Jump to content
Coopers Community

I forgot to add the brew enhancer!!!! It's been 4 days.


Daniel Taylor

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone,

So I recently made up a batch of Draught, while making it I kept feeling like I had forgot something, which I did.

Was cleaning the back room today and noticed a full unopened brew enhancer 2, I forgot to add it.

It's been 4 days, took the collar out yesterday. Can I still add? What happens if I don't add? Or is this one a lost cause?

Thanks in advance.

Dan.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor said:

Hello everyone,

So I recently made up a batch of Draught, while making it I kept feeling like I had forgot something, which I did.

Was cleaning the back room today and noticed a full unopened brew enhancer 2, I forgot to add it.

It's been 4 days, took the collar out yesterday. Can I still add? What happens if I don't add? Or is this one a lost cause?

Thanks in advance.

Dan.

chalk it to a brain dead moment and move on..

little to late after 4 days  to think of adding it in..

you have made beer, but wether you will enjoy it or not is another thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor said:

Hello everyone,

So I recently made up a batch of Draught, while making it I kept feeling like I had forgot something, which I did.

Was cleaning the back room today and noticed a full unopened brew enhancer 2, I forgot to add it.

It's been 4 days, took the collar out yesterday. Can I still add? What happens if I don't add? Or is this one a lost cause?

Thanks in advance.

Dan.

Not too much to add what the others already said.

Theoretically, you could add the BE, because the yeast just sees some extra goodies and will kick in again but you'd run a fair risk of infection. I'd cut my losses and leave it as it is. It'll be thin, low ABV and with no notably head whatsoever but it's still beer. I doubt it will be good beer though. Write it off as a stuff-up and move on to the next batch. We've all done some silly things here and there and we learn from it. I once wondered why my beer wasn't doing anything at all after a week. That's when I realised I hadn't added the yeast 🙂 

  • Like 2
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have done this once when I forgot to add the inverted sugar to a Belgian brew. It was only 2 or 3 days in from memory though so was still in the active fermentation phase. Brew came out the same as it had previously. 

I think you would be fine adding it if it was still at full krausen. My concern would be that as the original gravity was probably only around 1.020 ish that most of the sugars are already consumed so the yeast would have to get started again. This would definately be more chance of getting infected than if it was at full krausen. Would probably change the flavour somewhat too.

If it was me I'd chance it but the choice is entirely yours I guess.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, terminal2k said:

If it was me I'd be adding it in. Without it you'll have a very weak kids beer.

I am not sure its going to up the ABV %   as the yeast has already gone hard  and would be on the slowdown. i get there will be some yeast still have a swim around and might like a bit of munch on the BE2 enhancer but  will not really take full advantage

you will also be opening up with an infection and at worse  oxidization   from stirring in the BE2   or even if you dissolved the be2 in  in water and brought down to said fermentation  temp  you will still be splashing the  fermenting wort.   

i agree it will be a weak beer as you said with out it..  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wouldn't the yeast wake up again once provided additional sugars, kinda like pitching onto a yeast cake? And wouldn't the chance of infection would be similar to putting be2 into a brew initially? The only possible problem would be oxidation, but considering what I've read before where people have said that imperfect mixing of fermentables isn't a massive issue because the yeast will find a way to get to them, I'd just sprinkle the be2 in slowly and not mix it at all or a very small amount.

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, terminal2k said:

Wouldn't the yeast wake up again once provided additional sugars, kinda like pitching onto a yeast cake? And wouldn't the chance of infection would be similar to putting be2 into a brew initially? The only possible problem would be oxidation, but considering what I've read before where people have said that imperfect mixing of fermentables isn't a massive issue because the yeast will find a way to get to them, I'd just sprinkle the be2 in slowly and not mix it at all or a very small amount.

 

Thats my  only real concern is the oxidation caused by  adding in the BE2  and as well as infection increase..  personally i would cut the loss  and save for a new batch with the BE2  then having to muck around adding to find a sink pour come sampling day...    i would add fresh new yeat pack as Pale man said if was to add the be2....    after all the original poster has nothing to lose

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Popo said:

If you do add it and decide to mix it with water, make sure the water is boiled then cooled and you use a sanitised bowl and spoon to mix it.

 

Well the poor bloke should be well & truly confused by now !!

At the end of the day considering he forgot it & discovered it after 4 days he's got nothing to lose by adding it & as @Pale Man says chuck another yeast in as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, interceptor said:

I'd add it. And not add more yeast.

It will be fine, just be quick

Wouldn’t the new fermentation negate any oxydation issues?

Edited by RDT2
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not understand the problems that have been mentioned. Why would introducing more brew enhancer cause more opportunities for infection - when you start the brew you put in brew enhancer and that does not increase the infection potential, maybe opening the FV allows an increased chance but so does dry hopping when the FV is opened. If the brew enhancer was added, the yeast is not dead after completion of fermentation it is just sleeping, so why wouldn't the yeast just wake up and consume the new fermentables? If the brew enhancer is added correctly I do not see much oxidation happening. Sorry, I am probably stupid, but I do not see any problems adding the brew enhancer late.  As an example when you do secondary fermentation in a bottle you add more fermentables to sleeping yeast and that seems to go OK.

Edited by kmar92
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's very simple.

Do nothing you get a low ABV beer. About 2.5%

If you add it Yeast will chomp away and you end up with about 4.5%ABV.

It will take about 3 additional days to complete, simply because you added it late.

 

Oxidisation, I doubt it.  Its still bubbling a bit and producing CO. Will produce even more after you add the be2.

 

Infection, mmm. I'm not sure. I guess if you just dump it in, its more likely. But it should be a very clean product, being a food.  But if you mix it with boiling water should be ok. But your adding more water and that dilutes your beer, not good. 

 

If you want a heavy beer i would just dump it in. It's a punt

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Daniel Taylor said:

Hello everyone,

So I recently made up a batch of Draught, while making it I kept feeling like I had forgot something, which I did.

Was cleaning the back room today and noticed a full unopened brew enhancer 2, I forgot to add it.

It's been 4 days, took the collar out yesterday. Can I still add? What happens if I don't add? Or is this one a lost cause?

Thanks in advance.

Dan.

Hi Dan and welcome to the Forum.  My vote is to add the BE2.

  • No more chance of infection than dry hopping.
  • You could just sprinkle it in.
  • Or mix with a few hundred ml of boiled water.  You do not really even need to let it cool.  500ml of boiling water into 23 litres of wort at 20°C will increase the resulting temperature of the 23.5 litres to 21.7°C.  You might not even need 500ml to dissolve the 1kg of BE2.
  • The yeast will still get to it, just like when priming bottles with sugar.
  • If you do not add it, you will get a beer with pretty low ABV.
  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Hi Dan and welcome to the Forum.  My vote is to add the BE2.

  • No more chance of infection than dry hopping.
  • You could just sprinkle it in.
  • Or mix with a few hundred ml of boiled water.  You do not really even need to let it cool.  500ml of boiling water into 23 litres of wort at 20°C will increase the resulting temperature of the 23.5 litres to 21.7°C.  You might not even need 500ml to dissolve the 1kg of BE2.
  • The yeast will still get to it, just like when priming bottles with sugar.
  • If you do not add it, you will get a beer with pretty low ABV.

That is a very good point.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...