Air lock slows quickly

[jrc64]

Yesterday I brewed a summer wheat beer. Rehydrated yeast and pitched. All seemed fine. OG was 1.038 (target was 1.04-1.042). Fermenter is on basement floor. Temps here in the Northeast have been hot. Basement temp is around 77 degrees. When I checked this morning at aorund 7:30am, the air lock was cranking away vigoursly. I just checked it now at 1:15 pm, and the thing is bubbling once every 15-20 seconds!!! Is this normal for it to go from such a high extreme to low in such a short time? Is all safe with the brew?

Thanks!

 

[Tubbster85]

I am by no means an expert yet, I'm still relatively new, but your beer should be just fine. No airlock activity doesn't necessarily mean its done fermenting. Let it go for two weeks and take hydrometer readings. When those hydrometer readings are stable, then it's done. RDWHAHB!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

First off, don't count bubbles. An airlock isn't anything other than a vent for co2 to escape. Second, at those temps (too high), your beer could easily be slowing down at this point. Ale yeast works quickly at proper temps (usually in the 60s), up near 80 it'll probably fully attenuate in 2-3 days.

 

[jrc64]

here's a follow up photo from this morning. Is it ruined?

 

[Revvy]

It looks fine. But it could be ruined if you keep opening the bucket and hovering over it like a nervous father.

Walk away and let the yeast do their jobs. They're in charge, they don't need us counting bubbles or peeking.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

here's a follow up photo from this morning. Is it ruined?

Once it starts defying the laws of gravity, it's toast. Send it my way, I'm pretty good at getting rid of anti-gravity beer.