Cork and wax dipping

[dukesbb37]

Hi folks,

I had an idea I wanted to run by yall. I am going to brew a batch of gift beer, a really heavy stout (about 12%abv). I know its going to take a few months to condition, and I am looking at options.

I thought that a corked bottle Belgian bottle would be a nice touch, but I have heard that since the corks are technically oxygen permeable, it would hurt the beer, which leads me to my first question.

Has anyone conditioned with corks? Did you notice any effect on the beer?

Second question. Assuming that corks are going to let in o2, I was thinking about wax dipping them, to seal it a bit furhter. However, obviously i dont think I could use the cage, so if I corked the beer and wax dipped them right away, would the wax hold the cork in and serve as a cage while also sealing the bottle?

 

[dukesbb37]

Just came up with another option. Cork and cage the beer... wait a month for it to carbonate, then take the cage off, and dip in wax to seal and condition. That way i have a cage when most of the pressure is on the bottle and wax when there is less pressure. Thoughts?

 

[hopjunkie26]

Why not cap it and then wax dip it as opposed to corking it? I recently bottled my Barleywine and RIS and wanted to fancy them up for gifts. I looked into corking and all that jazz but decided to go with the cap and wax method (big driving factor here was that I didn't have a corker). Added a label and bam, fancy enough for me.

It takes a while to perfect (I have not perfected it quite yet) but looks pretty good. Here is a picture of how my first attempt went.

 

[richlong8020]

Just my thoughts. If you cork without a basket you will pop the cork. It's the reason the basket is there. It's not the pressure of initial carbing but the constant pressure of the carbing. Also if you cork, basket, and wax I think it would be really tough to open the beer.

I like either way tho... Cork and basket or cap and wax. I don't think the cork is that permeable to oxygen. If that was so no one would drink wine. If that is a really big problem you could always store them cork side down so the cork stays moist. Kinda like cellar aging.

Just my thoughts tho.

 

[Psylocide]

Have you thought about soaking them?

 

[UpstateMike]

Here's how they do it at Makers Mark.

 

[SnakeRidge]

Another vote for the cap, wax and lable look. I do my RIS that way every year. From what I've read, wax doesn't provide a lot of O2 protection anyways.

 

[hopjunkie26]

Agree with SnakeRidge here. I don't believe there is any benefit to waxing other than the look. But I think it looks pretty slick.

Word of warning, if you do wax dip, make sure you get the right consistency. Don't want it too thin or you will be dipping multiple times. The consistency is the hardest part, IMO.

 

[richlong8020]

There are tons of vids on YouTube on wax dipping. I believe one guy melts crayons and glue sticks in a 1 to 1 combo. Check it out.

 

[robotinc]

Wine corks may dry out as they arnt as compressed as the Belgian style corks. It is also why it's recommend you store wine on its side to keep it wet. If Belgian corks let O2 in then Belgian sours would turn into vinegar. Capping can potentially have a permissible seal, so the waxing can help.

Personally I think both look nice, but I prefer corks with cages, as I am bottling at a higher pressure, and like the pop when you open the cork. Either works though.

Finally my lhbs rents floor corkers, maybe yours does too.