Bottled Beer Into Secondary??

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jsmay_

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Some thoughts and advice would be appreciated:
I brewed up a cream ale that just isn't doing it for me. Bottled for about 3 weeks now. The problem is a dark malt that is throwing the balance (don't ask).
Really don't want to waste all the time/effort/BEER, etc ... And I've been wanting to do a peach beer for the wife. I think this COULD be an acceptable base for such a beer.
SO, any thoughts on pouring all of this back into a secondary with peach purée, maybe a bit of sugar, and a bit of yeast?
 
I think the beer would be heavily oxidized pouring it out of bottles into the secondary. It happens that sometimes a brew doesn't come out the greatest. Even if you don't want to drink it, it may be a very good beer to cook with.
 
Aaaah- beer and brats with onions and 'kraut. Now we're talking.
Explain "oxidized": how (just from movement between vessels?), and why is that a problem? How will this affect interaction with the yeasts and sugars, and what would be the resulting flavors? Thanks!!
 
Adding air to a finished beer will give it the taste of wet cardboard within a week. It will only get worse from there.
 
Don't.

Those attempts to "fix" a beer always cause more problems than they fix. Just make notes or what you did last time, and do it differently next time. There are many more batches to come. Having a dud is okay every now and then. And FWIW, I ALWAYS learn more from my mistakes than I do from my triumphs.

If you really want to add something to it, do it at serving time (put a teaspoon of peach puree, etc. in a glass and pour one single beer into it.)

EDIT: And it's nearly impossible to transfer beer from capped bottles to a fermenter without oxidizing it.
 
Sometimes if I want to change up a beer, or in this case make a beer we don't like into something we might like, think of it as a base for different drink. Mix in fruit puree at serving time, or add lemonade to it, or blend it with another beer.
 
i did it once with a dubbel that never really carbed up after 4+ months...i think i only put 1/2 the amt of priming sugar that was needed. i bottled a 2.5 gallon batch right before it, might of been a brain fart. anyway this is what i did:
I popped the tops, slowly poured them back into the fermentor. (had it on an angle, no splashing to reduce any oxygen). i had some extract on hand so I boiled a 1/2 lb of sugar and 1/2 lb of LME then cooled, added it along with a packet of dry yeast, let it sit for 4-5 days to re-ferment. then bottled again. it worked.
oxygenation is a huge risk but in my case it was only 2 hours of my time and $4-5 worth of ingredients to try n fix it so i went for it.

i even let some age 6 months and never had a problem with it oxygenating. maybe b/c i refermented new sugars and the yeast ate up any oxygen that was there.
in your case the only bummer would be is if u brewed up another full batch and ruin that one too. but with my theory of adding new sugars for the yeast to eat and use up the oxygen, it might work. id throw in some sugars along with the fruit. whether its table sugar or extract.
Do what you think will work. its great learning experience.
 
i did it once with a dubbel that never really carbed up after 4+ months...i think i only put 1/2 the amt of priming sugar that was needed. i bottled a 2.5 gallon batch right before it, might of been a brain fart. anyway this is what i did:
I popped the tops, slowly poured them back into the fermentor. (had it on an angle, no splashing to reduce any oxygen). i had some extract on hand so I boiled a 1/2 lb of sugar and 1/2 lb of LME then cooled, added it along with a packet of dry yeast, let it sit for 4-5 days to re-ferment. then bottled again. it worked.

If I were you, I'd use 5l minikeg + partytap+co2 to fix that beer on the fly. Of course if there the only no carb was a problem.
Starting over just to get co2 into it is a bit overkill to me.

Cheers!
:mug:
 
I think I'm going to use a growler to try this on a very small scale. The beers aren't "undrinkable" by any means, so I guess I COULD make things worse.... Thanks all- great feedback.
 
the only time i'm all for fixing a beer is if it hasn't been bottled yet. at that point i would seriously take the advice on the ones who say to just add something to the glass. i've had **** beers that i even just add lemon juice to and it makes them bearable and sometimes even pleasant.
 
I'd let your beer sit. Three weeks in the bottle is not that long. Crack one open every week or two and take notes. The yeast might just clean up the characteristic of the beer you currently don't like.
 
Second that. Three weeks is nothing. 5-6 weeks is the sweet spot for a lot of my beers.
 
I'd let your beer sit. Three weeks in the bottle is not that long. Crack one open every week or two and take notes. The yeast might just clean up the characteristic of the beer you currently don't like.

Where do you let them sit? cellar temp or fridge?
 
Where do you let them sit? cellar temp or fridge?

Room temperature is the best, about 70° to 75°F. I chill my beers for at least three days for carbonation and taste testing. The three days allows the CO2 to be forced into solution. The amount of CO2 in the beer versus carbonation pressure in the head space will affect taste.
 
Glad I make 3 gallon batches. If something turns into
swill I only have 30+/- bottles to choke through.

All the Best,
D. White
 
As it turns out, everyone's really enjoyed this beer. I probably had a skewed perspective having brewed it with one thing it mind. Had a couple last night with a lemon wedge in the bottle like a corona- pretty refreshing.
A primary lesson I'm learning as a newbie- "Relax and have a homebrew."
 
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