[happywanderer]

This is my "color outside the lines" Porter.  Just racked to secondary after three weeks and sampled the gravity sample.  Delicious.  I call it outside the lines because it doesn't meet all technical reqs for a specific Porter.  Closer to a Robust Porter of course because of Black Patent and some benchmarks, but higher OG, FG, AND ABV in the Baltic Porter range (but I didn't lager). 

7lbs Golden Light DME
.5lbs Black Patent
.5lbs chocolate malt
.5lbs Crystal 80
Steeped grains at ~162 for 30 mins tea bagging often.

1oz Target hops at 60 mins - 11%
1oz Fuggles UK @ 15 mins - 5%

WLP002 - made a single starter. Weird yeast action and don't think I'll use it again.  Had me paranoid the whole time.

OG 1.071
FG 1.023
IBU estimated at 38
ABV calculated at 6.7 plus a bit from the vodka
SRM estimated at 38L (seems a bit lighter in the sample I took...but hard to tell).

Fermented 1st 18-hours with no temp control (by mistake).  Brought temps down to 64-68 for the remaining time.  Initial banana aroma was strong.  Gone after two weeks additional in primary. 

Added 4oz chocolate extract to secondary (soaked 3oz roasted cacao nibs and 1 vanilla bean in 5-6oz vodka for five days then strained thru a hop bag).

Will bottle in 1 week.

Really a delicious toasty flavor already. 

[happywanderer]

Above I mentioned weird yeast activity.  This was my first time using a liquid yeast.  Here's EXACTLY what I was talking about:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/wyeast-1968-jumping-globs-yeast-468093/

Noticed it in my starter.  And it continued for all 3 weeks in primary.  It seems that WLP002 (and apparently WLP005 based on that thread) are bottom fermenters (at least in part) and due to the very high flocculation the yeast cake can remain active for quite a long time.  I'm at anticipated FG and its held there for a few days.  So...
 

[Joe Sr.]

I believe WLP002 = WY1968.  This is a clumpy flocculant yeast.  Like egg drop soup.

But it makes outstanding English style ales.  I always have this yeast in rotation.