Definitive time to start diacetyl rest?

[JONNYROTTEN]

I'm getting into lagering...and liking it.

There seems to many different opinions on when to start a diacetyl rest.

So far I've seen:

When you hit 50 %

80%

2 to 4 points from FG

"almost finished"

"just start at 5 days and youll be fine"

Is this just sort of a best guess or opinion or "this is the I do it" kind of thing??

 

[tgolanos]

I usually do a D-rest at 75-80%, which normally takes 7-10 days to reach. No specific reason why 75-80%, I guess. I feel my lagers' flavor profiles has been set by so warming it up a bit won't cause any off-flavors. I usually let my sit for another 7 days at the D-rest temp before cold-crashing and transferring.

 

[Steveruch]

The first thing you need to determine is if there is actually any diacetyl. I've never needed to do a d-rest.

 

[chumney]

I generally do a diacetyl rest when my beer has reach about 75% of the terminal gravity from the original gravity. Many brewers do not feel they need to do one but being sensitive to diacetyl, I do one as a preventive step. Good luck with what ever you decide.

 

[Paulaner]

The first thing you need to determine is if there is actually any diacetyl. I've never needed to do a d-rest.

As stated above taste it to see if this rest is even needed or you may be wasting your time. Personally, I focus on brewing lagers and have only had one that needed a diacetyl rest.