Fermetation question - Is this normal?

gnets99 · 06-25-2007, 06:15 PM

First off, this is really more or less just for piece of mind, but...

Friday night I brewed a California Common. Pitched the yeast (dry yeast starter) at about 9:30 pm and sealed the fermenter. Checked it on Sat. morning and the airlock was bubbling at a pretty good pace. Checked it again late Sunday afternoon and there was no activity from the airlock. I took a gravity reading and it was at 1.016 (my OG was 1.054). I know the gravity is within a couple points of my target OG. I've never heard of a beer completely fermenting out in less than three days!! I racked into a secondary today and plan on leaving it for a few more days.

I guess my question is: Has anyone ever heard of this happening before and since I'm a fairly impaitient person would it be okay to bottle this weekend?

Evan! · 06-25-2007, 06:23 PM

I've had beers go balls-to-tha-wall for 2 days, then promptly stop and be completely done. Others have take 2 weeks, and were still more that 0.01 from the target FG. You're A-ok.

You could conceivably bottle this weekend, but I'd wait. I've never bottled anything that wasn't at least 2.5 weeks post-pitching. But the real test is to take SG readings 2 or 3 days apart. If they remain unchanged, you're okay to bottle. But the other issue here is clarification and aging. Both of thos things are better done in carboy, altogether, than separately in bottles. The earlier you bottle, the more suspended yeast and other particulate matter is going to get into the bottle, which means you'll have to stop pouring the bottle earlier to avoid pouring the bottle trub into your glass. Seriously, I recommend waiting 2 weeks after fermentation is done so it can clarify.

Drunkensatyr · 06-25-2007, 06:25 PM

It happens a lot! You are fine and Congrats!

BrewDey · 06-25-2007, 06:32 PM

I'm a N00b myself, but you very could have had a very quick fermentation. I've had a few batches where the yeast just went crazy and then was apparently inactive after just a few days. The thing is that although the fermentation may be finished-there is still a lot that goes on. After fermentation is finished, the yeast suck up a lot of by-products and then fall out of suspension. This makes the beer clearer and taste better-this is pretty much the point of having a secondary-it's also the part that takes longer. My guess is that if you bottled after only a week total, the beer would taste pretty rough and you'd have tons of sediment. If you wait an extra week or two-a bunch of that yeast will fall out and leave you with a smoother beer.

One reason I like using a carboy for my primary-you get to see the whole show of a violent fermentation (swirling, explosions, massive gas release)->a cloudy, almost opaque beer with tons of particles in suspension->a clearer and clearer beer as the yeast falls out and the trub builds up.

gnets99 · 06-25-2007, 07:31 PM

Thanks guys!

Appreciate the info. Like I said, I transferred to a secondary (glass carboy). So, I guess since it's okay, I'll just have to learn some patience and let it settle out a little longer. I'll just start another batch to get my homebrew fix this weekend!!

malkore · 06-26-2007, 02:52 AM

yep, patience is often the lacking ingredient in homebrew