First Brew Problem with Fermentation

Hello. I became hooked on home brewing after a friend gave me a few of his home brewed beers. I ran out and got a equipment kit and a kit to make "American micro style pale ale". Brewing the beer was great fun but I ran into a problem. The day after brewing I came home and found the beer to be fermenting nicely, about a bubble every 4 seconds. I was super pumped and life was good. The next day I came home and the Bubbles had stopped completely. Its day 4 and there has not been any bubbles since that second day. Here are several factors that I can see may have effected my batch.

-The kit I used had dry yeast and I did not rehydrate it, simply added it dry and stirred for a bit.
- Despite my best efforts My setup is always to hot. I get it down to about 74 when I can but when Im at work it almost always goes up to about 79 ( I have heard this will make it taste fruity but would not ruin the beer)..

An interesting fact is that my next door neighbor bought the same equipment kit and bought a some kind of really dark beer ingredient kit from the same company. We brewed our beer on the same day and are having the same problems/ His beer is closer to a constant 70 degrees because he has a basement but his beer also stopped bubbling after one day of fermenting as well.

Is my beer ruined or is there any hope of salvaging my first batch. Any help would be extremely beneficial. Thanks.

I wouldn't think that your beer is ruined but you will need to find a way to control fermentation temps. It should be 70 or lower for a good result. Your brew may have fermented real quick due to the high temps but leave it for a good 7-10 days. Check the gravity with a hydrometer before moving it off the yeast.

What was the brand of yeast?

Try shaking the fermenter or stirring up the wort to aerate the yeast.
If that still doesn't activate things, check the gravity.

One way to keep the fermenter cool is place a fan in front of it. You can also place the fermenter in a larger bucket filled with water, and place a towel over it, with an end dipped in the water, acting as a wick.

I've never used dry yeast, so I can't tell you too much about that. I don't think that the temp had too much to do with it, though.

Ya I'm still on my first brew, so keep tat in mind. But I'm using a cooler filled with water (added a lil bleach to the water for good measure). Really helps keep the temp stable. If it needs to be cooler, add a frozen water bottle to it.

I have to be honest the exact name of the yeast is alluding me but it came in a small yellow sealed bag. Im going to buy a large tub and add some ice and water and then Ill set my fermenting bucket in the tub to keep the temps down. I do not have a secondary fermenter and I was going to try to do without it but given my odd fermentation situation do you think its worth my while to get a glass secondary fermentor and transfer my beer into it after 7-8 days?

You say the bubbles have stopped. That can mean any number of things; the lid could be loose, the airlock could be loose, yadda yadda yah. Or it could mean that fermentation is finished. Yes, it can happen that fast. Or it could mean that your yeast pooped out, though I'm inclined to dismiss that.

If you're really, really worried, use the hydrometer that should have come with your equipment kit and take a gravity reading. Then wait and take one tomorrow. And again the next day. When you get three like readings in a row - and don't forget to drink the sample! - fermentation has ceased.

Leave the yeast to their work, however, for at least seven days. They know what they're doing!

Cheers,

Bob

Yellow pack of yeast was probably Munton's. It does ferment really quick especially when it is warm. I would leave it alone to finish and clear. I don't secondary anymore. I wait at least three weeks and bottle.

I've had beers ferment fully within 36 hours of pitching the yeast.

No airlock bubbles on day 4 sounds perfectly normal to me. You are worrying...and that breaks rule number 1: Relax...don't worry...and have a homebrew.