[Richard]

Looks like your guys are looking at the manufacturer's info that says it can go to 74%.  But that's the max they got in the lab with a wort made to be as fermentable as possible.   In the real world... different story.   I'd happily drink a pint of your beer.

I brewed a batch using this yeast a few weeks ago. I mashed at 154F, with 2 lbs of caramel malts (C120, Caramunich, Special B) in a 13 lb grain bill. I got 78% attenuation (1.057 to 1.012). It did that in 3 days. I have had some extremely vigorous and fast fermentations with WLP004.

The thermal contact between beer in a carboy (or keg) and air is pretty poor, and can allow for a significant temperature rise in the middle of the beer. Immersing the carboy in water does a much better job of transferring heat out of the beer. I have done this and measured a temperature difference from center of beer to water bath of less than 1 degree F, and that was with one of those crazy WLP004 fermentations. More typical is 0.5 F at the peak of fermentation-generating heat. Another way is to use a cooling coil inside the liquid. Anvil now makes one for carboys for $99.99:
https://www.anvilbrewing.com/product-p/anv-cs-carb.htm

I haven't used this, but am considering purchasing their coil alone ($20) and using it with my home-built cooling system.

[Pope of Dope]

UPDATE

So It's April. This beer was rowdy all February and March. Hot, alcoholic, too sweet, then acrid tasting. It was also brown trub color with a dirty yellow snow colored head.

*A MONTH LATER it tastes fantastic. The Northern Brewer hops sparkle and shine. It tastes balanced and makes you want to drink more and more. It has also turned a bright ruby red color, crystal clear in the glass with a nice white head.

I said for a month that I was going to dump it. That I would never brew with french kiln coffee again, that I would never again use this WLP004. I was wrong.

[joe_meadmaker]

That's good to hear.  I'm brewing a stout this coming weekend with WLP004.  I'll be watching to see if I get a fast fermentation as well.  I think I've used this yeast before, but it's been years.

[ynotbrusum]

I used WLP004 recently on an Irish pale stout (just added much less roasted barley and dark roast) and I found that it became much more drinkable after a month, too.