Four Beers and a Thought

[grasshopperfirestarter]

I will probably never try this but had a thought/question come to my mind tonight and wanted to ask you guys and girls (Yooper) a question.

If I opened whatever bottle of commercial Ale (room temperature) I had and pour extra sugar or fermentables in the bottle and recapped, leaving it at room temperature, would it boost the ABV, (and maybe thin) the commercial beer?

My guess says it would

Just a thought...

 

[Qhrumphf]

Many commercial beers are filtered and/or pasteurized. In which case, no, it wouldn't.

If it's a bottle conditioned beer, then in theory, yes. However that yeast has probably been through a bunch, may or may not be viable or healthy, and if it were to work and you were to recap it, bottle bombs may ensue.

Point being, I don't think it's a good plan.

 

[Captain Damage]

Qhrumphf +1

It is possible to "harvest" and cultivate yeast from a bottle conditioned beer. But be aware that many breweries will bottle condition with a strain other than the strain used for primary fermentation. This is especially common with hefeweizens.