Lactose Addition

My friend brewed a cider about 6 weeks ago and we're planning to bottle it this weekend. He likes his cider a little on the sweet side, so we have 1 lb of lactose we plan to add at bottling time. I've never used lactose before so I'm not sure how this works. Do we just add the lactose straight to the bottling bucket or what's the procedure?

All Mosher has to say about Lactose isit will boost body and mouthfeel. pp80, Radical Brewing. My Papazian is in the guest room, I got someone sleeping in there or I would go check.

I would imagine you want to bring it to a boil in a little it of water to make sure you aren't introducing any unwanted beasties to your cider, just like priming sugar.

I guess if it tastes good then next time around ypur friend could heat the lactose in some of the apple juice before pitching, its going to take a fair amount of water to get all that dissolved.

M2c.

Lactose is "milk sugar" and non-fermentable. Best way to ensure an even mix is to boil some water on the stove, let it cool down to luke-warm, dissolve the lactose in it. Then put in your bottling bucket and rack on top of it.

Also to quote Edwort, "Many folks back sweeten it with Wine Conditioner. Wine Conditioner is a blend of sucrose and sorbic acid."

Boil, cool, add to bottling bucket. +1 to the previous comments.

It's a good idea to boil it, just to ensure the lactose is completely dissolved. You might consider bottling part it before adding the lactose, just for comparison.

david_42 said:

It's a good idea to boil it, just to ensure the lactose is completely dissolved. You might consider bottling part it before adding the lactose, just for comparison.

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Thanks, I like that idea.

How much water do you think we'll need for 1 lb of lactose? Half a gallon?

If you stir it constantly while heating you can get away with two or three cups of water. The constant stirring will keep it from carmelizing; but then you'll have a fairly thick syrup and not be wanting to oxygenate the cider by stirring it in...

I would start with two cups H20, which I don't think will be enough, then add two more cups and see how close you are. Six is probably enough, but start with two and see how it goes.

M2c.

EDIT: My Papazian wasn't in the guest room. Current status is MIA.

Two cups of water is about all I use for a lb of lactose. Lactose does add sweetness, but not nearly as much as regular sugar, so you should be fine with the full lb IMHO

Brett3rThanU said:

Thanks, I like that idea.

How much water do you think we'll need for 1 lb of lactose? Half a gallon?

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It's been a while, but did you try this and do you remember the results?

I've used lactose in the past. It works well. In a cider, about a pound per 5 gallons or that neighborhood will take the edge off the tartness and dryness. In beer, I wouldn't use quite as much, maybe 8-12 oz, since in beer there are already some unfermentable sugars present.