Re-fermenting An Ordinary Beer

[barto1308]

I attempted to make a coffee porter a little while back that turned out to be quite disappointing. My efficiency was terrible due to an ordinary crush on my part (using a food processor) and the beer came out weak and thin tasting - nowhere near what I was trying for. Can I recycle this brew? Can I put it back in the pot, boil it up, add some more fermentables and try to make something good out of it?
Or should I just pour it down the sink...?

 

[BjornJ]

Hi,
no idea what the result would be if rebrewing with it, but would it be easier to mix it with something else?
Brew something else use this beer to give say an APA a bit of colour and more "complex" flavours.
That way you open two bottles at the same time and have to drink faster so they don;t go flat

Bjorn

 

[manticle]

It's already fermented out so there's not much point trying to reboil and referment.

However you can ferment another beer that's skewed the way you want and blend it with this beer.

Is it in bottles or keg or fermenter at the moment? If it's in bottles you'll need to make super sure you avoid oxidation when you blend. That's true in all circumstances post ferment - it's just that in a bottle is a bit harder to ensure.

 

[felten]

I don't think you can blend away a bad beer, if it tastes bad it will stay bad, no point mixing it into a decent beer and possibly ruining it.

 

[manticle]

Depends on what makes it bad. If it's too bitter, too sweet, unbalanced etc then yes you can.

If it's infected with an unsalveagable infection then maybe don't bother.

 

[barto1308]

Depends on what makes it bad. If it's too bitter, too sweet, unbalanced etc then yes you can.

If it's infected with an unsalveagable infection then maybe don't bother.

Its not bad - i.e, no off tastes or infections - its just not particularly good. I have drank 6 tallies of it, so it is passable, it is just too thin. .. The brew was always a bit of experimentation with a few bits and pieces, and was my first attempt at using both lactose and rolled oats in a brew.
Just had a brain storm. Maybe I could try and give it the EIS treatment. Perhaps by removing some of the water from the brew, I can 'distill' it down to a more suitable gravity. I think it could be a very nice beer if it was only heavier.

It is bottled in tallies (about 20 left) so pouring it back into a container and avoiding oxidation is going to be difficult. I think using a funnel and some tubing to put it on the bottom of the fermenter to avoid splashing will be the best bet.

wish me luck...

 

[argon]

If you have the capacity then go for the "Eising" I've done it before and it brings out a really rich flavour. Not sure how you'll do it if they're all bottled though. Like manticle says, it will be difficult to avoid oxidation.

 

[waggastew]

Could you possibly use the fermented beer as the 'water' to dilute out a can of goo? Not sure what your ABV is of the original beer but if it could take another 3-4% you could chuck in a can of something light (lager) and pitch some yeast. Its a $15 experiment worth trying!