Can I Fix Flat Beer?

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Aaron

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Hi

I have been reading here a while but this is my first post. I have had a bit of a look around the forum and done the mandatory searches on google but have been unable to find an answer to my question. So here goes.

I recently produced a fairly large ale OG1056. When bottling I tried using DME to prime for the first time rather than sugar. It would appear I got the amount of DME wrong.

The beer is way undercarbonated. The beer was tasted three weeks after bottling. My question: Is there anything I can do about it? Would opening the bottles throwing half a teaspoon of sugar and recapping work?

Any help appreciated. The beer tastes great and I would really like to save it. Anyone done this before?
 
I'm not 100% sure but I would think it might work by opening, adding sugar and recapping as the remaining yeast should be happy to "munch" on the sugar thus producing CO2.

Prob need to leave a while in the bottles though before re-opening.
 
Aaron,

Did a similar thing recently, stuffed up the sugar calculation and was about 40g short when bulk priming a Grumpy's English Toffee. I would NOT recommend putting dry sugar in, if provides a surface for any dissolved CO2 to come out of solution. Result, a big-quick foam over.

I did get get a good solution though with sugar dissolved in boiling water (as concentrated as I could get it) so that I added about 15ml of water to each water with about 3g/L sugar.

I made the assumption that I would lose a bit of CO2 when I opened the bottles as they had not been cooled. Turns out I didn't lose much at all which meant I very slightly over carbonated the beer as a result, but was at least able to get within that acceptable carbonation range. There is very little headspace left in the bottles (is this supposed to be problem?) which does not seem to have caused a major problem yet.

Others may be able to comment as to whether the beer should be fully carbonated within 3 weeks with DME (I just use basic sugar).

Best of luck,

Darryl
 
I reported the same problem a couple of days ago, and was advised by Jovial Monk to give the bottles a shake and leave them at 20c.

Hope that helps.
 
Hi Aaron,

How much DME did you use? Sometimes beers primed with DME take a little longer than sugar primed beers.

Leave them for another two weeks if you're confident you used enough DME. Chances are they're just taking longer to carbonate. Don't forget to leave them at about fermentation temps.

Warren -
 
dickTed said:
I reported the same problem a couple of days ago, and was advised by Jovial Monk to give the bottles a shake and leave them at 20c.

Hope that helps.
[post="50785"][/post]​

I would personally recommend against that.

Beer does not like agitation and high temperatures. If you're planning on storing this for any period of time, I would not be doing it.

If you're just looking for some quick beer to chug down though, go for it.
 
Hi Aaron,
I would just put it down to experience and store them away somewhere where its dark. They should end up carbonating but it will just take longer. Try one every couple of weeks. I have never primed with DME, i use dextrose. One thing I have noted is that I have been using less and less to prime with as my earlier batches were a bit fizzy for my taste.
I'm sure your ber will be fine. It will just take longer to carbonate.

cheers
johnno
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I will give it a few more weeks then try them again. If not good after say another four weeks I think I will head down the re-priming path.
 
When swapping between sugar, dextrose and DME for priming, bear in mind that they are not equal in the amount of carbonation they will provide.

To provide the same amount of carbonation as your sugar, up the dextrose by about 10% and up DME by 30%.
 
Kook, a bit of agitiation to get the yeast off the bottom of the bottle should not cause any harm, and the storage at 20C is just untill there is carbonation

JM
 
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