jpm5171988
Active Member
I brewed my first cream ale last weekend, which is currently in primary. As the primary was (is) winding down, I decided to sample a small amount of the beer. The beer is good, but its a little bit bitter for my taste. I was thinking that I could could counteract some of the bitterness by slightly sweetening the beer. I have never used lactose before but as I understand it, lactose is non-fermentable and would be the best addition for what I am trying to accomplish. How much lactose would I need to add to a 5-gallon batch to slightly sweeten the beer? I don't want it to be overly sweet; when tasting the beer it would be nice to first taste a very slight sweetness followed by the crisp bitterness of the hops. And in my case, when would be the best time to add lactose...should it be added when I tranfer to secondary or should it be added when I bottle the beer? And whats the best method...should I add the lactose straight or disolve it in a small amount of water first?