1 Week and really slowing down?

I started my first homebrew exactly a week ago today, and the fermentation lock has slowed to about 1 burp per minute already. Should I be concerned about this? I had not planned to rack to a secondary, but to simply let it go for two weeks in the primary, but if it is slowed to 1 bubble per minute should I wait another week before bottling? I have a few pictures that I could attach but I can't figure out how. I don't know what looks normal and what doesn’t, but what I notice is that there is a little foam on the top, very thin with brown bits suspended in it (it never got too active – the line were the top of the bubbles went to at its peek was only about 1.5 inches above the brew), and the bottom has a lot of sludge on it (seems to be about an inch). Does this brew sound normal for 1 week, and what should it look like just before I bottle it?

Thanks for the help.

RJM

Down to 1 bubble per minute after a week is perfectly normal...just give it another week as you planned then bottle it. RDWHAB.

El Pistolero said:

Down to 1 bubble per minute after a week is perfectly normal...just give it another week as you planned then bottle it. RDWHAB.

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My first brew was the same way. Insted of leaving it in the primary I transfered it to my secondary because I read it would clarify my beer. Do you think that was a good choice? I am planning on bottling this weekend. Too late now but for future reference.

Yeah you could bottle it in one week but it would be better to let it sit for two. Then it would follow the 1-2-3 style of one week in the primary two week in the secondary and three in the bottle. For most beers this will produce a great product.

mxracer846 said:

My first brew was the same way. Insted of leaving it in the primary I transfered it to my secondary because I read it would clarify my beer. Do you think that was a good choice? I am planning on bottling this weekend. Too late now but for future reference.

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Using a secondary is always better than not, IMHO, but in the original post rjm indicated that he wasn't planning on using one...and that's ok too.

It sounds like everything's going fine with your first batch. If you don't mind doing a bit of extra cleaning, letting the beer sit in the secondary for a few weeks is the way to go, but it's not necessary-I've made some pretty good beers without it.

But since it is your first batch, for simplicity's sake, I'd leave it in the primary for about another week, then bottle it. Whatever you end up doing, good luck and let us know how it turns out.