Recarbonate Flat Home Brew Beer

Recarbonate Flat Home Brew Beer

Learn how to restore the fizz to flat home brew beer using a CO2 cartridge or a natural fermentation method with brewer's sugar and yeast.

Drinking a glass of stale, flat beer is utterly distasteful. All the fizz that can quench anyone's thirst is gone, leaving you with that bitter, malty flavor. If you have a lot of leftover beer at home, do not throw it away. There is a way to make all that magical fizz come back. Here's how you can recarbonate your home brew beer.

1. The first thing you need to do when you want to make your beer fizzy again is to get the necessary tool to recreate that effervescent effect you have been looking for. You need to get a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) cartridge that is specifically designed for beer kegs, beer barrels, and the like. You can easily purchase this by ordering it online (just Google "Carbon Dioxide cartridge" and take your pick from the results that come up), or you can just go to the nearest mall, DIY shop, or your local hardware store and buy it yourself. It is important that you tell the salesperson about the type of cartridge you need. If you are unsure, just tell them that you will need it for recarbonating your beer at home. While you are out buying supplies, it would not hurt to buy a beer keg or a beer barrel if you do not have one at home.
2. As soon as you have acquired the Carbon Dioxide cartridge, get your beer and pour it into a barrel or keg. You will see a valve on the lid. Attach the Carbon Dioxide cartridge to the valve on the keg and gently but firmly release the charge. The cartridge will spread the gas evenly in the container, so make sure it is tightly closed and that there are no leaks whatsoever during this procedure. It would be advisable to also check your beer container for any possible openings that may cause leaks, outflows, and the like. Wait for an hour to an hour and a half to allow the gas to fully set in the liquid.
3. However, if you do not want to use a cartridge, there is another method. You can do a manual procedure, but it will take longer to get that fizz back. First, you need to prepare distilled water, a cup of brewer's sugar, and a package of brewing yeast. You can get all of these at a grocery store or in specialty shops. Carefully transfer the flat beer into a clean, sterilized glass container (about five gallons).
4. Mix the brewer's sugar, water, and brewing yeast. Add the mixture to the flat beer. Attach an airlock to the lid of the bottle. This will ferment the liquid again. Bubbles will start to form as soon as you combine the mixture with the liquid. When the bubbles cease, that means it is fully fermented. This will take about eight to ten days.
5. Transfer the newly fermented beer to a clean, sterilized bottle. Tightly seal it and store it in a dark, dry, and cool area for another ten days. In less than two weeks, your once flat beer will be sparkling again.

Just follow these steps and you will surely get that carbonated beer you've always wanted. Good luck!