WLP023 with a Imperial Porter?

[DrHop]

I'm thinking about making a big porter (OG 1.104). I have a brown ale where I used WLP023 finishing soon and was thinking about using this yeast. I'm hoping I could get the porter from OG 1.104 down to 1.025-1.030 which means that the final ABV ~ 10% and around 72-75% attenuation. I'm not sure that this will be possible with this yeast but its such an interesting yeast I kind of want to give it a try.

If it can't get down that low I guess I can use a different yeast (maybe WLP004 or 1056).

I was also thinking about trying something else. I could pitch a large starter of WLP023 and also a packet of rehydrated US-05. My thinking would be that WLP023 could do its thing and make my beer tasty and US-05 would finish attenuating the beer. In my mind, the worst thing that would happen by mixing the yeast would be if US-05 took over and the beer was clean tasting.

Have anyone out there used WLP023 for a 10% ABV beer? If not, does mixing yeast make sense? If mixing yeast is a stupid idea, which yeast strain do people suggest?

 

[DrHop]

In case anybody is curious this is the recipe I am planning it is below. Obviously I came up with it because it has a little too much going on but it should be fun and I'm interested to see how a big porter will come out.

5 gallon batch
OG: 1.104
FG: 1.027
SRM: 44
IBU: 62
ABV: 10.3%

50% 10# Maris Otter
25% 5# Light LME
10% 2# Flaked Barley
5% 1# Crystal 40L
2.5% 0.5# Chocolate Malt
2.5% 0.5# Midnight Wheat
2.5% 0.5# Victory Malt
2.5% 0.5# Crystal 120L

60min 1oz Magnum
20min 1oz Centenial
20min 1oz Fuggles
20min 1oz Northern Brewer
(Kind of cleaning up a random collection of hops I have on hand.)

WLP023 yeast???

8oz cocoa powder at flameout

2oz vanilla at bottling
(This depends on how it tastes at bottling. I might split the batch with some vanilla and some without)

Use BIAB and mash at 152F. Boil, cool, etc. Get a huge yeast starter, aerate the crap out of it and ferment ~68F for 1-2months. Bottle with 4.5oz corn sugar and age for awhile (1-2 months) before enjoying the whole batch.

A few other notes:
I enjoy the chocolate and malt notes in porters but don't really care for the acrid or ashtray tastes people get from too much black patent or roasted barley. I put some flaked barley in there to try to get a nice mouthfeel and head retention. I also tried to make it pitch black and hope the head on the beer will be nice and dark too. I'm a little scared this won't attenuate enough and just turn into chocolate syrup but I guess I can always use it to make some amazing milkshakes.