Bottling (and corking) our Laissez-Faire Barleywine
Last year we bottled the first Laissez-Faire in 22oz bombers and dipped each bottle in gold wax. They looked amazing. They were also impossible to open. This year we switched to 750mL Belgian-style bottles (note: 750mL = 25.4oz), complete with corks and cages:
Those corks were tough to get on with our dinky corker. I broke or over-inserted three before I got the hang of it. This year’s barleywine seems to be on par with last year’s in terms of taste. It still needs a few months more to mellow out, but all signs point to another winner. We haven’t labeled these suckers yet, but here’s what last year’s label looked like:
If you can’t read it, I’ll relay the quote for you. It seems especially relevant in today’s unsettling economic and political times. From Thomas Sowell:
The first lesson of economics is scarcity. There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson in politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
We should really try to launch this beer during an election year… But then we’d have to wait four years. Never mind.
Jonathan, Joel & Jeff
