When Do You Typically Start Diacetyl Rests?

I've read a lot of different posts/forums/articles and whatever on this subject.
I can't say I've had a problem with Diacetyl but nonetheless I'm still trying to practice it.

I'm curious to when you typically start it? 3 days after initial fermentation? Sooner? Later?

I have also read that with ales as long as you leave it long enough in the fermentor you shouldn't worry too much about Diacetyl as the yeast will eventually clean it out because of the warmer temperatures.

Not sure how true this last one is.

Thanks in advance

For lagers, I will start the diacetyl rest when the beer is 75% done, generally around 1.020-1.022 or so. That's usually 5-7 days, but not always.

For ales, I rarely do a diacetyl rest unless using a yeast strain that has been a diacetyl producer for me in the past. A few English strains produce quite a bit of diacetyl, but most produce at least a little that does go away at the end of fermentation.

Yooper said:

For lagers, I will start the diacetyl rest when the beer is 75% done, generally around 1.020-1.022 or so. That's usually 5-7 days, but not always.

For ales, I rarely do a diacetyl rest unless using a yeast strain that has been a diacetyl producer for me in the past. A few English strains produce quite a bit of diacetyl, but most produce at least a little that does go away at the end of fermentation.

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I figured I would get a response like this. I wanted to be sure.

I brew strictly ales as I have yet to delve into lagers. I suppose I can stop 'worrying' about this a little bit now

Thanks

I ferment at or very close to the low temp range of the yeast for 72 hrs, then over the next 48 hrs bring up to the higher range of the yeast and then hold it there for a week or so, then cold crash and fine, generally bottle on day 14.

If the brewing process is fine enough as not to produce diacetyl, why add another step to the process in order to fix something that doesn't exist? If you have to do an diacetyl rest on every lager produced, it might be best to fix the process that is being used to make the beer.

If you decide to get spooled up with the diacetyl thing, test for diacetyl first, before assuming a rest will be needed.
When a diacetyl rest is performed, the beer might need to be krausened, adding another step to the process.

VladOfTrub said:

If the brewing process is fine enough as not to produce diacetyl, why add another step to the process in order to fix something that doesn't exist? If you have to do an diacetyl rest on every lager produced, it might be best to fix the process that is being used to make the beer.

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No 'extra' step is needed. All you are doing is controlling temps. So where is the extra step? Adding an extra ice bottle? Turning down your temp controller? If that is the case then making beer is a very arduous task for you.

I hear you on the basics that if nothing is broke don't fix it. However, I find it to be good practice to provide the best fermentation environment possible regardless if you think there is nothing wrong with your current process.

For my Lagers I usually go 6-7 days at 50 degrees then raise the temp up to 60 for another 5-6 days, cold crash for a couple days then into the keg for lagering. I don't take hydro samples anymore, I wait til the krausen falls and the yeast cake takes shape at the bottom, this is where I'm pretty much 75% done.

Another schedule I've tried and works just fine is start out at 50, raise 1 degree every day for 10 days and hold for a couple more days, cold crash and keg.

I do 90% ales, but utilize the same principle for both. Like Yooper said, when its about 75-80% complete, I raise the temp. I dont take a gravity reading though. When the krausen starts to fall, I warm the beer up. I always ferment on the lower side. I dont see it as an extra step. All I have to do it raise the ferm chambers temp (in the summer) or bring the carboy in the house (winter time)

My very first beer was a butter bomb, so I dread diacetyl... Havnt had an issue since