1st batch - fermented in 24 hrs?

Hi folks, I started brewing my first bucket of beer tuesday night and it seemed to have quite fermenting by wednesday night/thursday morning.

I made my wort from 3.3 lbs dark malt extract, boiled in 1 gallon of water- probably 3 quarts left after boiling. Mixed it in the fermenter with 1.5 gallons of boiled+cooled water. Re-hydrated, proofed, then pitched 7 grams of Coopers Ale yeast into the 3.5 gallon fermenter.

I am keeping my fermenter in a tub of water, started my insulating water at 75 degrees. My improvised blow-off tube leaked air, but the first day a good foam/krausen formed on the top of the beer. Wednesday night the insulating water got down to about 64 degrees, and the krausen was noticeably diminished. I reheated the water to 75 degrees this morning, but the krausen is gone now.

Could fermentation be complete after that period?

To sum up my concerns:
1) leaky airlock/blow-off tube,
2) drop in temperature,
3) disappearing krausen

Have I moved to the conditioning phase or should I expect the fermentation to start up again?

Its probably still working a little bit. The krausen might fall and your beer will still work a bit more until final gravity.

Let it finish up for about a week and check the gravity if you can.

Fermentation can happen that fast but its wise to give them time to clean up after themselves after the ferment.

The yeast is just laying back and having a cigarette after a short rabbit-style shag. Let them cuddle for a week before you do anything at all.

I've had batches ferment out fully (or within 2 or 3 gravity points) in one day before too. Don't rule that out.

Why are you heating the water to 75F? Mid-60s is good for ales but 75F is too high, although I agree, your ferment is probably done anyway.

GroovePuppy said:

Why are you heating the water to 75F?

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My understanding is that 65-75 was a good range for the yeast to ferment. I don't have a heater in the water and instead I am merely adding some hot water from time to time. So, I wanted the water at the upper end of the range, since it will cool down from that point before I add more hot water.

I take your point about that being a bit high for the fermentation.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

You, know, I don't see any mention in your post and noone else bringning it up...but you can't no anything really until you use your hydrometer...it's the only way you will know what's going on....I personally wouldn't take one for at least a week...but if you are concerned, rather than starting a thread...or speculating, use the only sure way of determining what is going on with your beer.

It's simply a poor brewing habit/practice, not to think of using it.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in.....

Yeah..so how dare you post a question...pfffft. j/k just poking fun at the last post. Wait a week more and do a hydro test.

done or not, as others have said, give it a week or more before even thinking about doing anything to your beer. The extra time will give it time to clean up and clear and age to perfection.

Araxi said:

Yeah..so how dare you post a question...pfffft. j/k just poking fun at the last post. Wait a week more and do a hydro test.

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Why you gotta hate??? I spend my days answering the same questions over and over and over...and they usually come down to the same basic premises...that's why I have spent hours writing those blogs as well.

AND if you hang around here for any length of time you will see the same questions on a daily basis...and answered by a handful of us.

But It's the truth...for some strange reason for new brewers using a hydrometer is the last thing that they think of doing?????? Like it's some scary monster...They will start threads like this, they will pitch yeast, heck some will even dump a batch of beer before thinking about using the one tool that will calm their fears and show them what's going on..

I never saind not to start this thread...BUT yeah, if he had used his hydrometer maybe he wouldn't have needed to ask the question.....he would have already known....or more importantly....not worried

AND that's why I posted what you picked on...so maybe he and other new brewers would realize that there's another option than worrying or thinking somethings wrong.


We can't answer his question, really, we're not in his brewery, we're not looking at his fermenter...we can only speculate what's going on under the lid....but his hydrometer CAN answer his question, and that's why I encouraged him to use it.

Your hydrometer, never brew beer without it.
You can get by without one, but why bother?
beer could ferment out in 24 hours easily in any almost any brewery.

Revvy is becomming more and more hardcore everyday and I love it!!!
Seriously, use the hydrometer, they don't throw it into those brew kits for show. Also, I have had two brews (most recent brown ale) have the "major" fermentation done within one day, but I still left it in the primary for four weeks. Guess what... my beer turned out crystal clear, and tasted great, plus, I checked my gravity after that first day and i was still 0.010 off my final gravity. Let that baby sit, you will thank yourself later.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

The yeast is just laying back and having a cigarette after a short rabbit-style shag. Let them cuddle for a week before you do anything at all.

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Yeah...crankin music drunk sounds about right.....

Thanks revvy (and others) for strongly recommending the hydrometer. Would you perhaps share why you would wait another week before checking the gravity?

NJames said:

Thanks revvy (and others) for strongly recommending the hydrometer. Would you perhaps share why you would wait another week before checking the gravity?

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It simply won't be fully finished yet, so there is no point taking that tiny chance of infection.

Geez revvy, don't get your panties in a wad! Araxi was just poking some good natured fun.

NJames you want to wait a week because most of the time, it takes about a week for fermentation to finish anyways. The more times you play with it, the more times you have to contaminate the beer. Plus you still have to wait about 3 weeks for it to carb in bottles anyways. I've had ferments that I knew were done within 12 hours, the krausen had fallen and everything and I still left it at least a week before checking it. don't add water to the primary, heated or not. All you're doing is just adding a risk of contamination from your tap water and also watering down the final brew. If you need to heat it up more put the fermenter next to a heat source. 75º is too high for most yeast strains anyways. It's better to keep it on the low side of the temp range than the high side.