Voodu Magic Tropical Stout
If you've been following SheppyBrew at all recently, you probably have read that I want to concentrate more on my BJCP Goal in 2025
As I type this, if I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 86 of the 108 styles in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Since the beginning of the year, I've already brewed 8 new BJCP styles (9 if you include Tasman Pilsner).
I have my Roll-a-Style list, which helps me keep track of styles that I still need to brew.
The idea is that I use a 20-sided online die to decide which style to brew next.
In early July, I was running sort of low on inventory, and needed to brew to get the pipeline going.
I rolled my 20-sided online die, and rolled a 15 ...
... which corresponds to 16C. Tropical Stout
"A very dark, sweet, fruity, moderately strong stout with smooth, roasty flavors, yet no burnt harshness."
Honestly, I feel like a bunch of the Stout styles overlap enough that just about any one of them could fit in most of the others. But ... the BJCP says this about Tropical Stout:
Tastes like a scaled-up Sweet Stout with higher fruitiness. Similar to some Imperial Stouts without the high bitterness, strong or burnt roastiness, and late hops, and with lower alcohol. Much sweeter and less hoppy than American Stouts. Much sweeter and less bitter than the similar-gravity Foreign Extra Stouts.
I developed a recipe, trying to follow those differences other stouts I've brewed (mostly during this Roll-a-Style series)
I came up with Voodu Magic Tropical Stout. Bigger and more fruity (with Voss Kveik yeast) than Pack o' Hooligans Stout; less hoppy and sweeter than Stouticus American Stout; bigger and less dry than Oisin Owl Irish Stout.
On untappd: Voodu Magic Tropical Stout
If you'd like to read more about this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Voodu
| Voodu Magic Tropical Stout --- Batch 1 (379) |
| Style | Tropical Stout | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.60 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.068 SG | Estimated FG | 1.019 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 43.4 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 6.6 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.636 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 38.0 SRM |
|
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| Measured OG: | 1.066 | Measured FG: | 1.016 | ||||
| ADF: | 75 | Measured ABV: | 6.6 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.29 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 4.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 2.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 1.00 g | Baking Soda (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 12 lbs | Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 73.8 % | 0.94 gal |
| 2 lbs | Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 12.3 % | 0.16 gal |
| 1 lbs | Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 6.2 % | 0.08 gal |
| 12.0 oz | Crystal Dark - 77L (Crisp) (75.0 SRM) | Grain | 8 | 4.6 % | 0.06 gal |
| 8.0 oz | Midnight Wheat Malt (550.0 SRM) | Grain | 9 | 3.1 % | 0.04 gal |
| 1.000 oz | Hallertau Magnum [12.50 %] - Boil 45.0 min | Hop | 10 | 43.4 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) | Fining | 11 | - | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Voss Kveik Ale Yeast (Lallemand #- ) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 12 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 33.16 qt of water at 164.8 F | 156.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 158.0 F over 10 min | 158.0 F | 15 min |
| Mash Out | Heat to 170.0 F over 7 min | 170.0 F | 10 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Recipe Notes
From Denver water, salts puts water profile at
Ca=81Mg=8,Na=30,SO4=86,Cl=85,HCO3=126
Boil as directed.
Chill water to as close to 80F as possible.
Pitch yeast and ferment in 80's for 3 to 5 days. Don't worry about temperature with the kveik yeast.
After initial hot fermentation. Move inside to room temperature.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.062 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.60 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
7/25/2025 Planning on brewing this weekend, probably Sunday.
7/27/2025 Brew day today. Heating water at 6:00. Used up Magnum hops even though inventory said I should have another 2oz. Mash timer starts around 6:40. Hop bag full enough that I considered emptying into basket. 7:10 turned down mash power while wife got ready with hair drier. Took gravity of circulation wort. 1.058. Drain around 7:40, and set to 195. Left for church around 8. 1.055 pre-boil. Added 1# sugar. Boil timer 9:50. 1.061 pre-boil after sugar. 10:50 boil done. 1.066 og. Racked at 86. Tilt said 81 by the time I pitched. Storing in garage. Bubbling had started sometime before 15:30. Wort was up to 86 by then.
7/28/2025 Went crazy over night, and going strong. Tilt says 1.025 at 89 degrees. It looks like the temperature was as high as 91. I'll probably move this inside tomorrow morning, but I guess we'll see.
7/29/2025 Really slowed down, but still bubbling a little. There is also still a layer of krausen. Tilt says 1.010 at 86 degrees.
7/30/2025 Pretty much no bubbling. Still a decent amount of krausen. Tilt says 1.009 at 79 degrees. Moving into the basement.
7/31/2025 Tilt says 1.009 at 71 degrees. Krausen pretty much gone. Looks pretty clear. I think I can keg anytime, although I don't currently have a spot in the kegerator or beer fridge to put the keg.
8/10/2025 Kegged. Tilt said 1.007 at 70. Hydrometer had FG at 1.016. Really clear although jet black. Very much like a stout with lots of roast. Maybe a touch of rum. Not real heavy. Maybe even tastes a bit dry. Left side of kegerator. Did not harvest yeast.
8/13/2025 Poured a few pints yesterday. Looking real good with great cascading effect and beautiful black. It has a touch of that Voss orange pith flavor. I certainly wouldn't taste this and know what makes it a "Tropical" stout.
8/21/2025 Yummy. Orange Chocolate. Roast. Not very sweet. Actually very balanced. Fun to watch cascade effect from tap.