BEER MEETS THE BATH

What’s the next best thing to drinking a cold beer? How about showering with one of the Beer So aps from Handbrewed Soaps? The Oakland, California, company combines its owners’ passions for beer brewing and soapmaking to create a fun product for any suds lover in your life. Beer that would otherwise be wasted during keg transfer and tap-line clearing is used in the soaps, along with spent grain and hops, which are added as texture to aid in exfoliation. The soaps are available in varieties such as Black and Tan, French Ale and Oatmeal Stout, but don’t worry—you won’t smell like a brewery after using them. The “beer smell” and alcohol both disappear during the soapmaking process, but the esters produced by ingredients in the beer, like banana (Bavarian Hefeweizen), clove/bubble gum (Belgian Saison) and chocolate (Chocolate Stout) do contribute to the scent of the soap. Find the bars ($7.25) locally at Market Earth in downtown Fort Myers (239-226-0006, marketearth.net).