Stand Back, I'm Trying Science

After consulting with wiser heads on HomeBrewTalk, I've decided that the only thing to do is to try and add some more priming sugar to my flat beers--I don't want to pour out ten gallons of beer, but I don't want ten gallons of flat beer, either.

John Palmer says in How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time that if you're priming per bottle with corn sugar you should use a teaspoon of corn sugar per bottle.  I figure that the beers are at least partially carbonated, so I want to use less than a teaspoon.

After consulting with Melanie (the house scientist), I decided to go with five trials at three different concentrations: 1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp, and 1/8 tsp.  Unfortunately, the sugar gives the existing carbonation something to bind to, which means as soon as I add the sugar it foams over.  Ultimately I had to have Melanie add the sugar while I stood over the bottle with the capper ready to go.

Game plan now: give them about a week to carb up, then stick them in the fridge for a few days and test them...at least whichever ones don't blow up on me.