Dumb, dumb, dumb

[ghostofdavid]

So I joined this forum years ago. I brewed a few times, I got sick for a few years and now I'm better and I want to drink some beer that I made.

In between bottling a few beers and becoming ill, I have 2 carboys that have been sitting in our kitchen for the past 3 years (hoarders!).

One is a carboy full of EdWort's Apfelwein.

The second is an ESB that I made from extract from a kit I purchased online (I have no idea from where).

Both were bottled in glass carboys and have been sealed with the exception of the airlock on top. Is this stuff safe to try and salvage or should I just dump it and try it anew?

I don't see any mold, but I don't want to drink something invisible that will kill me either.

To answer some of your questions, this is not how I became ill to begin with. HA!

Glad to be back, fellas and ladies.

What prompted all of this? Two things. I was cleaning out our basement looking for Christmas decorations and I found my Mr. Beer kit that started my entrance into the Homebrew world. It is sitting in the kitchen soaking because I might make some more mini-batches of brew. Also, I have MOST of next week off and I'm feeling the itch again.

Thanks!

 

[beerman0001]

Are you going to bottle or keg. The beer will need some fresh yeast to carb up. And tast now if sucks throw away.

 

[ghostofdavid]

I was going to bottle it in bombers. Should I taste it by thieving a sample out? Wasting (potentially) good beer makes deities cry.

 

[unionrdr]

Take a small sample of each & give'em a smell/taste. That should tell you what you need to know. You'll likely have to add a little yeast for carbonation though.

 

[ghostofdavid]

How do you add a little yeast for carbonation? Is it like re-pitching it into the carboy after tasting?

 

[beerman0001]

How do you add a little yeast for carbonation? Is it like re-pitching it into the carboy after tasting?

It really does not matter how much you re pitch the amount of priming sugar is what determines the carb level.

 

[frazier]

You won't need near as much yeast as at the start - maybe half a pack of S-04, rehydrated, and mixed into the bottling bucket along with the priming sugar. For the ESB of course. If you want the apfelwein to be carbonated, do the same but with wine yeast.