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How awesome does that look with the new label merging the NJ Beer Company logo and our own style... just like the soap itself!
Showing posts with label barley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barley. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Exclusive New Label
The new version of Mashed In beer soap is all done and has been wrapped. It's ready for purchase at Reef Botanicals and at the NJ Beer Co. brewery at 4201 Tonnelle Avenue, North Bergen, NJ.
How awesome does that look with the new label merging the NJ Beer Company logo and our own style... just like the soap itself!
How awesome does that look with the new label merging the NJ Beer Company logo and our own style... just like the soap itself!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Collaboration
Remember this? When I told you we were beer snobs?
That, as you may know, is our Mashed In beer soap. Awesome stuff. My absolute favorite of our soaps, in fact.
Well, the original batch, the batch in that photo, was made with Sam Adams Noble Pils. Beer is great for the skin, and that's an admittedly darned good beer.
Wait. Beer is good for the skin?
Yup. Good for the skin. I've read that in ancient Egypt, long considered the birthplace of beer, women of the upper classes used beer for all sorts of cosmetic and therapeutic purposes, such as to freshen the skin and reduce the risk of skin conditions. And more recent scientific studies have shown that brewer's yeast can help improve the symptoms of acne and maintain a balanced pH in the skin. As a result, cosmetic companies are starting to incorporate brewer's yeast as an active ingredient in their formulas.
So... beer soap.
But we found better beer. Local beer. New Jersey Beer.
The NJ Beer Co. is local to Reef Botanicals, just a few minutes away at 4201 Tonnelle Avenue, North Bergen, NJ. It was founded by president Matt Steinberg.
A very nice guy, and exceedingly talented at what he does, his take on it all is that the "New Jersey Beer Co. is dedicated to crafting quality beer for all; from the occasional beer drinker to the beer aficionado. We believe that good products come from good people, and strive to do our very best for our community and our customers. We believe we can provide happiness through doing what we love, and that a good beer can make the good times great."
It's that sense of community and quest for good times that led the NJ Beer Co. to open up a tasting room, which offers free samples of NJ Beer and a tour of the brewery from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and 2-6 p.m. on Saturdays.
To keep up with their events, be sure to become a fan of their Facebook page.
But that sense of community is going even farther now. We're teaming up with them to produce our new version of Mashed In, a collaboration between Reef Botanicals and the NJ Beer Co. For our first batch, we've used my favorite of their beers, the Garden State Stout.
Because we're using a stout and the same chocolate malted barley used to make the beer, as well as hops, this batch of soap will necessarily be darker.
And because it's a stout, in addition to the cedarwood essential oil we used in the original Mashed In, we've added a touch of coffee essential oil too.
It's in the molds and ready to go!
The best part? Not only will our NJ Beer Co. Mashed In beer soap be available at the Reef Botanicals website, we'll also have it this Sunday, February 6, at the Minerals Resort Winter Wonderland craft fair!
Know what's even better than that? You'll be able to buy our new Mashed In at the NJ Beer Co. brewery! Go for a tasting, try some of the amazing beers, and buy Reef Botanicals Mashed In... all in the same trip!
That, as you may know, is our Mashed In beer soap. Awesome stuff. My absolute favorite of our soaps, in fact.
Well, the original batch, the batch in that photo, was made with Sam Adams Noble Pils. Beer is great for the skin, and that's an admittedly darned good beer.
Wait. Beer is good for the skin?
Yup. Good for the skin. I've read that in ancient Egypt, long considered the birthplace of beer, women of the upper classes used beer for all sorts of cosmetic and therapeutic purposes, such as to freshen the skin and reduce the risk of skin conditions. And more recent scientific studies have shown that brewer's yeast can help improve the symptoms of acne and maintain a balanced pH in the skin. As a result, cosmetic companies are starting to incorporate brewer's yeast as an active ingredient in their formulas.
So... beer soap.
But we found better beer. Local beer. New Jersey Beer.
The NJ Beer Co. is local to Reef Botanicals, just a few minutes away at 4201 Tonnelle Avenue, North Bergen, NJ. It was founded by president Matt Steinberg.
Photo: Peter Kennedy
A very nice guy, and exceedingly talented at what he does, his take on it all is that the "New Jersey Beer Co. is dedicated to crafting quality beer for all; from the occasional beer drinker to the beer aficionado. We believe that good products come from good people, and strive to do our very best for our community and our customers. We believe we can provide happiness through doing what we love, and that a good beer can make the good times great."
