Lager Method Question

[John Sand]

Time, gravity or taste?
I'm fermenting my first lager, a version of Brooklyn Lager's recipe. Many of the methods I've read use gravity to determine when to raise the temp for a diacetyl rest, some just use time. When making ales, I don't test my gravity until packaging. If it is where I expect then, I bottle or keg. I generally ferment three weeks, or at least until the beer clears. With the current lager, I started at 55 degrees using 34/70. It started bubbling the same day, and I went away for five days. When I returned, it had stopped bubbling, so I slowly raised the temp to 68. That's been near a week, I think it's ready to cool off again. Some suggest tasting for diacetyl first. What do you do?

[ScrewyBrewer]

Without definitive proof, that there is a single best way to a diacetyl rest, some say to ramp the temperature up once fermentation is 75% complete. Personally after a week of fermentation for ales, increasing the temperature half a degree a day for the next 7 days seems to work very well. The beers are well attenuated and no one has ever tasted diacetyl in them, or any other off flavors.

[mashani]

I have a hard time believing that as long as you pitched enough yeast, that you would have any noticeable diacetyl at this point based on what you described.

When I ferment lagers around 57 in the winter, I don't even bother with a rest, I just let it go for 3 weeks and I have no diacetyl.

I think its a bigger issue for folks who push low 50s/upper 40s.

[John Sand]

Thanks Mash. I pitched 20g of re-hydrated 34/70. I think I'll start cooling it back off.