Can I Re-Ferment???

[Bowslayer]

Here's the deal, I got one of those do-it yourself kits, "Mr. Beer" for Christmas. My first batch of "Vienna lager" was absolutely wretched:dizzy:. I sanitized the heck out of everything, cooked up the wort and booster, added a cup of brown sugar for an extra kick, threw in the yeast and sealed it up. I put it in my basement and left it for about 9 days. I looked at it every now and then and I never niticed any bubbles or anything like i see in some of your guys's pics. Did it not ferment? That is what I'm thinking might have happened.
After the nine days, I bottled it with some sugar like the guide says to do, and let it sit for another 8 days. I chilled it, poured it and took a sip. Holy cow was that bad!:yikes:
Now my question is, can I pour it all back in the barrel and re-ferment it, or should I just call it a loss and pour it out? I'm thinking of just calling it a loss and trying over with something else, but I'm a little hesitant of ruining another batch.]
Thanks for any replies!

[Northbound]

Here's the deal, I got one of those do-it yourself kits, "Mr. Beer" for Christmas. My first batch of "Vienna lager" was absolutely wretched:dizzy:. I sanitized the heck out of everything, cooked up the wort and booster, added a cup of brown sugar for an extra kick, threw in the yeast and sealed it up. I put it in my basement and left it for about 9 days. I looked at it every now and then and I never niticed any bubbles or anything like i see in some of your guys's pics. Did it not ferment? That is what I'm thinking might have happened.
After the nine days, I bottled it with some sugar like the guide says to do, and let it sit for another 8 days. I chilled it, poured it and took a sip. Holy cow was that bad!:yikes:
Now my question is, can I pour it all back in the barrel and re-ferment it, or should I just call it a loss and pour it out? I'm thinking of just calling it a loss and trying over with something else, but I'm a little hesitant of ruining another batch.]
Thanks for any replies!

I do not believe you can re-ferment, it could be that the fermentation stuck and the yeast died off.

IMHO you’re going to have to write that one off, regardless of brewing system, eventually, it happens to everyone.

I know a home brewer in Gaylord who produces some tasty beers using a Mr Beer kit,I suggest you give it anothet try.

[Linda G.]

I'm certainly no expert, I know nothing about brewing, but I did an article on homebrewers a few weeks ago and I distinctly remember the brewer I interviewed saying that using city water, with all the chlorine and all the chemicals in it, is a really bad idea, and a guarantee of rotten beer.

I'll bet the chemicals in the water kill the yeast. It won't ferment at all if that's the case, right?

[Big K]

I wouldn't move so fast on giving up on that batch of brew. Some brews do not ferment as vigorously as others. Some will just burp through the air lock and not produce much if any krausen. Did you take a reading with your hydrometer before you started your fermentation? If not, you'll probably never know. If you did, you should be able to take another reading and see if there has been a change. Also, what temperature are you fermenting at? For a standard Ale, you want to be around 70 degrees.

If you're positive it didn't ferment, adding another package of yeast isn't going to hurt anything. Add the yeast, give it a good swirl, and reset the airlock. Good luck and don't give up, don't ever give up.

[Bowslayer]

Thanks for the responses! I do not have a hydrometer, it didn't come with the kit, so I have no way of telling densities and alcohol content. My guess is that my basement is too cold, I keep the furnace at 70, but the basement is of course colder. Maybe 62-65! I'm guessing way too cold to ferment.
The water I have is very clean well water. There is absolutely no rusty nasty taste to it at all. I also have a softener which gets rid of calcium and magnesium and whatever else. So I don't think bad water is the problem. Should I use some sort of bottled water next time?
I think I'm gonna wait til my head cold dies down so I can taste again, throw another bottle in the fridge and try it again. It's been sittin for about a month. And then I'll make the executive decision on disposal or reclamation. Whatever I do, don't worry Big K, I will not quit, I will never quit!:) Thanks again

[Big K]

You know what...I screwed up. I didn't realize that you stated that you had bottled the whole batch. My bad. Northbound is correct, once bottled I believe you've gone as far as you can go with that batch. Sorry. Obviously I'm no expert. :rolleyes:

[Bowslayer]

OK, thanks Big K, I'll just start up another batch then. This time I'll leave it upstairs in my bedroom or someplace a little bit warmer. I really want to make this beer thing work. I love beer, and it would be great to make some of my own to be proud of and enjoy.

[Northbound]

Don’t toss the first batch out unless you need the bottles, you never know a month of extra conditioning could make a difference.

Let us know how the second batch turns out.

[Big K]

Don’t toss the first batch out unless you need the bottles, you never know a month of extra conditioning could make a difference.

Let us know how the second batch turns out.

Sorry Jeff...I didn't mean to over step my bounds earlier. I'll do my best to refrain from letting my fingers type faster than I can read from now on. :lol:

[Northbound]

Sorry Jeff...I didn't mean to over step my bounds earlier. I'll do my best to refrain from letting my fingers type faster than I can read from now on. :lol:

No worries, you didn't over step any bounds. I'm glad your encouraging Bowslayer.

Later I began to wonder about the yeast Mr Beer included in the kit, if in fact it was a lager yeast the beer would take longer to condition; a lager is a tough place to start. The beer could easily develop off flavors without maintaining a steady temperature, usually below 48 degrees, perhaps he should let it sit longer, time would tell.

Anyway, I may have been a bit hasty in telling him to write it off.