Safale US-05 Ale Yeast Fermentation Characteristics???

[pshankstar]

I brewed the Conundrum Session IPA from Northern Brewer this past Wednesday morning. The kit came with the Safale US-05 Ale Yeast. I was able to cool the wort down to 77 degrees before I topped it off with water to reach the 5 gallons mark. So I'm guessing the top off water dropped it a few degrees to 75 +/- since the water was in my basement where it is 68 degrees on average. I made the mistake of not checking the temp again before pitching the yeast to confirm.

Here is the ingredients list without using the link above:

MAILLARD MALTSTM
SPECIALTY GRAIN
- 1lbCaramel20 MAILLARD MALTSTM

EXTRACTS & OTHER FERMENTABLES
- 3.15lbPilsenMaltSyrup(60min)
- 3.15lbPilsenMaltSyrup(15min)

HOPTIMUS REXTM
PREMIUM HOPS & OTHER FLAVORINGS
0.5ozAmarillo(FWH-Firstworthop-addwith steeping grains)
0.5 oz Centennial (60 min)
0.5 oz Amarillo (20 min)
0.5 oz Simply Select Hop Blend (20 min)
0.5 oz Amarillo (5 min)
0.5 oz Crystal (5 min)

DRY HOPS — Add to secondary fermenter one to two weeks before bottling day
0.5 oz Amarillo 0.5ozCentennial
0.5 oz Simply Select Hop Blend 0.5 oz Crystal

Yeast:
Dry: Safale US-05 Ale Yeast. Optimum temp: 59°-75°F

So I followed everything to the "T" with the instructions and pitched the yeast at the high end of the "Optimum Temp". Unfortunately I could not get the wort any lower with it being 90+ degrees outside this past week. The OG was 1.040 where the recipe stated the OG should be 1.045, so I wasn't far off.

So fermentation started later Wednesday night and was solid. It produced a bubble in the airlock every 8-10 seconds. By Thursday it was producing bubbles much faster and continued through Friday. Today (Saturday) I wake up and check on my baby D) and there is no more activity for a few minutes. The three piece air lock had the center piece pushed against the cap when bubbling but now its just floating on the water in the air lock. The krausen doesn't look very big, maybe only an inch up the walls. The temp in the basement is still holding on at 68 degrees and is consistent.

Should I be concerned? I have never used this yeast before, but my last brew I used the Safale US-04 Yeast that was very aggressive and very quick! Plus the krausen raised all the way up the wall and touched the lid on my FastFerment conical fermentor with the 04 yeast. I do not want to open the lid to look in this early or take a gravity reading. I will wait another 1.5 weeks to open the lid to take a gravity reading and change the collection ball. Any input would be helpful or give me piece of mind. I have read this yeast (05) is not nearly as aggressive as the 04 yeast, but this seems like a huge difference and it has be a bit worried.

Thank you all in advance and take care!

 

[oujens]

I think you are on schedule with this yeast, especially if it's fermenting warmer. You state ambient temp is 68F so it probably is a few degrees warmer in the bucket. I usually control the temp using a fridge at around 65-66 and it finishes in 5-6 days. Give it a week to finish, clean up, and then check your gravity. I can tell you personally not to pay attention to your airlock. I had one fermentation with no bubbles at all and it finished completely. In your case though, I think it's winding down and will be just fine.

 

[Cider123]

It sounds like you're just fine. Give it time. Don't judge by the airlock.

 

[pshankstar]

Thank you Oujens and Cider123! I know the airlock is not a good indicator of whats going on, but hearing from others (like yourself) that everything seems to be ok puts my mind at ease! Going from the Safale US-04 to the Safale US-05 in the very next batch and being a newbie, I was worried. It's amazing how much different these yeasts can be!!!! The Safale US-04 year was crazy but the Safale US-05 seems more subtle.

Thanks again and have a nice evening!