For most beer styles, there are a lot of paths to the top of the mountain. That’s the good news. The bad news is that with all of those paths, it’s easy to get turned around, waste time, and frustrate yourself! Beers such as tropical stout require you to produce a wide array of flavors, any one of which can make the beer a bit unpleasant if overdone. There are undoubtedly better versions of this beer out there, but this one carries very little risk of getting an overly-sweet, overly-off-flavored version and tastes great as well! In this case, I’ll take reliable over exceptional (and done well, it can still be the latter, too). The key is to control what’s easy to control—and don’t mess with your process.
Style
The tropical stout is one variation of the foreign extra stout, a bulked-up version of the standard stouts (this one is about double the ABV of my dry stout), that features a noticeable sweetness, prominent fruity flavors, and (of course) the dry, coffee-like flavors of roasted barley. Although originally a beer that was brewed by the likes of Guinness as a higher-ABV version export beer (ostensibly to help it survive long journeys), local breweries in the Caribbean and elsewhere now make incredible versions of it for themselves. Beers such as Dragon Stout, brewed in Jamaica, have become not only local favorites but beers that travel the world, and one of the best things about this style is how well it will pair with all kinds of dishes, from appetizers right through dessert—and in hot or cold weather (ironically).
The trick, though, is making a beer that is sweet (but not cloying), fruity (but without the kinds of by-products that ramped-up esters tend to create), alcoholic (but not hot), and roasty (but not dry). This one takes some creativity, if you want to minimize your risk and maximize your flavor!