Help! Have I stalled out?

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Garrian_Guitars

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I'm working on my first kit here, an Irish Red. Everything went very smoothly, thanks to you all and "how to brew" which I STUDIED!!! Everything went into the fermentor and I pitched my rehydrated yeast at 68 degrees wort temperature. I finished about 10pm and went to bed. I got up in the morning to a bubbling airlock! Success! I thought... All activity ceased after about 24 hours. I decided to let it sit and do its thing. It has been nearly a week so I decided to crack it open and take a hydro reading. 1.036... Yup, short fermentation and lots of sugars left I'd say...?

I did notice that while it was bubbling strongly, the stick-on thermometer read 74, a bit high. The house is a solid 68, so the exothermic reactions were significantly heating things up. Also, when I poured into the fermentor, I poured from a decent height and splashed as much as I could, but I wonder if it isn't aerated enough.

So... what do you think? I have an otherwise good looking batch sitting here! Would it be a good idea to aerate it a bit, shake things up? I can't believe I'd need to re-pitch, since the yeast seemed strong.

HELP!!!

TIA,

Garett
 
Fermentation can take quite a while to complete, and as a general rule you should let them ferment for 3 weeks or longer. Wait at least one more week and take another reading, and then wait one more week if it still isn't finished. Yeast are a fickle bunch...sometimes they take off like a rocket and finish fermentation in 48 hours spewing krausen everywhere, and other times they just poke along like a 90 year old gray hair driving a caddy.
 
If it's done any fermenting at all, you don't want to aerate. You could give it a few gentle swirls, other than that I would leave it alone for at least another week. I don't even think about checking the gravity until 10 days have passed, you're worrying way too early.
 
Read this before you do anything else...oh first relax...

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Think_evaluation_before_action/

More than likely fermentation is finished, has slowed, OR there's just not enough co2 offgassing to need to be released by the airlock. Becasue the airlock is just that, and valve to realease excess co2, NOT a fermentation gauge (or NOT an accurate one at any rate.) Either way just leave it alone for a couple weeks.

But read what I linked....and grab you hydrometer...you won't know what's going on until you use it.

:mug:
 
Thanks guys, that's kind of what I figured. I'm an engineer so I'm DEFINITELY over thinking! RDWHAHB Right?! I guess I'll have to settle for a commercial for another month, but soon enough I'll have my own. It looks and smells delicious, so no worries. Thinking back on things, I should have put it somewhere where I couldn't see it so my OCD didn't take over.
 
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