How bad is this ?

[jerzeedevil13]

So my first batch ... after 10 days in primary the gravity was unchanged for the last 3 days at 1.010 and I was getting impatient so I bottled.
How bad is it that I sucked on the siphon to get it started ? I guess only time will tell but I read "after the fact" that you should not do this as it tends to spoil your beer due to germs from your mouth.
It tasted decent when I took a small sample, hope I didnt F it up...

 

[boo boo]

Time will tell how much you might have contaminated your batch.
There are so many different ways to start a siphon without resorting to sucking on the end of the hose itself.
Next time try another way to do it.

In the mean time with any luck, you'll have those beer drank before they start to go off.

 

[jerzeedevil13]

Starting OG was 1.060 and it was 1.010 the last 3 days, not necessarily a sign it's done fermenting ? The kit actually said ferment 7-10 days

 

[Mirage]

You should just let it sit in the fermenter for 3 weeks. That will give it plenty of time to finish and also let the yeast clean up after themselves. This will result in better beer as well. In regards to sucking on the hose, practice starting it with water or sanitizer. It will help to eliminate reasons as to why your beer may have ended up less than desirable (if indeed it does).

 

[boo boo]

As you get the brewing process down, you'll learn to ignore the instructions that come with kits. Beer isn't brewed on any rigid timetable. Beer has its own timetable.

Usually when a brew is stable 3 days in a row, it's finished fermenting. I normally let it go another 2 weeks after to let it condition on the yeast cake before bottling.

 

[android]

there should be plenty of alcohol in that beer to offset any ill effects from sucking to start the siphon, but still, don't do that because you never know. do yourself a favor and get an autosiphon, great piece of equipment.

 

[david_42]

In the mean time with any luck, you'll have those beer drank before they start to go off.

If you're like most first time brewers, you have almost zero chance of them lasting that long.

 

[CampfireBrewingCo]

I did this on my first brew as well. I couldn't get the siphon to start and ended up sucking on it to start it. That was about 3 weeks ago and I'm glad to say that my beer is delicious! No infection or off tastes or anything. I did however go back to my LHBS the next day and buy an autosiphon. Best purchase so far! Everyone should have one of these. I fought with my siphon that came with my kit for about 25-30 minutes with no luck before I sucked on it and got it going. With the autosiphon, just a couple quick pumps and it was up and running. Priceless.

 

[HSB]

I've sucked to siphon with no ill effect. However, that's anecdotal and certainly not an endorsement.

Autosiphon is a great suggestion. I usually just fill the crane and tubing with water and let it flow.

 

[BrokenDog]

I did this with my first batch b/c I didn't practice the proper way to do it until it was too late, I did however gargle with some Jim Beam and the beer came out w/o any ill effects. My second batch I was able to get the the siphon started w/ water on my first try.

 

[elkdog]

+1 to your beer being fine, and a great big "we all understand" about that first batch being impossible to let condition for 3 weeks before bottling.

If the gravity was the same for three days, it was done fermenting and ok to bottle (no bottle bombs), but as others have said, some conditioning time is always good for future brews. It will condition in bottles, but not as fast as in a fermenter.

Another +1 for the autosiphon. It's one of the absolute best pieces of brewing equipment you can buy, and cheap as well. I brewed for a while before I bought one, and tried multiple different ways to start a siphon. An autosiphon is clean, easy, and easy to restart if it stops for some reason. Also, with the 1/2" one that I bought, it gets the job done faster.

 

[bullinachinashop]

I did this with my first batch b/c I didn't practice the proper way to do it until it was too late, I did however gargle with some Jim Beam and the beer came out w/o any ill effects. My second batch I was able to get the the siphon started w/ water on my first try.

Did you rinse with JB anyway? Sounds like a sure addition to a brew day!

Bull

 

[jerzeedevil13]

If you're like most first time brewers, you have almost zero chance of them lasting that long.

Haha, I was thinking the same thing.
I actually just picked up another fermenting bucket in anticipation of the brew going going gone issue.

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[BrokenDog]

Did you rinse with JB anyway? Sounds like a sure addition to a brew day!

Bull

You know, I really should have b/c it's always good to be consistent to get consistent results.