Quick Fermentation... 36 hours and done..???

Started my first batch of Irish Red Ale on Saturday night. had it in the bucket with yeast at 8pm.

Bubbling heavily on Sunday morning..

but today, 36 hours later it's only bubbling once every 5 minutes or so...

is that right? seems a bit quick to slow down to this pace of fermentation..

it's sitting in my kitchen at 72 degrees...

 

It's going just fine!

 

Good to hear! Thanks

it's starting to smell like beer too..

I find myself with my nose right next to the airlock just sniffing

 

Just because the bubbler is slowing down, it doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of activity and work still for the yeasts to do..the airlock is nothing but a co2 release valve, to keep the beer from painting you ceiling...and it should be treated as nothing more than that...it is not a fermentation gauge...(the hydrometer is the only gauge)

Quite a few of us leave our beers alone for 3-4 weeks to let the yeast clean up after they are done fermenting. Especially since you were fermenting in the 70's (if your ambient temp is 72 then the fermenting was actually a few degrees higher since it's expthermic,) the potential is there for there being some extra byproducts which could lead to some off flavors...so it really wouldn't be a bad idea to let the beer correct itself for 2-3 weeks or so.

 

awesome...I'm not the only weirdo who does this

 

Would you suggest I move it to a cooler area?

 

Your hydrometer doesn't lie. I have only been doing the for a short while but I have come to rely on my SG readings. In the 5 batches that I've brewed up I have not had any problems by taking a reading at the begginingg of the fermentation process and then taking subsequent readings as the batch reaches its final state. What is the expected final SG of the recipe? Take a hydrometer reading and if your beer is at your expected final SG it is ready for bottling.

 

So i can open the bucket to take a reading? I was wondering becuase it's a really tight fit... and will disturb the beer a bit..

 

Best to leave it a while before opening it. Each time you do that you are running a slight risk of infection. Let it sit a couple of weeks.

 

OK, so it's in the Primary now, do you suggest a couple weeks in the primary before moving it to the secondary?

 

Either 1 week in primary, two weeks in secondary or just three weeks in primary before racking to the bottling bucket and bottling. There is no golden rule on this, just a personal choice.


Personally, as you are new to it, I would recommend racking to secondary after one week for no other reason that you need to see your beer again just to get over your impatience. It's very hard to let it sit.

Give it a week, rack to secondary. You then get to taste a drop of it (for educational purposes only) Then leave it the hell alone again!!!!

 

Luckily I have a neighbor that home brews, so when I get anxious i can just give him a bell and get me a taste of what's to come

thanks for your help!