Adding carbonated beer to primary.

I had posted this phot in another thread, but I wanted to see if anyone else has ever done this. I was doing a weak experimental batch(long unneccesary story) and mid way through primary fermentation I decided to add a very BIG bottle conditioned and aged beer to the batch.


Has anyone ever done anything like this? Are there any concerns with adding alcohol and unfermentables this way? I am not concerned about contamination(despite the Hop residue on the carboy, lol. What is in it is clean)

So I take it you're one of the advocates of using the blue plastic water carboys as fermenters?

If you haven't already, the next time the topic comes up, you'll have to relate your experiences, to add to all the opinions of those who haven't tried it but think it's a bad idea.

Depending on the mix ratio, I'd be worried about shocking the yeast with the addition. If they suddenly find themselves swimming in alcohol, they might decide to call it a day and your fermentation will stop.

Funkenjaeger said:

So I take it you're one of the advocates of using the blue plastic water carboys as fermenters?

If you haven't already, the next time the topic comes up, you'll have to relate your experiences, to add to all the opinions of those who haven't tried it but think it's a bad idea.

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Oh, I've chimed in. It is all I use and I have had no problems. The Imperial Stout that I poured in there was brewed in the same bottle 10 months before. 8 months or so in the bottle and they still taste great!

A huge piece of glass around my kids sounds like a suicidal idea to me lol.

To each their own.

The fermentation actually kicked back into high gear. I remember now that my "Irish Ale" yeast was too comatose in that 12% abv monster to bottle carb. I did a test bottle and then krausened(sort of) to carb the others.
My point being that there were almost certainly some fermentables left in the brew. The carboy is now almost black, that was 1 hearty beer I added.

Randy Thiel is way ahead of you son.

Glibbidy said:

Randy Thiel is way ahead of you son.

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Right on.......interesting link.

So there should be no real risk of anything bad from the extra Co2 or alcohol. That is what I figure anyways.