Can this beer be saved?

[puttster]

I had brewed up two batches, 10 lbs of 2-row each, and after eight days in the fermenter decided to bottle them both. This was three hours ago and, as you will see, it was not a good time for decision making for me.

I added about 1-1/4 cup of sugar (way too much) to each batch and bottled them in one-liter soda bottles. But I only got 13 and 14 liters of beer, that's only 3.5 gallons (way to little).

How can I save this beer?

 

[Aristotelian]

Open the bottles and let them ferment out. Then reprime them with the correct amount. You can just add domino dots, 3 dots per 1 liter bottle.

 

[puttster]

Got it, unscrewed the caps and got fizz; some foamed out. I'm thinking I should put a batch back in the bottler and add 1-1/2 gal. of water to get back to the right strength.

 

[sabotenfighter]

If it isnt too late, don't put it back in the bottling bucket, youll likely do more harm than good.

 

[PADave]

Wow, that's like more than 3X the amount of sugar that you should have used. I wouldn't seal those bottles!

 

[Aristotelian]

Got it, unscrewed the caps and got fizz; some foamed out. I'm thinking I should put a batch back in the bottler and add 1-1/2 gal. of water to get back to the right strength.

Leave them very loosely capped to as to let C02 escape. Let them ferment out completely, it might take a week or two to be safe. When ready to bottle, give a gentle swirl so as to get rid of carbonation in the solution. Then reprime with the correct amount.

Don't dump back into the bottler because you will get oxygen in the beer.

This is salvageable but you will have to be patient.

 

[puttster]

Put it back in the fermenter along with 1 1/2 gal of water?

 

[dwhite60]

Pouring them back in the fermenter you're going to oxidize the heck out of it. Like someone else said, leave the lids loose and let them ferment out. You could then reprime each bottle individually with a carbonation drop, concentrated sugar syrup, or something.

If it was me, I figure it would take four to five days to ferment out completely. I need to burn off about 60 percent of the sugar I added. I'd let them go three days then tighten the caps up. I like to roll the dice sometimes.

If they are in one liter soda bottles it takes a LOT of pressure to burst them.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[kh54s10]

If it was me, I figure it would take four to five days to ferment out completely. I need to burn off about 60 percent of the sugar I added. I'd let them go three days then tighten the caps up. I like to roll the dice sometimes.

If they are in one liter soda bottles it takes a LOT of pressure to burst them.

All the Best,
D. White

Opening them when ready to drink could be quite an experience!

 

[dwhite60]

Opening them when ready to drink could be quite an experience!

I've over-carbed beer before. I've been known to vent bottles periodically too. First one I'll EASE the lid off, if it starts foaming over I'll put the lid back on and vent the remaining bottles. Eventually, they get there.

If it's done it's done. No need to stress over it, just work around it.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[kh54s10]

I've over-carbed beer before. I've been known to vent bottles periodically too. First one I'll EASE the lid off, if it starts foaming over I'll put the lid back on and vent the remaining bottles. Eventually, they get there.

If it's done it's done. No need to stress over it, just work around it.

All the Best,
D. White

One of my best beers was overcarbonated (I think). It was done fermenting (I think). I did use the proper amount of priming sugar. They were in 12 oz. bottles. I would open one and get the normal amount of pop when the cap came off, but it would then foam enough to fill a pint glass. I would hold the bottle at maybe 30 degrees to the glass and let the foam rise out of the bottle and go into the glass. It took a few minutes to pour the beer(foam) then a few more for the head to subside. After that the beer was great.

 

[dwhite60]

I'm just finishing up a saison that I don't think was quite done. Did NOT add too much sugar. Every one of them became a challenge to pour without over-foaming the glass. Some of these I did manage to vent to a tolerable level. Great beer though.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[puttster]

ok, I recapped the beer yesterday (soda bottles) and just now went out and unscrewed some caps and got a "psssst." It seemed a little weak but I'm not sure how strong the pressure should be one day after capping.

 

[puttster]

I gave it a week of two but the carbon dioxide never did build up enough to get a head on the poured beer. Not sure what the missing element was so into each liter bottle (using soda bottles) I poured in a teaspoon of table sugar (used a funnel) and a pinch of Fleischmann's active yeast. Tried it out after a few days and all is well!

Q. Instantly when I poured the sugar into the bottles they foamed up - a lot. I lost 10-20% of volume. Thoughts about what is going on?