Brewing Tropical Stout

Beer Recipes
1

For beer club competition.  I don’t do a lot of dark beers, so feedback is welcome especially on dark additions.

Water: Black Full Brunwater Profile
Est mash pH: 5.5

86% Maris Otter
6% Crystal 80
5% Roasted Barley
3% Carafa Special II
Mash high at 158°F/70°C

2oz Fuggle first wort hop addition
1 lb corn sugar

Ferment with L13 Imperial Global (aka Weihenstephan 34/70).  Warm ferment.  Roughly 60F°/15°C for a few days then free rise.

BJCP:
Flavor
Quite sweet with a smooth dark grain flavors, and restrained bitterness. Roasted grain and malt character can be moderate to high with a smooth coffee or chocolate flavor, although the roast character is moderated in the balance by the sweet finish. Moderate to high fruity esters. Can have a sweet, dark rum-like quality. Little to no hop flavor. Medium-low to no diacetyl.

2

Interesting yeast choice.

3

Just went with BJCP on this.  Cal Common would also work I suppose, but I’ve heard enough about 34/70 being fine at ale temps that I’m willing to give it a go.

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.

4

Yeah, 34/70 is fin at ale temps, but why not use an ale yeast?

5

A few reasons:

  1. I plan on hitting the top of the OG parameters.  Being high gravity, I’m hoping to keep the krausen under control with the cooler starting temp.  (I don’t use fermcap and also rarely brew anything over 1.060).  Granted, a lot of ale yeasts can do this too.
  2. I haven’t tried warm lager yeast yet and I’m curious.  Even more so since this is the typical yeast for the style.  I’m a sucker for authenticity.
  3. I had a pouch of L13 in the fridge, over 2 months old, and this beer is next on deck.
6

If it were me I’d use some chocolate malts and or lactose. Try to sell the name tropical more than stout.

I made one of these a year ago and went heavy chocolate malts and a pound of oats. Mine was 76% maris otter. chocolate and black patent for color.

Barely used any hops. If I remember I used US05 at a low temp. Won first place in my local club. Good times.

7

Chocolate instead of or in addition to the Carafa Speical II?  I should get chocolate and coffee from the Carafa.  Mostly it is the percents of dark grains I’m curious on.  I almost never brew stouts.  I considered lactose, but decided to  mash high instead for sweetness.

8

I’d say in addition to. Not much. Maybe just like 8oz or even a pound. Depends what you’re comfortable with. The high mash will work. But I’d recommend lactose because it’s like real pure milky sugar. Even 8oz of that would be fine.