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amandley

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On Friday I brewed a kit from the lhbs. (kangaroo ale-Australian style bitter) og of 1.061. It was super active for the first 2 days, to the point of blowing all the water out of my airlock twice but then subsided to only bubbling every 2 minutes or so. Is it normal for it to calmed that much that quickly?
 
Yeah, the first 2-3 days have been the most "active" days for me in my experience. It just means your Primary, or Attenuative, Phase are coming to a close.
 
The temperature at which you ferment will also affect the time of active fermentation. At high temperatures the yeast are very happy but they will introduce flavors that are not always desirable. The higher temperatures can also make the active fermentation period shorter. 2-3 days is very normal.

Try to keep the temperature of the wort at the low end of the optimum range published for your yeast, Sometimes you might have to go to the yeast manufacturer's website to get that information.
 
I came to call the beginning,vigorous stage initial fermentation. It then slows down & uneventfully ferments down to FG. Then 3-7 days to clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty.
 
During that active fermentation the yeast produce a lot of heat, it's like a yeast jazzersize class going on in that fermenter. So it's a good idea (if you can) to keep the initial temps 5 or ten degrees below the optimum temp for your yeast. Then as the fermentation subsides i usually let everything warm up slowly until it reaches the maximum of the recommended temp zone. This is basically just a diacetyl rest for the yeast (yeah, it's not just for lagers), the higher tennis let the yeast work more and reabsorb the off flavors they gave off. I let it stay at that temp for about 2 days then cold crash it.

This process has given me very good results so far, but it might not be for everyone our every still of beer, some beers depend on those "off flavors". Maybe that's more info than you need, but hey, that's what you get when I'm bored at work.
 
Thanks! I've kept it between 60-65 the whole time. I can't remember the name of the yeast. I know it was a gold package and said something to the effect of basic ale yeast. I will make sure to notate the yeast name in my notes from now on.
 
Like everyone else said, very active at first, then slows down.
That yeast is multiplying when it gets going ( the reason for wanting oxygen in the wort at the start ), after that it's doing it's job and making beer.
 
Just make sure you leave it in the fermenter for at least 2 weeks before you bottle, even if it looks "done" or reached the final gravity reading. Yeast need time to clean up their mess to make sweet nectar (beer)!
 
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