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Post by Megary on Dec 28, 2022 10:43:41 GMT -6
Anyone ever? My initial thought is that it's more for aesthetics than O2 protection. "Look how smart these bottles look!" Now, I certainly have nothing against a little swagger in the brewhouse of course, but I question whether this offers any more protection to oxygen ingress as compared to the cap only. I ask because I will be brewing an Imperial Stout this weekend and if I was ever going to wax seal the bottle caps, this would be the beer to do it with. Seems easy enough to apply the wax and I'm thinking it might be more of a project getting the wax off.  Some filament paper as a pull-tab might be a good idea. Thoughts? |
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Post by Ken on Dec 28, 2022 14:16:42 GMT -6
Never tried it but I see the wax available in supply houses and online. Some results from the Google Machine:
Other results were quite a bit older (2014-2015) saying that not enough research has been done. Some said a properly capped bottle is O2-tight which I think we can all agree is not right. Many results said that cleaning the wax off the bottle afterwards is the drawback of even trying it.
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Post by denny on Dec 29, 2022 14:09:10 GMT -6
Anyone ever? My initial thought is that it's more for aesthetics than O2 protection. "Look how smart these bottles look!" Now, I certainly have nothing against a little swagger in the brewhouse of course, but I question whether this offers any more protection to oxygen ingress as compared to the cap only. I ask because I will be brewing an Imperial Stout this weekend and if I was ever going to wax seal the bottle caps, this would be the beer to do it with. Seems easy enough to apply the wax and I'm thinking it might be more of a project getting the wax off. Some filament paper as a pull-tab might be a good idea. Thoughts? AFAIK, it's for aesthetics. That's what I've been told by a couple breweries.
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Post by Ken on Dec 30, 2022 8:48:14 GMT -6
Anyone ever? My initial thought is that it's more for aesthetics than O2 protection. "Look how smart these bottles look!" Now, I certainly have nothing against a little swagger in the brewhouse of course, but I question whether this offers any more protection to oxygen ingress as compared to the cap only. I ask because I will be brewing an Imperial Stout this weekend and if I was ever going to wax seal the bottle caps, this would be the beer to do it with. Seems easy enough to apply the wax and I'm thinking it might be more of a project getting the wax off. Some filament paper as a pull-tab might be a good idea. Thoughts? AFAIK, it's for aesthetics. That's what I've been told by a couple breweries.
That's my take. The wax is there to tell you that this beer costs more.  |
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Post by Megary on Dec 30, 2022 9:22:10 GMT -6
That was my initial thought...just for aesthetics. Maybe I'll wax a few bombers just to try it. Then I'll give them away to make it appear that the brewer has a bit more skill and brewing "chops" than he actually does.  And I won't have to worry about getting the wax off the bottle later on. |
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Post by shaggaroo on Dec 30, 2022 10:44:32 GMT -6
That was my initial thought...just for aesthetics. Maybe I'll wax a few bombers just to try it. Then I'll give them away to make it appear that the brewer has a bit more skill and brewing "chops" than he actually does. And I won't have to worry about getting the wax off the bottle later on. Do the experiment. Two bottles: one waxed, one not. Open them a year from now and see if it made a difference?? |
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Post by Megary on Dec 30, 2022 10:55:17 GMT -6
That was my initial thought...just for aesthetics. Maybe I'll wax a few bombers just to try it. Then I'll give them away to make it appear that the brewer has a bit more skill and brewing "chops" than he actually does. And I won't have to worry about getting the wax off the bottle later on. Do the experiment. Two bottles: one waxed, one not. Open them a year from now and see if it made a difference?? Not a bad idea. I think I'll do just that. |
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Post by Ken on Dec 30, 2022 12:10:12 GMT -6
Yeah, that's a great idea. I remember someone on the LO board doing a test. They took some bottled kolsch and put three bottles in the fridge and then put three bottles in a keg, pressurized the keg and put the keg in the fridge. I suppose the point was that the bottles inside the keg would be exposed to NO or LESS oxygen. I think he left them for three months. He opened one bottle of each and the bottles that were just in the fridge were noticeably darker and he said the flavor seemed scrubbed out. The bottles in the keg had a more pale color and the beer tasted fresher. I applaud people who try these things so the rest of us can at least hear about it. I don't know if the experiment was conducted properly or if any other variables apply but it's an interesting thing to hear as a brewer.
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Post by Megary on Jan 1, 2023 14:15:00 GMT -6
Well I got the Imperial Stout brewed, so I need to get the wax purchased. I’m wondering, in a beer like this, if a little oxidation might not be a bad thing. I may very well not have an answer to this “waxing bottle caps” question for a few years. Stay tuned. 1.114. ![]()  |
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Post by Ken on Jan 2, 2023 9:58:51 GMT -6
Oooh. Is it flammable? |
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Post by Megary on Jan 2, 2023 11:08:03 GMT -6
Oooh. Is it flammable? Not yet! I took a sample taste and the the thickness/mouthfeel was something I’ve never tasted before. You could practically feel the sugar on your tongue. Currently, the yeast is moving along at a furious pace. |
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Post by Megary on Feb 6, 2023 9:47:42 GMT -6
Bottled them 2 weeks ago, just got around to the wax yesterday. I used a little Velcro strip for a pull-tab to access the cap. Pretty simple process to get the wax on - but I doubt I'll bother trying to un-wax these bottles after they are poured. Can't see that being worth the trouble.   |
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Post by Ken on Feb 6, 2023 10:44:36 GMT -6
That's very cool. Just heat the wax in a pot/pan, wait for it to melt and then dip? Cool.
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Post by Megary on Feb 6, 2023 11:41:44 GMT -6
That's very cool. Just heat the wax in a pot/pan, wait for it to melt and then dip? Cool. Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Heat, then dip, then spin the bottle to catch the drips. Done. Very easy to do. Maybe 45-50 minutes in all...35-40 to heat the wax, 10 to dip the bottles. I won't be removing the wax or reusing these bottles (not to mention I'll probably give a few away), so if I do this again, I'll make sure to acquire these bomber bottles on the cheap. |
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Post by Ken on Feb 6, 2023 11:48:47 GMT -6
That's very cool. Just heat the wax in a pot/pan, wait for it to melt and then dip? Cool. Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Heat, then dip, then spin the bottle to catch the drips. Done. Very easy to do. Maybe 45-50 minutes in all...35-40 to heat the wax, 10 to dip the bottles. I won't be removing the wax or reusing these bottles (not to mention I'll probably give a few away), so if I do this again, I'll make sure to acquire these bomber bottles on the cheap. How did the pot respond to the wax? Easy to get the wax off the pot when you were done? I don't bottle so maybe I'll just drizzle wax over the top of a keg. I kid, I kid!! |
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Some filament paper as a pull-tab might be a good idea.
