Can I fix carbonation or is it too late?

[omazing]

Hello guys,
I recently bottled a batch and it’s been carbonating for 3 weeks. When I tried it, it was undercarbonated. I went back to my notes and I realized I used half the sugar amount needed for carbonation per bottle. Can I fix this? Can I open all the bottles and add a bit more sugar and close them again? Or is it too late?

 

[Maxkling]

Hello guys,
I recently bottled a batch and it’s been carbonating for 3 weeks. When I tried it, it was undercarbonated. I went back to my notes and I realized I used half the sugar amount needed for carbonation per bottle. Can I fix this? Can I open all the bottles and add a bit more sugar and close them again? Or is it too late?

It’s worth a shot. Maybe try a few and if it works and they taste good then do the rest.

 

[bleme]

You can do as described. If it was me, I'd just pretend they were British beers though, or at least a British spin on whatever style they are.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

I agree with bleme.

When you open the bottle you will release the pressure already built up, and will have to try to calc for that loss or still be under carbed . Add too much and you are over carbed and risk gushers or bottle bombs.

Either way you are inevitably introducing additional O2 and that will affect your beer as well. How much depends on how much O2, and your ability to perceive those changes.

 

[Yooper]

Also, adding sugar to a partially carbed beer would make hundreds of nucleation points, causing a volcano. What may work is dissolving the carbonation sugar in a tiny amount of water, and then dosing with a small syringe. You could uncap, dose, recap, super fast I guess. Still, it may be just better to drink them under carbed if they are palatable that way.