Too Soon?

[AquaPuppy377]

Well, I started my second brew on Sunday (a red ale) and added my yeast (Wyeast) sunday night but I was a little tipsy from a party so I accidentally only put in the yeast part without puncturing the nutrients. The next morning I woke up and saw what I had done and I just pitched in the nutrients as well. Everything looks to be ok but after only 2-3 days my airlock is no longer bubbling. It seams a little early for that to happen...should I be worried?
-Also, I was planning to keep it in the primary fermentor since I do not have a secondary one nor do I have a siphon. Is that cool?
-Should I start bottling?

Thanks

 

[lgtg]

It's still fermenting. Bubbles from your airlock is only one idication of fermentation happening. Let it go for at least 7 complete days (ideally 10-14) before messing with it.....It sounds like all is going well.

Brew on!

 

[AquaPuppy377]

So is it cool to let it stay in the primary fermentor like this without doing a secondary?

Also, is it a good Idea to swoosh it around every now and then?

 

[Beerrific]

Doing a secondary is ideal. For my first brew I did not do a secondary and it came out OK (not undrinkable). If you plan on making much beer in the future you should go ahead and buy a secondary (carboy or even another bucket).

Try not to disturb it, you want things to settle out of the beer, swoshing it around will only stir this up.

 

[david_42]

If you leave it in the fermenter, wait about 3 weeks to bottle. Do not stir it up.

 

[BarleyWater]

Just wondering, how are you gonna bottle with no siphon?

You don't want to just pour the beer in the bottle (not sure how that would work), you at least want your siphon hose attached to the spigot in the bucket (if you have a spigot) to avoid any splashing that may occur durring bottling.

 

[AquaPuppy377]

Just wondering, how are you gonna bottle with no siphon?

You don't want to just pour the beer in the bottle (not sure how that would work), you at least want your siphon hose attached to the spigot in the bucket (if you have a spigot) to avoid any splashing that may occur durring bottling.

I have a tap at the bottom of the fermenter and a little bottler which i place in the tap and only poors once it hits the bottom of the bottle.

 

[BierMuncher]

I have a tap at the bottom of the fermenter and a little bottler which i place in the tap and only poors once it hits the bottom of the bottle.

That should be fine if the spigot is far enough off the mirky trub and sediment that is on the bottom of the bucket.

No way to see that though with a bucket. Only way to find out is to draw off a small bit into a clear glass (when you're ready to bottle) and see if it is clear (or mostly clear).

You definitely want to follow teh advice of David_42 and give it time to finish fermenting and rest.

Don't agitate it. It is doing what it needs to do. I'd go ahead and invest the $25-$30 for a secondary bottle and a siphon hose with a racking cane. Move that brew into a secondary and make room for your next batch....

 

[AquaPuppy377]

well check this out:
I just remembered that I have one of those 5gal water tubs that they put into the water coolers. I really like the way I can bottle using my primary fermentor so I was thinking that I could siphon the brew from the primary into the new tub, then clean and sanitize my primary fermentor, then finally siphon the brew back into the primary fermentor.
Would that work?

 

[AquaPuppy377]

can anyone answer that for me?

 

[rcbrew]

Don't see why not. Be certain that the tub is completely sanitized and that you keep any turbulance in transfering to a minimum. You do not to oxidize the beer.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I've bottled a few batches straight from the primary without issues. It helps to put a book or something under the spigot side during fermentation so that the fermenter tilts slightly. As long as the trub layer isn't really thick, it usually settles far enough away from the spigot to allow gunk-free bottling.