bottled too early

So I have been helping a friend get into brewing. We brewed a batch and I left it with him to ferment. I told him it would be best to buy a hydrometer so he would know when it was ready to bottle. He didn't. He asked me after 4 weeks if it was ready to bottle and I told him probably but without a hydrometer there was no way to be sure. He bottled and its been two weeks. He opened one to try and it is very sweet. I know he didn't let it finish fermenting or it stalled or something. My question is what can he do about this. He basically has bottle bombs I think if he leaves them in the bottle. Has anyone ever heard of dumping them back in a fermenter to finish? Or is this beer going to the drain?

If the beer is sweet, it is just as likely that the beer is not done carbonating and has sweetness from the priming sugar.

How long has it been in bottles?

It could be that it's too sweet because it is underbittered, and not unfinished. Can you take an SG and see what it is?

Sorry 2 weeks. Personally, given 4 weeks primary, I bet it was done at bottling. Probably just needs more time to carbonate.

It was carbonated at two weeks already I hope it is just sweetness from priming sugar but it was way more sweet than any primed beer I have ever tasted. I know it isn't under bittered because I have made this exact beer before.

I don't think priming sugar would add that much sweetness.

So the question still remains. Has anyone tried to "referment" after bottling?

verbhertz said:

I don't think priming sugar would add that much sweetness.

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I have had taste change pretty drastically as a result of priming sugar. From sweet to well balanced - even after bottle conditioning long enough to form a head.

For the OP, IMO I would not try to referment the beer.