Diacetyl Rest for Ale

I used Wyeast 1187 Ringwood yeast in my current IPA and the Wyeast website states that a "thorough diacetyl rest is recquired AFTER fermentation is complete".

Most on these sites say that the diacetyl rest should begin after fermentation is about 75% complete. What I was going to do was let my beer ferment in a tub filled with cold/cool water until fermentation is done and then bring the carboy to an area of the house that is warmer - leave it there for three days before moving to the secondary and dry hopping. Any problems with this procedure

ale yeast ferments warm enough it shouldn't need a diacetyl rest.

in fact, i've only heard of a diacetyl rest when speaking of lagers, as the cooler fermenting temps prevents the yeast from cleaning up the diacetyl, so you bring it up to the 60's for a few days, then go to secondary and back to cold lagering/conditioning.

But you're absolutely right about Wyeast's recommendation for this yeast. Fermentation temp is 64-74F... 70F should be enough for a rest. I'd probably give it a few extra days in primary for the rest, then rack to secondary.
So, after 3 days of consistent FG readings, I think your plan of 3 more days for a rest is a good plan.

I've used White Labs Ringwood (can't remember the #) and I did just what you plan to do. It turns out nicely. I had a good amount of diacetyl (which wasn't bad cuz it was a bitter ), but it mellowed a bit in the bottle, too. And it was a nice subtle touch within 2 weeks of bottling.

I have done several batches using the Ringwood yeast. I have fermented at or below the minimum recommended temperature (64F) and then brought the beer up to the high end of the range (74F) for a few days. In fact I have one "resting" right now. I then rack to secondary and go cool again. The beers have come out great. I had not heard the 75% rule. Where did you see that?

raceskier: On my search for diacetyl rest most info deals with lagers. I read some articles (google) and they talk about bringing up the temp when fermentation is about 75 percent complete, then bringing it down again. I also found an article in the AG section of these forums. No article that I found specifically dealt with ales

I hate to raise an old thread but is there a proper time to start your diacetyl rest?

75-80% of the way through fermentation.

If it's an ale, you can just let the fermenter warm up a bit (3-5 degrees) for the second half-ish of primary. If it's a lager, 75-80% of the way to FG is a good time to warm 'er up. I raise temp 7-10 degrees for a d-rest on a lager.