Side Project / Shared (2022)

No, it was written on the cooler at the brewery.

 

Egg nog vibes

 

SdF b6 bottled and labeled. #LetsGo

 

Is this where people fully submerged their bottle or something? I can tell you they weren't allowing that in Nov. '21 when I was there. It was all pretty controlled, including gloves, an apron, goggles, etc.

 

Close! The Slam Dunk was the term for submersing the entire neck and maybe 1/4 to 3/4 inch of the body instead of just the top of the bottle (ie the normal).

For years it was considered special when you’d find one in the wild. They were rarely done, but eagle-eyed bourbonites would keep an eye out for them. Surely they weren’t special beyond the look, but it seemed to make people feel like the juice was more special. Similarly, there’s a sort of “cult following” among bourbonites on SB that look for “Sara” SP bottles of Smooth Ambler. What exactly is a Sara bottle? It’s the name of one of the people labeling bottles that day, and their name is on the back. People will look and sometimes only buy if there is a Sara.

 

JFC.

 

On the topic of wax, I wish Side Project waxed more of their non-fruited saisons.

I love to see how age changes these bottles and the wax would add another layer of defense against oxidation. Saison du Fermier is a great example of something that would benefit from being waxed for those of us planning to cellar it. I know early Saison du Fermier & Merci were waxed, but later vintages did not get the wax treatment. Oude du Ble was not waxed, but then became waxed. Some CDC are waxed and some not. I know cost and time probably play a role so it doesn't make sense to wax every white label, etc. But I would put Saison du Fermier and some of the unblended/blended series up there with Oude Fermier, Tete de Cuvee, and Oude du Ble as beers that would be great to cellar and preserve with an extra layer of defense.

I have started putting electrical tape around the bottles I plan to sit on like pH1, Scribe, and Sunsets, but the tape treatment is not worthy of the caliber of beer.

Lambic is a great example of how a non-fruited beer can become something special 10-20 years later and the corks do a lot more to keep oxidation at bay in my experience. I'm sure there is a 5-page thread somewhere on this forum arguing about caps vs caps with wax vs corks vs cork and cage; please point me to it if there is evidence that a cap without wax is as good as the others. Until then, hoping for some waxed non-fruited saisons!!

 

You can buy your own wax and wax your own bottles. If you need a link, just let me know.

Anything that slows the influx of oxygen is going to be in your benefit. Taping the caps is sure to help vs. not. Wax (as long as you do it correctly and don't overheat the wax, which can sometimes loosen the cap) *should* prove a slightly better barrier. Among all the discussions over the years, I don't think I've ever seen anything definitive on wax vs. tape. However, there are some pretty interesting threads on temperature and how long you can leave beer outside before it freezes based on ABV, container and volume. Particularly relevant for trades this time of year.

 

i would take the caps with the nipple and no wax. i think those things work wonders.

i get most white labels aren’t going to be waxed as they make an almost yearly appearance but i also think that white label SdF does not fall into this category. hell, SdF pinot gets released more frequently than white label.

 

Curious about the cost of a waxing kit. If you have a link, that would be great. In all honesty, I probably won't pursue it because I already spend too much time on this hobby and the last thing I need my wife to see is me spending extra time waxing the bottles I didn't need to buy, but it may be helpful to others. Thanks!

100% agree, SdF is special. Along with SdF pinot I put it up there with Tete, Oude Fermier, and the Unblended saisons. That's why I started thinking about this because I don't remember the last couple SdF being waxed & SdF pinot was never waxed.

 

funny thing, for me anyways, is white label SdF isn’t even all that great without a year and a half to 2 years on it. then i can’t get enough of it.

 

*Remembers when SP said every beer aged for longer than a year was going to be waxed*

 

can’t you make this happen??

and make it six months of aging or more while you’re at it.

 

Every liquid will be waxed.



Even the water cups.

 

don’t forget the shared cans

 

You'd think these dudes would be exhausted looking for all this shit. And yet, here we are.

 

Fuzzy and Sea Ponies are up in the webshop.

 

This is the company that I have always purchased from.

https://etchedimages.com/services/bottle-dipping-wax/

I would buy the wax and the tape. You can buy the non-stick fryer for melting wax online for cheaper. I can point you in the right direction if their website isn't informative enough about anything. Wax will last a good bit, but you need more than you think of it, particularly due to the size of the melting pot. It doesn't "go bad," so there's no real harm in "over buying". I personally have 3 different colors of wax that I use for different reasons.

Pro-Tip: Buy decorative tags/twine on amazon to make your own neck tags to label the years. If you have all your bottles lying down (I feel like you posted a shot of your cellar once), you could also write the variety on the tag to make it easy to identify the bottle without having to pull it out. I use these on my whiskey bottles so that I don't have to ever worry about the laser code (assuming there is one) rubbing off and not knowing what year I have. Alternatively, you can use those tags to also identify when you opened the bottle to help yourself keep track so that you know when you might want to try to finish the bottle. If you want to do both, write the year/distinguishing features on the "front", and the date opened on the "back".

The black tags look very attractive with information using metallic sharpies. If you buy the mix pack, you can use copper/silver/gold for different "echelons" of bottles. Not that I'd do something like that myself or anything...

 

Too late to edit: If you're going to "invest" in this (it's not exactly cost prohibitive, but it is a nuisance), you rally should invest in the non-stick fryer for melting. It not only melts the wax efficiently, but keeps it from getting too-hot (if you follow guidance), and it keeps it at the optimal temperature. The first time I did this about 6 years ago, I went the ghetto route of melting it in my oven with a pyrex dish. I'm a bit of a miser sometimes, and it just felt unnecessary to buy the pot.

Well...that was silly, and a waste of time. Don't make that mistake.

 

Shared Fra-Gee-Lay

Our Holiday Parfait! We took Parfait - Blend of Barrel Aged and Oak Aged Imperial Stouts - then finished this blend on Ghana Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Nutmeg, and Fresh Ground Cinnamon.

12.0% ABV - 5oz - $9