Beer not bubbling?!
Answers: Gday, I know that plenty of people have complained about a airlock not bubbling but it's been 2 and a half days since i began and when i try to lift up my fermenter the water runs inside the fermenter and goes uneven on one side. So far there's condensation, a scum thing and sediment but not sure what's quite going on, help would be appreciated, cheers.
If there is plenty of foam, you've had fermentation. Check by seeing how much the specific gravity has dropped. Adding more yeast won't do any harm, provided you don't also introduce contaminants but probably won't do any good, either.
When I see a quiet airlock, it's for one of three reasons:
1) Too cold [but you had foam]
2) Bad yeast [again, you had foam]
3) The fermenter wasn't sealed and the carbon dioxide escaped below the airlock. [Likely, for you]
Let your primary go for another week and a half. If you have gotten to the proper final gravity or near it, rack to the secondary. Chances are, your beer will be fine. If so, hoist one for me.
If there's condensation it could just be evaporated water. A scum line is generally indicative that foam occurred, but not necessarily. If you have a hydrometer, you can try taking a reading to see if the sugar content is decreasing over time (suggesting rising alcohol levels as the yeast metabolizes the sugars).
Your yeast is either slow or dead. What is the recommended temperature for your yeast? If you put the yeast in when it is too hot, you might have killed it. Similarly, if the wort is too cool, the yeast will take a very long time to get started. Try placing the brew in a warmer area to see if it gets started. If not, try throwing some new yeast in there.
It's not a good idea to lift or otherwise move your fermenter around once it's going. It's an exercise in patience. Give it a week, undisturbed, no matter what your airlock does or doesn't do.
The first question everybody is going to ask (and has) is about your specific gravity readings. You *did* take measurements when you started, right? That's the best measure of how your beer is progressing. Just remember, every time you move it around, stuff gets stirred up, the possibility of your seals being broken exists, and there are all kinds of chances to introduce contamination into your beer. The more you can avoid that, the better.
Another question: Are you using a glass carboy or transparent plastic bucket as your fermenter? Can you see through it and see what's happening inside? If you can, keep an eye out for the bits floating on top, inside, and what's settled to the bottom. Is it still churning or moving inside? If it is, then that's a sign that there's some action still happening and you needn't touch a thing. If it's dead still, then it might be worth while to take a specific gravity reading. Is it less than what it was when you started? If not, then there's a sign that the fermentation might be stuck. If it is less, then it's moving right along and you just need to remain patient for a week. If you never took any gravity readings, taste a small bit...is it still sweet? If it is, then there remain some fermentable sugars and it's not done. Is it really sweet, or just barely? Just barely would mean that it's going, but just not "there" yet. Really sweet would indicate that the fermentation is stuck.
If it's stuck, then you might consider both re-pitching the yeast and adding some yeast energizer (similar to nutrient, but slightly different variety of ingredients). You just have to be super careful and keep EVERYTHING that touches your beer sanitized.