repriming bottles.

[Diggerg]

Is this possible? I primed my Czech pilsner with one coopers carbonation drop per 500ml. Looks like this wasn't enough really. Is it possible that the gas that was created and then absorbed by moving it to the cold can be added too by opening the bottles and adding another drop. It's been bottled a month. There is a small amount of yeast in the bottom of the bottles so would this work?

 

[Diggerg]

Anyone?

 

[NickW]

Hi mate,

It would work, the yeast would eat the sugar no problem.

The only problem you may face is gushing beer as soon as you add the sugar..
I've never done this before so I can't help much more than that :thumb:

 

[Bernie]

I did it once with a Coopers Canadian Blond. I can't work out if it was moving to the cellar to early, poor cap quality or not enough priming sugar. I uncapped added more sugar then recapped. I noticed that as I added the sugar it started foaming (as crE said) and thought that it must have been carbonated enough but the secondary fermentation hadn't completed as the yeast is a normal ale yeast it could have been too cold for it.
It did carbonate up a bit more but not as much as I wanted.
If you haven't done already, before repriming raise the temperature slightly.

 

[Cononthebarber]

Yeah I think I would try moving the bottles into the warm first for another week or so then try a bottle and see what carbonation is like. If still no good then you could try adding another drop then?

 

[paulywalks]

I've re-carbonated bottles before and found it best to do it whilst the beer is cold. Found it gushes more when at room temperature. Works no problem providing you stay clean and dont give the beer a chance to gush, i.e. dont drop the carbonation drops in from height

 

[Diggerg]

Thanks for the replies. They were sat in the warm for 2 weeks in my kitchen first before moving them outside.

 

[calumscott]

I haven't done this but I'm told that the best way to do it is to make a syrup of a known concentration and add a set amount. As it's a liquid you aren't giving any nucleation points for the existing dissolved gas so you don't get such a fobb.

 

[Bernie]

I'm no expert but bringing the Pilsner up to around 20 °C for a couple of days may also be beneficial as a diacetyl rest

 

[chrig]

I used honey in some sparkling wine which was not quite fizzy enough in a few bottles, it didn't fizz over like the first time I tried with sugar.. It worked but the sediment is very loose in these bottles.

 

[supercooper]

How many bottles have you opened? Sometimes the odd bottle doesn't prime. If you add too much, you may end up with an uncontrollable fizzy bottle that just pours as fizz.
Try another bottle from a different part of the batch