4 day complete fermentation???

[Megalodon77]

So I brewed on Saturday and I got a 1.032 OG on a summer ale. I was done by 4:30 in the afternoon and by 11 pm it was bubbling about every second. The next day it continued that trend. I had to go away for 2 days and I just got back today and it already appears to be done the water level is even in the s lock and I watched it for 5 mins and it didn't bubble. Is it possible for it to be already done? I shook it up a bit and I'll see what happens but I'm really confused right now.

 

[flars]

The most active part of the fermentation may be done, but the less active part of the fermentation is continuing. Take a SG reading in about 10 days. Take another SG reading a few days later. If the SGs are the same fermentation is complete. Your beer will be ready to bottle if the second hydrometer sample is clear of suspended sediments.

 

[RM-MN]

Take a look at this article that explains what phases your yeast go through on the way to making good beer. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[Yooper]

So I brewed on Saturday and I got a 1.032 OG on a summer ale. I was done by 4:30 in the afternoon and by 11 pm it was bubbling about every second. The next day it continued that trend. I had to go away for 2 days and I just got back today and it already appears to be done the water level is even in the s lock and I watched it for 5 mins and it didn't bubble. Is it possible for it to be already done? I shook it up a bit and I'll see what happens but I'm really confused right now.

Yes. Most of my ales are active about 5 days. My last 1.037 ale was finished in about 36 hours.

As long as the fermentation doesn't get too warm, and the temperature is controlled, a fairly rapid fermentation is generally actually a good thing since it means a healthy fermentation with the proper amount of yeast pitched.

 

[Megalodon77]

That's for the replies. Since I shook it up I've seen a little bit of movement. Gonna wait the standard 2 weeks and open then.

 

[KartRacer54]

Meglodon77
Chances are that the fermentor is leaking a tiny bit at a seal, giving the impression that no fermentation is active. Even a very small air leak can give the false impression.
That being said the yeast are still completing their job for a period after the main ferment ion is complete. Using advice from many more experienced Brewers here on the forum has helped me tremendously to produce better beer and have patience.
I also found extra patience by brewing more beer and therefore not needing a quick solution

 

[peterj]

That's for the replies. Since I shook it up I've seen a little bit of movement. Gonna wait the standard 2 weeks and open then.

You probably just shook some CO2 out of solution.

Everything you described sounds perfectly normal to me. So just leave it alone and proceed as normal.

 

[AK7007]

Gonna wait the standard 2 weeks and open then.

Why is 2 weeks standard? Some beer might benefit from sitting with their yeast, but for most beer if fermentation is done then you might as well package. Just check the FG for a few days to see if it's stable and get it into bottles/keg.

 

[Megalodon77]

I'm a fairly new brewer and every single batch I've done I've let ferment for two weeks until bottling and nothing has gone wrong so far on that end, i.e. bottles exploding

 

[brewcat]

I've done a cream ale that I transferred to bottles at something like 6 days. That turned out good. Airlock activity really doesn't matter. Check your gravity. If it is at recipe FG or lower you would probably be fine. Of course another week won't hurt anything. I also usually just keep beer in the primary at least two weeks. Bigger beers for a month. Tends to help the beer clear.

I think you would probably have to dump way too much priming sugar to get bottle bombs. 4 ounces of corn sugar would be what I would use.

 

[AK7007]

I'm a fairly new brewer and every single batch I've done I've let ferment for two weeks until bottling and nothing has gone wrong so far on that end, i.e. bottles exploding

2 weeks is fine, that ends up being my turnaround time too since I usually want to do my packaging on weekends and dry hop for around 7 days most of the time. I'm just saying that it could be quicker, and "standard" time should not be dictated by anything other than FG/aging/adding flavorings. (including dry hopping)