Diacetyl, malt flavors, and a first Lager

I had been PM'ing Kaiser to get help with my first Decoction (also first lager that is not a steam beer). I'm posting it here too, because I figure people might have the same question later, have good info for me, or gain knowledge from others replies- here it is
*ALso- this recipe was 50/50 Light Munuch and Vianna Lager, 1oz Tet, 1oz Hal, White Labs 820, Oktoberfest lager- I forgot the DanG Irish Moss, but a long lagering with clear things up enough anyway....2-step decoction from 140F to 152 (Missed the 160) and 152 to mashout. OG was 1.055
Below is the message.....




So after 12 days of primary fermentation at 48-52F (goes up and down with day and night) I check a sample to see the gravity and taste to see if I had to do a diacetyl rest. The gravity reading was 1.016 at 52F, and I could not convince myself that I did or did not taste diacetyl. ( I put the sample in the freezer to cool it to more conventional temps to see if it effects my opinion of the taste one way or the other). I know that it's still really in the primary fermentation stage, and tasted now so that I would have time for a rest if needed- but I'm now concerned about the Lack of any real malty taste. It tasted like beer that was not done fermenting- that's for sure- but I was unsure if I was supposed to taste that big malty flavor Now- or only after lagering it for a good period of time. Do you taste for Diacetyl, and if so, do you taste the strong malt flavor then too- or only after it has conditioned for a while?
The way I see it- 1.016 has some way to go- but should still let you detect the major flavors of the beer-Right?

Sorry, I haven't been checking the forum. And since this might interest others as well, here is what I answered:

Despite the popularity of the so called diacetyl rest, diacetyl isn't that common in home brewed lagers. The fermentation is generally slow enough that the diacetyl is sufficiently removed towards the end of fermentation. I only noticed diacetyl a few times.

But it has its merits as a means of speeding up a sluggish fermentation towards the end and bring the amount of residual fermentable sugars down where it should be before the beer is chilled to lagering.

As for the big malty taste, the beer needs some age for that. I actually recomment lagering for a few months and then racking off the yeas to a serving keg and aging it at cellar temps (~50F) for a few more months. It makes a big difference with my Doppelbock.

Kai

Kaiser said:

I actually recomment lagering for a few months and then racking off the yeas to a serving keg and aging it at cellar temps (~50F) for a few more months.

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Kai,
Did you mean racking off the small amount of yeast that drops out during lagering? Or did you mean that you leave on primary yeast cake while lagering? The latter is contrary to my understanding, so I wanted to clarify.

Couevas said:

Kai,
Did you mean racking off the small amount of yeast that drops out during lagering? Or did you mean that you leave on primary yeast cake while lagering? The latter is contrary to my understanding, so I wanted to clarify.

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Yes, racking off the sediment that is created during lagering. I have a little more yeast than others b/c I carbonate with residual extract in the lagering keg before I move it to lagering. But even if the beer is pretty clear when it is racked to lagering you may want to rack it to a serving keg after lagering.

Kai