I go through about a brick a year and experimented with different pitch quantities, building it up into a starter, re-constituting it prior to pitch, etc... but never did any temperature trials. I found that 12g is a good safe pitch rate dry (for 5 gal batches). I aerate the wort quite a bit and find the yeast aggressive on the front end with a slower attenuation toward the end.
I ferment in the basement which can swing from 60F to 75F during the year. I don't control fermentation temperature anymore unless I'm working on a Strong Belgian ale with other yeast where I really want the banana-clove funk to be pronounced. I've not noticed any difference in flavor near room temperature fermentation with the Mauribrew. I have had temperatures of 80F due to a 75F room and the other 5F from all the hot yeast sex going on in the fermenter, but no noticeable change in flavor. I even did a couple of pale ales in the low IBU range for a few "trainees" who were used to the lighter stuff. Still no yeast flavor characteristics noticeable.
I have the luxury of letting things sit in primary fermentation for a couple of weeks, then another week in secondary (keg) prior to crash cooling. It falls out quite well if you give it time, and will give some pretty standard FG points. Working on a Schlitz clone for a friend, I added a few drops of Amylase and got a FG of 0.998 so it will get the job done if the right enzymes are in the mix. I use it as my "house" yeast for regular ales where yeast characteristics are not the prime concern. Leaves a fairly neutral flavor and will work down double IPAs in the 1.080 starting range.
Never had infection issues associated with dry yeasts ( I think most of that is propaganda spread by the 2 big liquid yeast manufacturers and the HBS stores that sell them). Think about it: there's billions of the target yeast fighting with a few hundred strays in the mix. Wouldn't that be the same for wild yeast floating in the air as you chill the wort and prep the carboy for filling? Yea, we sanitize the heck out of everything, but it's not all done in a clean room (more typically a garage or basement).
Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Been using this yeast for years and more than happy with the performance at $1.20 a pitch. Now that US-05 has tripled in price, I'm even more pleased that I found this alternative. All that said, I'll probably regret posting this praise as the demand will now push up the price of this formally secret ingredient.
