Fixing Bottled Beer

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Coffeebro

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Okay, Ive read around the forum and I know that yeast on the bottom of the bottle is the way to go. BUT! I screwed up my last two batches of beer. Right before I bottled my batches I ran my wort through a mess hops sock thingy to get the floaties out. What I didn't think about is that I filtered out the yeast in the process. Now after 2 1/2 weeks my beer isnt conditioning right. Its still flat. I need some ideas to fix them.

  1. Open bottles and add a pinch of yeast?
  2. Poor all beer back into a fermentor and add yeast?
  3. Leave alone for a few more weeks?

I cant Keg either.

Help!!!
 
Yeast are microscopic- they'd go right through a hops sock. If the beer isn't carbonated, it's NOT from that. It could be flat due to a colder storage temperature or inadequate priming sugar added- but it's not from straining.

You may have oxidized the beer badly, though. Oxidation is a big risk when trying to filter finished beer without a closed system and co2.
 
if they've been stored at 70° for at least 3 weeks, you could try rousing the yeast.

turn them upside down and let them sit for 3 days. turn back right side up for another 3 days. refrigerate for a week.

worked great on my Belgian blonde that didn't want to carb
 
So adding a granule of yeast to the bottles and recapping wont work?

probably not worth the trouble and the risk outweighs the benefit.

sometimes you just gotta admit defeat and move on. the bright side is that you get to drink your mistakes. sometimes they're still tasty mistakes

I would first rouse the yeast, like I suggested in #5. do it to six or so, and maybe at the same time add yeast and recap another 6

after 2 weeks, do the rest however way worked out best.

or raise the white flag
 
Your yeast is fine, you can't filter it out with a hops bag. Sometimes my beers take 3 weeks to carb and 4-5 to carb to perfection. If you used the right amount of priming sugar, chances are you're golden Ponyboy.
 
They are pretty tasty even when flat, so not too much of a fail. Thanks for your help guys. Ill let you know how it comes out in another week or two.
 
If you added the correct amount of priming sugar, and if you are storing the beer at warm enough temps (70 degrees is ideal), the beer WILL carb. Give it time.

3 weeks at 70 degrees is the baseline you see repeated here over and over again. Some beers carb quicker, but some will take longer. Higher gravity beers or those stored cooler can take longer.

If it's not carbed at 2.5 weeks? Wait another week. If not carbed then? Wait another week.

It WILL carb. Don't do anything silly like open bottles, add yeast, add even more sugar (unless you didn't do the sugar right to start with), pour bottles out, etc. Just be patient.
 
Okay, here is an update. The beer that is flat is a Black Lager. One week after I brewed the black lager I brewed a Doppel Bock. With both beers I filtered the beer through a hops sock prior to bottling. I just cracked open my first Doppel Bock and it had the BEST head of any brew I had put together yet. Honestly, its the best beer that I have ever made, and up there in the ranks of the best beer Ive ever tasted.

That being said, you guys were right. My problem wasnt the filtering but the priming sugar. I think I was too light with the sugar for the Black Lager.

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Coffeebro said:
Okay, here is an update. The beer that is flat is a Black Lager. One week after I brewed the black lager I brewed a Doppel Bock. With both beers I filtered the beer through a hops sock prior to bottling. I just cracked open my first Doppel Bock and it had the BEST head of any brew I had put together yet. Honestly, its the best beer that I have ever made, and up there in the ranks of the best beer Ive ever tasted.

That being said, you guys were right. My problem wasnt the filtering but the priming sugar. I think I was too light with the sugar for the Black Lager.

That is a fine looking brew, dude! Black as night and 4" of snow on the mountain. Wow, I'll take one please!
 
Now I am thirsty. My doppelbock still has a month of secondary left. It should be delicious for my end of May b-day.

As for the other beer, you could pop the tops and add sugar tabs, available at most LHBS. Maybe add 2 per bottle.

But only add tabs if it's uncarb'd after several more weeks. Likely it'll carb up fine with time.
 
Thank guys, but I drank it all. ;) It is really rich and creamy tasting and I only had it fermenting for 4 weeks. Here is the recipe if you are interested.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/36748/doppelganger-bock

Let me know if the link doesnt work.

Cyclman, I'm going to give it another 2 weeks and try another one. It has a bit of carbonation, but not that much. Crossing my fingers. If by then it isn't progressing further then Ill add some sugar.
 

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