Safale US-04

I brewed up a 2.5 gallon batch of brown ale on July 5th and pitched an entire package of Safale US-04. The OG figuring in temperature correction was ~1.048. I pitched at a little too high of a temp, around 80*. When I checked on the carboy the next day it had about an inch of krausen and the airlock was bubbling away. The next day the krausen was gone and there were some yeast rafts floating around. I could tell there was still action going on because of the tiny bubbles escaping from the wort. Haven't taken another gravity reading on it, it's been sitting in primary for 2 weeks and I won't be bottling this for another week or two.

I know all fermentations are different, but is it normal for the krausen to show up after one day then disappear on day 2? The US-05 I used for my first brew had the krausen grow over a couple days and stayed like that for close to a week.

EDIT: The ambient temp for fermentation was around 65*F. I lost my liquid crystal thermometer strip somewhere before I could attach it to the carboy

04 is a fast fermenter, especially pitching at 80F I think your results are as expected. Hopefully you don't get too much fruity esters from the higher starting temps.

I agree Safale-04 can finish in very little time. It also clumps together like you experienced.

Thanks, if I do get some fruity esters maybe my wife will actually drink it. She's not a beer drinker so we're trying to find something she likes. Next attempt will be a stout since she's tried and doesn't mind Guinness.

Yeah 04 is super fast. Totally normal.

I am on my 3rd beer with 04 now and I just cant believe how fast the beer is finished and clear, as compared to 05 and notty .. I think I love this yeast ... and I dont have the best palate in the world, but it taste really pretty clean to me ... I fermenet at 66-68 ambiant

This is my favorite yeast. Quick, clean tasting, always available. I use it in all my SMaSH recipes.

I'm on my 2nd batch with 04. First was an 2.5 gal batch of amber ale. It reached terminal gravity in about 4 days. The 2nd, and currently fermenting, batch is a brown porter (5 gal). It's been in the fermentor 2 days now and the airlock has slowed down to almost no activity. I'm going to check it in another day or so to see what the gravity has fallen to.

This is eerily almost the same situation I am in. I brewed a 2.5 gal batch of brown ale with a similar OG and the same yeast. After a day it had a thick krausen and rapid activity, then the next no krausen, but still bubbling away. It is now the start of the third day and there is very little activity. I checked the gravity and it is at 1.025. Do I just wait for it to stop stalling? or what should i do?

The temp is 68-70.

Wait a week and check it again.