Beer seems to have stopped fermenting after 3 days.

[alamedabrew]

Usually, it takes my Beer around a week or so to ferment. This time I decided to make a maiboch. It got off to an almost immediate start and began fermenting immediately. This recipe called for several pounds of dextrose sugar. So I wonder if that created a more instantaneous reaction. Secondly, its a bit cooler. The temp is around 60 degrees at night, 65 in the day.

Anyhow, is it unusual for beer to ferment that quick?

 

[brewt00l]

Did you take a gravity reading?

 

[lmg95]

i believe dextrose is one of the simplest sugars so yes it's possible that such a large amount of it would contribute to fermentation taking off and finishing so quickly.

 

[Yooper]

I've had beers ferment out completely in 24 hours, so 3 days isn't at all unusual.

Maibocks are usually lagers, though, and take quite a bit longer. If you're not using lager yeast though, then it will take as long as a typical ale.

It's unusual to use several pounds of corn sugar in a maibock- what kind of recipe are you using?

 

[homebrewer_99]

Only your hydrometer knows for sure.......

 

[alamedabrew]

I'm not going to Lie, I totally forgot to take an initial gravity reading. Doh! I'm trying to remember the exact amount of Dextrose. I got it out of that "clone Brew" book. One thing I wonder about is that for the last 3-4 brews I've made, it takes like 2-3 days for the yeast to kick in. This time it started within 30 minutes, plus it was bubbling extremely aggressively. The head was huge. So maybe Yooperbrew is right and it just did it quickly. I'll see if it is still done tonight, then possibly bottle tomorrow. Run it up a flag pole, see it if flies.

 

[brewt00l]

So you're thinking 4 days and into the bottle?

 

[Sucram]

I'm confused. When you say it takes 2-3 days for the yeast to kick in, do you mean it takes 2-3 days for the yeast to start working? Because that seems way too long. And 30 minutes sounds absolutely impossible.

 

[alamedabrew]

Yes, The last two brews I made took several days for the yeast to start working. I found that rocking the carboy back and forth if it doesn't kick in usually gets things working. And as far as the fast start, indeed- it started pretty quick! Never had that happen so quickly. My guess is that it did so because first, the powered yeast sat in a cup of warm water for over an hour because I goofed up and accidentally cooled the wort down too cold and had to let it "warm up" to room temp. When I did, I found the yeast was exactly the same temp as the wort. So perhaps the temp was perfect for the yeast to start right away, plus as mentioned, there was a lot of powered sugar in the mix.

and yes, I'm figuring 4 days, then bottle.

 

[Yooper]

and yes, I'm figuring 4 days, then bottle.

Well, it's your beer. But I would wait 14 days at least before bottling. Even when active fermentation is over, the yeast are busy "cleaning up" the beer, even digesting their own waste products. This takes some time. Secondly, the beer will condition a bit, and clarify a bit. If you bottle too soon, you'll have even more crud in the bottom of your bottles than you would if you waited. Lastly, waiting two weeks will also reduce the chance of bottle bombs, if you're not checking the gravity.

 

[lmg95]

Even when active fermentation is over, the yeast are busy "cleaning up" the beer, even digesting their own waste products.

Yet another wonderful thing that the yeastie beasties can do!

 

[kahunaman]

If you used a Lager yeast, but fermented at room temp,, the yeast would go VERY fast... FYI.

 

[alamedabrew]

Thanks for the advice guys. Indeed, the beer is pretty "dirty" looking. So I'll wait it out a bit before bottling. Here's one question though. I made a Belgian beer last and let it sit for two weeks before priming and bottling. The beer was totally flat after it aged for several months. Is there such a thing as letting the yeast go for too long before it won't eat the primer? Just curious, which is why I was initially hesitant to let it sit for too long. Sorry for the dumb questions. I've been doing this for only 4-5 months.

 

[ifishsum]

I think it is possible to let it sit long enough that the yeast population is too low for proper carbonation, but it's nowhere near two weeks. Maybe a few months...most of us wait at least 3 weeks before even thinking about bottling, more often 4-5 weeks.

I can't tell you why your previous batch didn't carbonate, but it wasn't because it was bottled after two weeks. Maybe it wasn't warm enough? It needs to be kept at 70 degrees or so for at least 3 weeks after bottling to reach proper carbonation levels.