help with fermenting day 4

[johndavies]

its day 4 and my everard tiger clone started at 1052 and its now down to 1020 is this normal or should it be down to 1010 by now please help, yeast looks like its all sunk to the bottom is this still fermenting

[staplefordbill]

Sounds's like it could be a stuck fermentation, but then again my pale ale's been fermenting for over a week (the airlock's still bubbling away). Try gently rocking the vessel to rouse the yeast then check with a hydrometer in a day or two to see if the gravity's any lower.

yeast looks like its all sunk to the bottom

There will still be some yeast in suspension so you don't need to worry.

[adm]

I'd just leave it for at least a week before I started worrying. Although rousing it with a sanitised spoon wouldn't hurt.

What yeast did you use? And what temperature is sitting at?

Really though.....4 days is nothing. I tend to just leave them for 2 weeks then keg them up. I've seen fermentations be pretty much done in 48 hours, but most of the time it needs a good week or so. Longer doesn't hurt although probably leaving it more than 3 to 4 weeks without moving it off the finished yeast might (just might) be asking for trouble with autolysis.

Beer doesn't like to be rushed...

[coatesg]

Depends what yeast you're using too as to whether this is normal or not - if you want to rouse it you can swirl (don't shake - you don't want to oxygenate the beer) the fermenter to rouse the yeast a little. Other than that, after 4 days you can up the temp by a degree or so to encourage it to finish out nicely (the yeast growth is done now, and it won't force any off flavours).