Recipe help imperial milk chocolate stout for my wedding

[RyanJoshua]

Hi guys,
Ive been brewing for just about a year now. Only about 12 batches so far but I have been generally happy with my results. I am getting married in exactly 3 months and will be serving about 10 gallons of an IPA that Ive made a couple times and really like and then I want to make another 10 gallons of an imperial milk chocolate stout. I know I really should play it safe and make something that I have already made but I really want to try this stout. Below is a recipe that I have gotten online and tweaked after doing some reading and talking with my local brew store. Please tell me what you think and if there is anything you would advise changing.
Thank you!

Batch - 10 gallons
Target O.G: 1.086

MASH @ 150 - 60 mins
MASH OUT @ 170 - 10 mins

MASH INGREDIENTS
-- 30-lbs.-Rahr-Pale-Ale-malt-
-- 1-lbs-Roasted-Barley-
-- 1-lbs-English-Black-Malt-
-- 1.5-lbs-English-Chocolate-Malt-
-- 1-lbs-English-Medium-Crystal-

BOIL ADDITIONS & TIMES
-- 4-oz-Summit-(60-min)-
-- 2-lbs lactose (15-min)-
-- 4-oz-Cascade-(0-min)-

YEAST
--Safale-S-04.--

--12 oz espresso french pressed in secondary

 

[GaBrewZoo]

You might think about scaling it back a little for a couple of reasons. 1) 8.5% might still be a little hot in three months, alcoholwise. 2) Do you want to serve that strong a beer to your guests, who are probably used to 4 - 5%, at your wedding? My daughter is getting married in a couple of months, and I am making a beer that's about 3.5%. We don't really care to have a bunch of soused people to have to worry about. I will have a few bottles of stronger stuff, but not much.

 

[JKaranka]

How many guests do you have? I agree with above to some extent. Safer to aim at 1.055 or so and top up with lactose from there.

 

[daksin]

Yeah, I really wouldn't want to serve a beer much over 6% to party guests. That's just asking for trouble!

 

[JKaranka]

I think it's fine if you give them half a pint with the pudding, but you might overbrew a lot and it won't be quite up to condition yet either.

 

[GaBrewZoo]

We are having about 75. I am making 20 gallons, I have 30 - 24 ounce bottles of 12% cyber for the toast, and 40 bottles of EdWorts Apfelwein for the non-beer-drinkers. And a few bottles of a pale ale and amber ale.

 

[m00ps]

Id mash higher. I do 150 for my IPAs and pale ales. Stouts and porters at 155 to get a fuller body

also 4 oz of summit is a crap ton for a 10gal batch of a stout. Thats IPA levels of bitterness from just your first hop addition. Id definitely cut all of those hops in half or itll be way too hoppy and weird for a milk stout

 

[RyanJoshua]

Ok great, thank you all!
So I think if i aim to mash at 155 that would give it a fuller body as well as take the ABV down just a tad. There will be about 300 people there so I'm not super concerned with people getting plastered but hey, first come first serve haha.