Need some quick advice

Was preparing to bottle a German Alt today, so I dissolved my priming sugar in some water and warmed it slightly. Put the lid on the pot and put it in the fridge to cool. At this point I noticed a very strange buttered pop-corn smell coming from the sugar water. I then realized that SWMBO used the pot to make popcorn the other day, and the lid must not have been fully cleaned. The water had condensed onto the lid and I could see the oil that was left over.

So the advice I need to ask, do I risk using this to bottle with? Or should I pull out my back up priming sugar and use a new pot? There is definitely a taste of popcorn in the solution. Might be a dumb question, but do I risk it and use it or play it safe and use my back up?

no brainer. Corn sugar is cheap. Boil some more in a different pot.

If you ever question someting like this don't use it.

That's what I figured. More so was wondering if it could be saved since the Homebrew shop isn't close and running to get more corn sugar to replace the back up (needed for the beer in the primary right now) would be a pain. I guess I'll just have to come up with a reason to make the trip worthwhile.

Thanks!

Darned right you'll need to make that trip to the LHBS. When you're ready to bottle the beer in primary, it'll be time to buy the ingredients for the next batch!

I heard that! If its bottling time, its pretty much brewing time as well -keep the circle of beer unbroken!
Under no circumstances would I use that contaminated stuff to bottle with!! even a trace of the popcorn butter/oil would be a bad plan, unless you like some odd-flavored beer (may start a new trend -they have fruit-beers, why not popcorn beer? ).

Don't risk it. You'd be better off bottling with table sugar, as that little bit of sugar is not likely to affect the flavor much if at all.

I'd be concerned with the oils affecting the head, not to mention the flavor and aroma problems.

Thanks for all the advice! Remade the bottling solution and the beer is transferring from the secondary to the bottling bucket right now. Time to start planning the next batch!