Fermentation too short?

I got home from work today and checked on my fermenter and was checking the airlock to see how much bubbling was taking place and it is dramatically slowed down from this morning where it was going crazy! This is only the second day of fermentation (well third if you count the day i actually did the boil and everything) so i'm not sure if that is ok or not. I'm sure it is. But would it hurt or help anything if i were to give the fermenter a good shake? You know, to stir the yeast up a little bit and make sure every bit of the wort gets good fermentation?

Wait at least 7 days before you start worrying. You had some airlock activity which means the yeast were active so just let them do their thing.

What yeast are you using and at what temp?

yeah, let 'er sit. if it WAS fermenting, then it's fine for a week and can sit up to a month without any worries. Some primary fermentations are finished within 24 hours, but it still needs time to condition.

Also, airlock activity is no absolute indication of fermentation. Rest assured, those yeasty beasties are still at work!

I'm using nottingham dry yeast and right now the stick on thermometer is showing 72. This morning it was up to 76. Last night i had it at 68.

It is normal for me. Most of my ales are winding down after 3 days in the primary. Let it sit and allow the yeasts to clean up after their fermentation party.

This is why we say RDWHAHB.
It is entirely possible that MOST of your ferment is finished. I have had ales finish in 3 days quite often. Leave it alone! Give it a big hug and tell it you'll see it on Saturday. Then you can rack if you want or just give it some encouraging words and tell it you'll be back in another week. Remember the 1-2-3 - 3-2-1 Deal? I got impatient and bottled an IPA after 6 days in the fermentor. Saved 3 gallons in secondary and bottled it 2 weeks later. It's worth the wait, but I'll not throw out the 6 day stuff either, There is a LOAD of junk in the bottle though.

So it would be ok to rack to secondary 7 days after boiling? And if so, should i start taking OG readings a few days before that to ensure that it is really finished?

mullimat said:

So it would be ok to rack to secondary 7 days after boiling? And if so, should i start taking OG readings a few days before that to ensure that it is really finished?

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more or less, yes. However there is NO RUSH to rack out of primary. 7 days is a MINIMUM time for primary, for ale yeast.

You're learning why airlock activity isn't a proper gauge for 'is it done'. Always use gravity readings, and patience.

What I am tastin in my gravity samples is after a couple or three days the yeast are done making alcohol. What the same yeast do in the next few days or couple weeks is turn hooch into beer. Let the yeast do their work, they are still on the clock.

Ok. So i will just let my beer's yeast infection clear up lol.