Fermented Too Quickly?

So I'm on my first batch ever. And I am using an ingredient kit that is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Everything went relatively smoothly. Then I got to the fermentation and it lasted about 3 days before I started to get concerned. The kreusen disappeared and the bubbling had been done for 1.5 days. I had forgotten to take an OG reading and so I took a reading. It was at the FG reading that was suggested on the recipe.

Did my fermentation just finish quickly or did it go bad? I talked to some other brewing buddies and they suggested going ahead with the dry hop. So I did. I decided to dry hop for 4 days and bottling should begin on Saturday or Sunday.

What do you all think?

WSURaider41 said:

So I'm on my first batch ever. And I am using an ingredient kit that is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Everything went relatively smoothly. Then I got to the fermentation and it lasted about 3 days before I started to get concerned. The kreusen disappeared and the bubbling had been done for 1.5 days. I had forgotten to take an OG reading and so I took a reading. It was at the FG reading that was suggested on the recipe.

Did my fermentation just finish quickly or did it go bad? I talked to some other brewing buddies and they suggested going ahead with the dry hop. So I did. I decided to dry hop for 4 days and bottling should begin on Saturday or Sunday.

What do you all think?

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Well, three days seems about right if you have an active fermentation. However, that doesn't mean it's done or even close to ready to dryhop or bottle.

After the active fermentation is over, the yeast are still busy working. After the easily digested sugars are gone, they go back and actually eat some of their own waste products (like diacetyl). After that, they fall out to the bottom of the fermenter, leaving clearer beer.

I usually dryhop about 7 days before I package the beer, so I'll leave the beer in the fermenter for 2-3 weeks until it's finished and clear, and then dryhop for a week and then bottle or keg.

Bottling a beer that is less than about 3 weeks old isn't a great idea, even if it's reached it's expected FG.

The bulk of fermentation is done! This is what happens when you pitch a proper amount of healthy yeast.

I'd leave it in the fermenter for about 2 weeks total before you bottle to make sure the yeast have finished and have had time to clean up some of the byproducts of fermentation, but it sounds like you have a good batch going there.

Ok, so I should not plan to bottle for at least another week. Sounds like a plan. That will give me time to collect up some more bottles.