Sweet Stout/Lactose

[Tarp Town]

Howdy,
I got a sweet stout kit from a friend for xmas, but I don't know when I should add the lb. of lactose.

End of boil?
Secondary?
Keg?

The only reference I found said to add it when bottling. Doesn't sound right to me.

Help!
Thanks

[straight cash homey]

yeast can't eat it whenever you add it, so I would throw it in at the end of the boil.

[Tarp Town]

yeah, that's the only other thing I know about brewing with lactose; it's not fermentable.

So theoretically it could be added at anytime I guess, but I just wanted to know when others added it when making a sweet stout.

Last 5-10 mins. of boil so far!

[dmtaylor]

If you're brewing from a tried and true recipe, it makes no difference when you add it. For convenience, the boil is a good time to do it. But if you're not sure how sweet you want your final beer to be, then just add it at bottling/kegging time. Start with about 0.33 to 0.5 lb for 5 gallons and work your way up from there if it isn't sweet enough. About 1 lb would be the absolute maximum that I would suggest.

[Mills]

Lactose does not add real sweetness to the beer. It contributes body, plays a part in a creamy mouthfeel, but adds very minimal sweetness. Taste it, that will give you an idea of the sweetness you will gain from it.

[ChrisKennedy]

Lactose does not add real sweetness to the beer. It contributes body, plays a part in a creamy mouthfeel, but adds very minimal sweetness. Taste it, that will give you an idea of the sweetness you will gain from it.

Well it does add sweetness, but it definitely adds less than sucrose, dextrose or fructose.

My milk stout has something like 12% lactose in the recipe, it finished at about 1.025, and it is not really cloying. It is sweet, but it is supposed to be. With that much lactose, you definitely get a milk sort of taste as well.

I would add it at any time during the boil, doesn't have to be at the end. The impact on hop utilization from the increased gravity shouldn't be noticeable unless you are doing a partial boil.

[Tarp Town]

Seems like everything worked out. I added it to the last 10mins. of boil. After subracting .010 from the OG for the sugar, I hit my mark at 75% efficiency. 1.052

I'm going to leave this batch alone, but I am curious to try dry hopping a stout. Had some good ones at GABF. One of Rock Bottom's won a medal.