Waxed bottles with a pull tab...

One option for opening those wax bottles without any risk of injury:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/YOpeners#

Works damn well and is a great story

 

So wax AND a picture on the label of what true, factory sealed and intact wax should work! That dude stiffed out on a College Football bowl BIF I was in but after seeing his handy work, I was actually GLAD to not get any beer from him! That debacle did make for one heck of a good yarn in the bad trader posts though.

 

Most waxed bottles are easy to open that way, but some are so over-waxed that you can't get an opener on the cap

 

Some claim that waxed bottles help to avoid oxidation when aging beer, especially when aging in an environment with large temperature fluctuations which can cause the cap to contract and expand allowing more air into the bottle over time. There are also those who store their beer in humid conditions and they preffer the wax because it keeps their caps from rusting.

I have seen examples of people who have compared the same beer waxed and unwaxed after a period of time and they noticed a difference in quality where the waxed bottle is better than the unwaxed. Whether this is a placebo I am not sure. I have also seen experiments where there is no perceived difference between the waxed and unwaxed. Unfortunately there are so many variables it can be hard to chalk this down as being scientifically accurate.

Personally, I wax beers that I am aging because I enjoy doing it, because I think it looks cool, and lastly because I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

Oh for sure, the effort that went into that screwjob was incomparable.

 

The tab beats without a tab, but I just wish they wouldn't wax it in the first place.

 

Nah, that's a widely held misconception. Oxygen permeates a beer through the metal cap, not through the "seal." That's why the underside of a cap has a rubberized oxygen barrier. Wax further slows oxygen intake by adding a second barrier on top of the cap. You'd think someone would develop a cap that is rubberized or otherwise better to eliminate the need for waxing. But, waxing also looks cool so maybe there's no need :-)

 

Widmer does it

 

Second recommendation here for Yopeners. I have 2 different ones and have since bought 6 more to give as gifts and trade extras.

 

Makers Mark.

 

marketing ... trade value ...

 

Some people say waxed bottles are stupid...they are correct. But it is fun to pay extra for dressed up bottles.

 

Love the tab on the wax idea. It makes my Babybel much easier to open and enjoy!

 

The underside of the cap is not metal because a gasket is needed to achieve a seal. A metal cap only would not be sufficient. I can't tell if this post is full of sarcasm or if there is actually a measurable difference in how much oxygen would permeate this type of material vs metal. Where did you learn this?

 

Terrapin is the worst

 

Makers Mark for the win. They figured out the pull tab long ago.

 

I'll just wait for my WhaleSlayer to arrive and continue to use my Benchmade* in the mean time.

*WARNING: Do not use a sharp knife to cut wax if you're already a few beers in.

Booker's has a pull tab as well. I wonder why waxed bourbon has this but beer doesn't... Even Blanton's is semi-waxed and they give you a pull tab thing.