First attempt. Blonde Ale question.

I'm currently brewing my first batch of beer and chose a blonde ale. I checked the SG before adding the yeast and it was right at 1.050, right where it wa supposed to be according to the instructions. The temperaure of my house is 77 but the thermometer on the fermenter reads 75. It was 77 when I added the yeast - Safale US 05. The fermentation started within 12 hours and was very active for about 24 hours, then not so active for the next 24 hours, and now not active at all for the last 24 hours. Could it have fermented too fast because the temperature may have been too warm or is the quick fermentation normal. Should I still leave it for a week in primary before moving it to secondary or should I move it sooner?

I'd leave it in primary for the duration... I'm bottling my dirty blonde ale this Sunday, which has been in primary since 4/18... So almost 5 weeks on the yeast before bottling it up... I used Wyeast 1335 for my batch, since I like what it brings to the brews.

I would advise leaving the brew in primary until you've confirmed a FG (two matching SG readings spaced 2-3 days apart) and it TASTES right/ready. Until you have both parameters, leave it where it is.

I've not used any dry yeast for my brews, so I don't have any experience with US 05... Best thing you can do for your brew is be patient. If you're itching to brew another batch before this one is in bottles, get a couple more primary fermenters.

BTW, I don't ferment in buckets. I've done 4+ weeks in PET carboys with great results. I've also gone longer in SS fermenters (kegs currently) with excellent results. These days, I'm fermenting in sanke kegs exclusively. Actually just ordered up a pair of 25L kegs to use for batches with fresh yeast, or with more top cropping yeast. IMO, SS is simply the best thing to ferment in... Kegs have a small footprint, are easy to transport, and do a great job.

Yeah, leave it be for awhile. Check it in a week as Golddiggie mentioned. That'll give you concrete evidence of fermentation or lack of.

Give the yeasties a chance. They are pretty damn good at this. They have been doing it for thousands of years.

axwilson18 said:

I'm currently brewing my first batch of beer and chose a blonde ale. I checked the SG before adding the yeast and it was right at 1.050, right where it wa supposed to be according to the instructions. The temperaure of my house is 77 but the thermometer on the fermenter reads 75. It was 77 when I added the yeast - Safale US 05. The fermentation started within 12 hours and was very active for about 24 hours, then not so active for the next 24 hours, and now not active at all for the last 24 hours. Could it have fermented too fast because the temperature may have been too warm or is the quick fermentation normal. Should I still leave it for a week in primary before moving it to secondary or should I move it sooner?

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Safale US 05 is known for rapid fermentation in the first few day, then very slow fermentation afterwords....so my advice to you on all Ales (dry or liquid yeast) is to leave it in your primary for a minimum of three weeks...2 weeks for fermentation and 1 week for conditioning. Secondaries are not necessary on most beers, so skip that step.
As for your temps, keep in mind that your thermometer is about 5 degrees less than the internal temp of your wort...so when your thermometer reads 75, it's really close to 80 in a bucket.

75/77 house temperature is too high for that yeast. You might have gotten away with a water bath, but with no heat sink, the wort temp was going up to somewhere around 80 to 85 F. Be prepared for lots of phenolic flavors from the yeast and fusel alcohols (possibly could give you nasty hangovers).

I've had beers almost finish in 24 hours.

Please leave it alone for 2 weeks. The yeast may clean up some of the fusel alcohols.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll leave it for at least a couple of more weeks in primary. From what I'm reading there's no need for secondary, correct?

Nope. Unless you're ageing on fruit or oak they really aren't necessary.

axwilson18 said:

Thanks for all the advice. I'll leave it for at least a couple of more weeks in primary. From what I'm reading there's no need for secondary, correct?

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Lol. Here we go again. To answer your question, no there is no need for a secondary when you will only be leaving it in the primary for less then 2 months. Secondarys are great for long aging time like 6 months plus, for dry hopping or adding fruit. Some people differ on secondary as to when to get it off of the yeast cake. The general consensus is your are good for ATLEAST 2 months.

Your fermentation is probably done but leave it in the primary for a couple more weeks to clean up.

77 is way too high a temp for that yeast. You should shoot for mid 60'a. Search for Swamp cooler threads to give a good idea on how to keep the temp down.

I use US-05 a lot and it is great yeast for IPA's or any brew that does not need a specific yeast for flavor. I like to ferment it in the mid 60s.

Everyone has there own ideas about "secondary". I use a bright tank after three weeks with all my beers.

In my opinion it is a great way to further clear the beer before I bottle or keg. That way you can rack off of the turb and let it settle again before going to packaging. You will be amazed at how pretty the beer is after a couple of weeks especially if you use irish moss or other clearing agent.

With my blonde that I keep on hand I leave it in the bright tank (5 gallon glass carboy) two weeks then keg.

I would leave yours in the primary for at least a month since you fermented it so hot. I have played with US-05 quit a bit and I like to use it at no more than 65F. We did one in my garage last spring at around 80F just to see what would happen. After a month it had a very strong alcohol taste. We dumped it into a carboy and left it for two months. It smoothed out a ton, I would not say it went completly away but we drank it.
One thing that helped was drinking it very cold.

axwilson18 said:

Thanks for all the advice. I'll leave it for at least a couple of more weeks in primary. From what I'm reading there's no need for secondary, correct?

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You are correct...as a new brewer I would strongly discourage you from doing so until you have mastered the brewing process....the reason being that you are exposing your beer to all the things that can screw it up (oxygen, wild yeast, bacteria). I really recommend reading John Palmer's free online book, there are two sections that new brewers often run in to and have several questions with (here are links to those section, but I woul read the whole thing):
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-2-3.html
This section discusses the need to rack to a secondary, you will notice that he advises new brewers no to do it (contrary to your kit), he also states that ales should be left in the primary for 3 weeks with no fear of off flavors.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html
This section discusses off flavors...this is a very important section because at some point you will have a beer that will have an off flavor, and before you throw it away read this section and find out what happened, then keep the beer and try it in another month...time cures most things!