It's that sense of community and quest for good times that led the NJ Beer Co. to open up a tasting room, which offers free samples of NJ Beer and a tour of the brewery from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and 2-6 p.m. on Saturdays.
To keep up with their events, be sure to become a fan of their Facebook page.
But that sense of community is going even farther now. We're teaming up with them to produce our new version of Mashed In, a collaboration between Reef Botanicals and the NJ Beer Co. For our first batch, we've used my favorite of their beers, the Garden State Stout.
Because we're using a stout and the same chocolate malted barley used to make the beer, as well as hops, this batch of soap will necessarily be darker.
And because it's a stout, in addition to the cedarwood essential oil we used in the original Mashed In, we've added a touch of coffee essential oil too.
The best part? Not only will our NJ Beer Co. Mashed In beer soap be available at the Reef Botanicals website, we'll also have it this Sunday, February 6, at the Minerals Resort Winter Wonderland craft fair!
Know what's even better than that? You'll be able to buy our new Mashed In at the NJ Beer Co. brewery! Go for a tasting, try some of the amazing beers, and buy Reef Botanicals Mashed In... all in the same trip!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
We're Beer Snobs
Really.
And it's pretty funny on my end, considering my "start" in drinking beer. I know most people won't believe me, but I honestly didn't drink alcohol until I was of legal age, which was the summer before my senior year of college. Even then, I didn't really drink much. I tried some beer at school parties. I think Coors Light was the popular one, so you can understand why I hated beer. Because I really despised beer, I drank only mixed drinks, and only one per semester. Seriously, at an after-finals party each semester of my senior year, I had one single daquiri.
It wasn't until my second semester, second year of law school (Did I mention I'm also a lawyer?) that I first liked a beer. After finals that night, my friends Lisa, Sheau-Wu and I went into the city looking for music, any music.
[Note: Being from NJ and going to Brooklyn Law School, any time I say "the city," you can assume I mean Manhattan.]
We found a guy on the corner in The Village, handing out flyers for the Mondo Cane Blues Bar.
[It was on Thompson Street, and sadly, is no longer there. It was my favorite place to go for a long time.]
Lisa, Sheau-Wu and I looked at each other and shrugged. Sounded good. The band playing that night was Slapmeat Johnson and the Titans. Yeah, I know, I know. But I became a huge blues fan that night, solely because of that band. They were phenomenal. I can't possibly convey here the talent that band had. I also discovered that I could like beer - an ice cold Budweiser. It just went with the atmosphere, you know?
I know what you're thinking. Bud? And she calls herself a beer snob? You're right, but keep reading.
I became friends with some people who were more knowledgeable about beers. They introduced me to non-American varieties, the kinds that most starving law students didn't bother with because they couldn't afford them. I discovered nut brown ales, honey brown ales, cream ales. By the time I went to Ireland in 1998, I found that my favorite beer ever was Caffrey's Irish Ale. Sadly, like the Mondo Cane, Caffrey's no longer exists. If you've ever tried Tetley's English Ale, it's close. I also later discovered the lovely American microwbrew.
What's the point of this all-too-long history?
Well, I became a beer snob. I also married a beer snob. In fact, he brews his own beer! Good stuff, too, I might add, very good stuff. He does a lot of research (and I mean reading, not just drinking, so quit smirking, people).
So when we decided to make our beer soap, ...
Wait. Did she just say beer soap?
As I was saying, when we decided to make our beer soap, we knew we had to use the good stuff. I now present Mashed In: Spring Seasonal.
This soap is made with the usual stuff, but with Sam Adams Noble Pils replacing the water! Oh yes, my friends, the very, very good (Really!) Sam spring seasonal is the liquid in this soap. Also in the soap is a bunch of crushed and fragrant hops. For those not in the know, hops are actually flowers, so they're soft and really nice. For exfoliation, we've ground up some Pale Two Row Malted Barley, and that's in there too.
This is now my favorite of our soaps, hands down. Yeah, it's part of our "Men's Line," but I'm not kidding. It's my favorite. Scented with just a touch of cedarwood essential oil, it smells like sweet grain, almost like baking bread, but without the yeast. Who doesn't like the smell of baking bread? Hands? Anyone? Yeah, didn't think so.
