for fragrance oils or exfoliants like oatmeal if you have sensitive or reactive skin.
What is the best beer for making soap at home?
A dark, malty beer like a stout or porter. It gives richer color and a more forgiving scent through the soap-making process than a hoppy pale ale or IPA.
Where can I buy beer soap?
Amazon carries the widest selection (Duke Cannon, Dr. Squatch, Dr. Livsey’s and The Blind Switch are all listed there), while brewery-made bars like Four Peaks and boutique makers like Glenna Ave Soap sell directly from their own sites.
