Airlock bubbles for one day only?

Hi, everyone. I just started my first batch of homebrew a few days ago and already (of course) I'm concerned.

I did all the work last Tuesday afternoon and got it into the fermenter. On Wednesday, the airlock was showing bubbling, and I got all excited. It continued throughout the day.

This morning (Thursday), however, there's no sign of life in the airlock, and I'm pretty sure a single day is not enough to have gotten all the fermenting done. My concern is that it's been warm recently, and I've been keeping the fermenting bucket in a corner of a room in my apartment, so it hasn't gotten much light, but the thermometer on the side of the fermenter reads ~78-80 degrees.

Just moved it into a bottom cupboard in the kitchen, but I'm worried that perhaps the heat killed the yeast? Is that plausible and could I still salvage the batch by pitching more? Or is there something else at play, you think?

Thanks, everyone! I'm excited about beer brewing adventures ahead.

Andini said:

the thermometer on the side of the fermenter reads ~78-80 degrees.

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Yeast LOVE that temperature! At a high temperature like that, the yeast would go berserk and easily ferment out the beer overnight.

That temperature will certainly not kill yeast- in fact, they'll be incredibly active at the temperature. The reason the bubbling stopped is simply because fermentation is over.

The bad news is that those temperatures may make the yeast go crazy active, but it's a poor temperature for ales because of the weird off-flavors those crazy yeast create at such a high temperature.

Ideally, you'd have had the fermenter in a bucket of water and kept it no higher than 68 degrees during the most active period.

For now, just wait about a week or two and then bottle the beer. You can't really fix it now.

I would go to Target/Walmart and buy a cheap plastic tub...put your fermentor in it and submerse with water to level of your wort...add water bottles that have been frozen and this should get your fermentation temperature back in line.
I would agree that the majority of your vigorous fermentation is probably done, but if you cool your yeast back down they still will probably start working again...although at a slower rate!
So buy a bucket, fill with water and ice bottle, leave for 2-3 weeks total and bottle...beer should turn out ok!
Here is a link to a bucket I am talking about: http://www.target.com/Rope-Tub-Viol...Rank=target104545&frombrowse=0&qid=1308845373

That beer will still drink. I'd keep on keeping on and wait a week or two to check the gravity. When it's done keg/bottle it up and serve.