I used it for the oktoberfest in my drop-down and couldn't be happier with it. It's crisp and clean and lets a lot of malt come through. You may want to pitch two packets depending on your pitch temperature and OG though.
What about a starter on my new stir plate.
I'm not a fan of starters for dry yeasts. They're typically cheap enough that just buying a second pack is usually the easier (and if you add in DME, nutrients, etc.) cheaper option. They're also rearing to go in the dry form, with everything they need to reproduce, even without oxygenation. Using that up in a starter seems a bit wasteful. But I'm sure it will work fine if that's what you want to do.
My favorite lager yeast!!
I use 2 packets of w37/70, I never rehydrate. Just 2 packs straight up. I try to perform diacetyl rest at the end of fermentation, but usually end up with slight buttery taste which goes away during lagering. So dont be discouraged when you think you have a buttery beer when you taste your FG sample. I was drinking a pilsner I brewed with this last night and was constantly thinking how smooth the beer was (incidentally this is one of my beers submitted to HBT competition, so we'll see how good it really is). I usually lager at 34F for about at least 2 weeks.
Also, since this is your first lager - it looks totally different than an ale when fermenting. It freaked me out at first. There isn't really krausen since it ferments at the bottom.
I can vouch that King Brian I's O-fest is very good. I reviewed it and he scored 38/50. Rather impressive on my reviewing scale.
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