I know that it is a bit warmer than desired (the room temperature has been steady at 72 degrees, but the bucket is sitting on a cool concrete basement floor), /QUOTE]
That is a bit warmer than desired as fermentation temps can be 5-10 over ambient. I would surmise this led to your faster than usual primary. As yeast work faster the warmer they get. They also produce more less desirable esters and off flavors at higher temps. If you don't have temp control you should really look into at least a swamp cooler to help keep your temps more within a reasonable temp limit. I usually aim for the lower recommended yeast temp then when it gets across I've i am still below the higher temp limiting my chances for off flavors. Your batch may be fine but it might have unwanted flavor/ester profiles. E.G. More alcohol "heat" or solventy flavors or yeast flavors where none where wanted or desired. Going forward I'd definitely look into some way of managing your temps during fermentation. It will give you the best chance for getting the beer your aiming for without off flavors. For now it is just a waiting game. Hope you fare well just keep in mind if it turns out to not be the brew you were expecting, try again with lower ferm temps and you'll increase your chances of getting the beer you're looking for.
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Thanks. I did some searching around for ways to control the temp and ended up putting it in a plastic tub with about 8-10 inches of water in it and draped a t-shirt over the fermenter (bucket) last night. I think this is the swamp cooler method that you referred to, but I might have switched up the terminology. I also added a large ice pack to the water to help bring the temp down a bit more quickly, although at this point I'm not sure how much that is really going to help since I'm already several days into fermentation. If I allow it to sit in the fermenter for an extended period of time - say 4 or 5 weeks - before checking on it, will that help to clear up some of those unwanted flavors that may have developed early on?
Since I knew I'd have trouble with my temperature I tried to pick beers that would be a bit more forgiving for my first few brews. I also hoped that having the bucket sitting on a cool concrete floor would help, but I must've screwed something up when I put the thermometer strip on it because it doesn't really give a reading as far as I can tell (perhaps I got too many air bubbles under it when applying?)...