S-189 gives Fermentis a second dry lager option alongside W-34/70, distinguished mainly by a higher attenuation ceiling — 78-83% against W-34/70's 80-84% is actually fairly close, but S-189 is generally positioned toward pilsner and other styles wanting a slightly crisper, drier finish than W-34/70's broader "any lager style" positioning.
Like any lager strain, S-189 needs genuine cold fermentation temperatures within its 48-59°F range to perform at its best, along with an adequate pitch rate and the patience for extended cold conditioning afterward — skipping any of those steps risks the same off-character and sulfur-related issues that apply across the whole classic lager strain family, not a flaw unique to this one product.
Lager and pilsner styles wanting a clean, crisp, and reliably dry finish are S-189's natural fit. Medium-high flocculation gives it solid clearing behaviour once fermentation and the subsequent lagering period have both had adequate time to do their work properly. As a dry lager strain, it offers the same starter-free convenience W-34/70 does relative to a liquid lager strain, at the cost of the specific liquid-yeast format some experienced lager brewers still stubbornly prefer to use for their most serious, competition-focused lager batches submitted for formal club judging events each season.