2 WL Vials for HG beer

Has anyone used 2 White Labs vials for a high gravity beer (1.084) as opposed to making a starter. One of the guys at AHBS recommended it to me said it would work just as well.

Obviously not the cheapest option but wanted to see what people thought

First, what OG are you talking about? You should check out http://www.mrmalty.com and use his pitching calculator.

Second, the purpose of a starter is not only for yeast growth. You also "wake up" the yeast and prep them for the fermentation in the primary. Also, in high gravity beers, it is a good idea to do the starter at a modorate gravity, then step it up to near the actual bre OG to aclimate the yeast to the final environment.

Yeast is as important to beer as grain. It is the easiest area to overlook in the brewing process. I would reccommend always making a starter.

Make a 1.5L starter with a vial of WL yeast and you should end up with the same amount of yeast (if not more) as two vials. The yeast from the starter will be much more vigorous, too. Pitching two vials is fine if you're in a hurry but making a starter is always better.

If you're in a real hurry, though, just pitch 1 1/2 packs of dry for a big beer. Two packs of dry are cheaper than one vial, too.

I think you're relatively safe screwing around to avoid making a starter for a low-gravity beer but I think when it comes to high-gravity beers there is no reason to be a slacker. The beer is bound to take at least several months to ferment and condition, and already cost more than average for the amount of ingredients that go into it. If you're going to all the extra trouble to brew something high-gravity, you might as well spend a little time and make a proper starter - it's likely to maximize the quality of your beer, and helps avoid likely stalled-fermentation headaches.

Besides, mrmalty's pitching rate calculator claims you should be using just over 3 packs of liquid yeast if you skip a starter, and that's assuming nearly 100% viability - if your yeast is even a MONTH old it calls for 4 packs, and at 2 months old it calls for nearly 6 packs. If you got 2 packs of brand-new packaged-yesterday liquid yeast I think you might be somewhat safe, but that's not likely to happen. Chances are your yeast will be way less than 100% viable and you'll end up WAY underpitching as a result.