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Author Topic: Tropical Stout  (Read 4462 times)

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #15 on: June 18, 2016, 09:38:03 am »
I see it as more of a foreign export stout style with perhaps a lager yeast to keep the fermentation profile fairly clean.


Good call - it's pretty much a foreign export.

Actually per BJCP:

Characteristic Ingredients: Similar to a sweet stout, but with more gravity. Pale and dark roasted malts and grains. Hops mostly for bitterness. May use adjuncts and sugar to boost gravity. Typically made with warm-fermented lager yeast.

Style Comparison: Tastes like a scaled-up sweet stout with higher fruitiness. Similar to some Imperial Stouts without the high bitterness, strong/burnt roastiness, and late hops, and with lower alcohol. Much more sweet and less hoppy than American Stouts. Much sweeter and less bitter than the similar-gravity Export Stouts.

I just haven't seen much written on this style....



Ok, cool. I hadn't seen the guidelines. I was wrong on the Lion Stout - it's brewed in Sri Lanka (which is why I assumed it was considered a tropical stout), but it's actually classified as a foreign export. So my impressions of it were based on a foreign export flavor profile. My bad.
Lion Stout is under Tropical Stout in the 2015 guidelines.
Jeff Rankert
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Offline brewinhard

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #16 on: June 18, 2016, 09:57:54 am »
Interesting. Hey, I just remembered that I think Gordon Strong has a recipe for a Tropical Stout in his Modern Homebrew Recipe book. May want to check that out for some comparison to your idea. Thanks for sharing some insight on this interesting style. I don't think I have ever truly had a real Tropical Stout. Well, that's not fully true, as I have enjoyed a Lion Stout before...

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #17 on: June 18, 2016, 10:12:21 am »
Lion Stout is under Tropical Stout in the 2015 guidelines.


Didn't know that. There are references to it being a foreign export online - doesn't obviously make it so. But in comparing the style guidelines, Lion tastes more like a foreign export to me.
Jon H.

Offline JimRMaine

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #18 on: June 19, 2016, 07:25:55 pm »
Yes, Lion Stout is classified as a Tropical Stout. I've been working on trying to duplicate it for the past 4 years, with 2 dumpers, 1 decent attempt, and then there's this year's version. I don't have my recipe notebook with me, but for a 5G batch, I use chocolate malt plus C60 and 120, but no roast barley. I also add a little honey malt. Mash at 153-154. I do add 8oz. molasses, but no lactose. I also add 4oz. cherry extract during late fermentation. This year's experimentation was to use Perle, Citra and Moteuka hops to get some 'tropical fruit' flavor. Bottled it this past weekend, and it tasted pretty good. If it carbonates and conditions well, I'm thinking of submitting it to the Longshot competition. It's just odd enough that Jim K. might appreciate it, if it ever gets that far.
If you're really interested, Revvy on the HBT forum has a thread from 4-5 years ago that talks about his attempts and research into Lion Stout.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2016, 07:28:23 pm by JimRMaine »

Offline chloroform42

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2017, 07:40:15 pm »
Any updates on this brewing attempt OP? I just prepared a very similar recipe and didn't want it as dry as style guidelines suggest, so I planned on 8 oz of turbinado sugar (in lieu of molasses) and 4 oz as much lactose for a 3 gal batch, but haven't brewed yet. The lactose sees a bit experimental and unpopular

Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #20 on: January 11, 2017, 03:06:40 pm »
Yes, the update is that it won the club competition and was consumed by a fair number of "beer" people.  The molasses was noticeable, but not described as such by tasters until I let them know after the fact that it was present; at which point many said something to the effect that - "I was wondering what that flavor was that I was picking up!).  The lactose seemed to be well placed and I suggest that S-23 is a fine lager yeast for this style, as I also suspect that 34/70 or S-189 would be.

The beer didn't last that long, so I can't speak to its ability to hold up or age well; I just note that the commercial styles that were served at our club's tech session for introducing the style were very oxidized and the sweetness was cloying to me.  I suspect that a fair amount of "shelf time" and transportation degradation were involved with those.
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Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2017, 03:38:28 pm »
Cool.  Congrats.  Glad to hear the molasses was subdued.  I think it's a great addition when it's subtle, but it's easy to overdo.
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Tropical Stout
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2017, 04:07:24 pm »
Sounds like a tasty beer!  Just the right amount of molasses is tasty.
Jon H.