Check it out. It's a limited run, so you've got a limited time. Now, that doesn't mean we won't continue to have awesome beer soaps. It just means that our beer soaps will be seasonal! Each season, we'll use a different beer base. Neat, huh?
Why "Mashed In"?
Says Eric: "Mashing in" is the process in beer brewing where the grains and water (called liquor when brewing) are combined at a specific temperature to extract the sugars from the grain. In extracting the sugars, a sweet liquid called wort (pronounced "wert") is created, which is then fermented to produce beer. The process isn't so different from combining our ingredients at a specific temperature to create soap, so we thought "Mashed In" would be the perfect name for this unique soap.
Meanwhile, don't forget about that Shampoo-Naming Contest!
And it's pretty funny on my end, considering my "start" in drinking beer. I know most people won't believe me, but I honestly didn't drink alcohol until I was of legal age, which was the summer before my senior year of college. Even then, I didn't really drink much. I tried some beer at school parties. I think Coors Light was the popular one, so you can understand why I hated beer. Because I really despised beer, I drank only mixed drinks, and only one per semester. Seriously, at an after-finals party each semester of my senior year, I had one single daquiri.
It wasn't until my second semester, second year of law school (Did I mention I'm also a lawyer?) that I first liked a beer. After finals that night, my friends Lisa, Sheau-Wu and I went into the city looking for music, any music.
[Note: Being from NJ and going to Brooklyn Law School, any time I say "the city," you can assume I mean Manhattan.]
We found a guy on the corner in The Village, handing out flyers for the Mondo Cane Blues Bar.
[It was on Thompson Street, and sadly, is no longer there. It was my favorite place to go for a long time.]
Lisa, Sheau-Wu and I looked at each other and shrugged. Sounded good. The band playing that night was Slapmeat Johnson and the Titans. Yeah, I know, I know. But I became a huge blues fan that night, solely because of that band. They were phenomenal. I can't possibly convey here the talent that band had. I also discovered that I could like beer - an ice cold Budweiser. It just went with the atmosphere, you know?
I know what you're thinking. Bud? And she calls herself a beer snob? You're right, but keep reading.
I became friends with some people who were more knowledgeable about beers. They introduced me to non-American varieties, the kinds that most starving law students didn't bother with because they couldn't afford them. I discovered nut brown ales, honey brown ales, cream ales. By the time I went to Ireland in 1998, I found that my favorite beer ever was Caffrey's Irish Ale. Sadly, like the Mondo Cane, Caffrey's no longer exists. If you've ever tried Tetley's English Ale, it's close. I also later discovered the lovely American microwbrew.
What's the point of this all-too-long history?
Well, I became a beer snob. I also married a beer snob. In fact, he brews his own beer! Good stuff, too, I might add, very good stuff. He does a lot of research (and I mean reading, not just drinking, so quit smirking, people).
So when we decided to make our beer soap, ...
Wait. Did she just say beer soap?
As I was saying, when we decided to make our beer soap, we knew we had to use the good stuff. I now present Mashed In: Spring Seasonal.
This soap is made with the usual stuff, but with Sam Adams Noble Pils replacing the water! Oh yes, my friends, the very, very good (Really!) Sam spring seasonal is the liquid in this soap. Also in the soap is a bunch of crushed and fragrant hops. For those not in the know, hops are actually flowers, so they're soft and really nice. For exfoliation, we've ground up some Pale Two Row Malted Barley, and that's in there too.
This is now my favorite of our soaps, hands down. Yeah, it's part of our "Men's Line," but I'm not kidding. It's my favorite. Scented with just a touch of cedarwood essential oil, it smells like sweet grain, almost like baking bread, but without the yeast. Who doesn't like the smell of baking bread? Hands? Anyone? Yeah, didn't think so.
Check it out. It's a limited run, so you've got a limited time. Now, that doesn't mean we won't continue to have awesome beer soaps. It just means that our beer soaps will be seasonal! Each season, we'll use a different beer base. Neat, huh?
Why "Mashed In"?
Says Eric: "Mashing in" is the process in beer brewing where the grains and water (called liquor when brewing) are combined at a specific temperature to extract the sugars from the grain. In extracting the sugars, a sweet liquid called wort (pronounced "wert") is created, which is then fermented to produce beer. The process isn't so different from combining our ingredients at a specific temperature to create soap, so we thought "Mashed In" would be the perfect name for this unique soap.
Meanwhile, don't forget about that Shampoo-Naming Contest!
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