Should I worry about 3 ounces of lactose?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cmhaynes

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
69
Reaction score
17
Location
Comer
I recently brewed a partial mash version of the sweet stout in Brewing Classic Styles. I mashed the following:

1 lb American 2-row
1.5 lb Maris Otter
1 lb Black Patent (yes, that's what the recipe calls for)
0.75 lb Crystal 80
0.5 lb Pale Chocolate

I added 13 ounces of lactose to the resulting wort to get 3 gallons of wort with a pre-boil gravity of 1.053 (2 points higher than what the recipe calls for.

I then added 5.8 pounds of light LME at knockout, and after topping off, I was left with 5.25 gallons of wort with a specific gravity of 1.063. That's 3 points higher than the recipe. I used S-04.

My question is this: the recipe calls for 1 pound of lactose, but my LHBS only had 13 ounces. Should I add three ounces and add it at bottling? I checked the gravity yesterday (after 12 days in primary), and it's right around 1.025. I don't expect it to drop any lower, but I will check again before I bottle. The sample tasted great. My thinking is that since I got a greater efficiency with my mash and added a little bit more LME (half a pound) than the recipe called for, than I will have more residual sugars anyway and that 3 ounces of lactose isn't a big deal.

Am I right in my reasoning?
 
I would not worry about the three oz. You are probably right about it being done with that recipe.

I actually find that a pound of lactose is too much for my taste and prefer about 8 oz. in my sweet stouts. But of course that is just my opinion.

If you liked the taste when you took the gravity reading, then leave it go for another week and check it again. If it has not changed then bottle it up.
 
Back
Top