Just my fermentation.....

[BlindFaith]

Brewed, cooled, and pitched on Wed. evening @ 8:00pm. Checked beer @ 6:00am and there was very aggressive fermentation (bubble every 3-4 seconds). Slowed to 4-5 bubbles a minute that evening and to only 2 bubbles a minute last night. This morning there weren't any bubbles, as if fermentation has stopped.

This is a smaller batch (3.5 gallons or so)
Munton's regular ale yeast (I will not be using it again as the reviews I have read are not good)
Brown Ale with an OG of 1.042 (which is what the LME instructions called for)
Nominal temp of 72-73F

Should I take a hydrometer reading just to see where I am at? This is my first brew, so I am getting acclimated to all the nitty gritty details.

 

[normnmiles]

Are you planning on using a secondary? If not just leave it alone for 3 more weeks then take a FG.

 

[BlindFaith]

Are you planning on using a secondary? If not just leave it alone for 3 more weeks then take a FG.

No secondary. I am just curious and somewhat enthralled about it all. I haven't really been able to think about much else since I decided to finally brew, so I am over-dramatizing everything. I will let it sit and clear up a bit.

 

[Yooper]

If the temperature is 73-74 degrees, it's not uncommon for beer to ferment quickly, even overnight, for a 1.042 beer. That's pretty warm. Next time, keep the beer under 70 degrees for better flavor.

I'd just wait about 10 days and then take an SG reading.

 

[normnmiles]

I was in the same boat with my first brew. It's hard to be patient but that's really what your beer requires. So my thinking is why risk infection and risk losing your batch for really nothing other than curiosity? Just start planning your next brew. That should satisfy some of the urge to mess with your current batch Good luck. Cheers.

 

[BlindFaith]

I was in the same boat with my first brew. It's hard to be patient but that's really what your beer requires. So my thinking is why risk infection and risk losing your batch for really nothing other than curiosity? Just start planning your next brew. That should satisfy some of the urge to mess with your current batch Good luck. Cheers.

I am already starting to plan my next. I am thinking of doing a partial mash as it doesn't seem very difficult compared to just going with extract only.

 

[BlindFaith]

Update:

Took a hydrometer reading today and it is at about 1.018 after 9 days. No more signs of fermentation, but I want it to be around 1.010 before bottling. My plan was just to check it in another 7 days, but do you guys think it will drop that much or at all being it has been 9 days already? Like I said earlier, the fermentation was fast due to temp and type of yeast. I just do not want a 3% ABV beer.