I'm interested in making a sweet stout. What would be the effect of using (say) 10-15% crystal malt for sweetness instead of lactose or oatmeal? I haven't seen any recipes which do that -- which tends to make me suspect it's not worth trying.
Crystal vs Lactose for Sweetness
- Thread starter CurtHagenlocher
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Lactose isn't really sweet in the sense that sugar is sweet. It is more full bodied, and slightly milky.
Crystal will be sweeter than lactose, but if you want a milk stout I'd go with the lactose. Lactose gives that creamy feel you want in a milk stout.
Crystal will be sweeter than lactose, but if you want a milk stout I'd go with the lactose. Lactose gives that creamy feel you want in a milk stout.
OP
OP
So a sweet stout make with (say) 15% crystal might be too sweet and too malty and not creamy enough compared to one made with lactose?
I find that they affect the end product very differently.
Lactose has a creamy sweetness to it, that isn't really quite "sweet". Think of the sweetness of milk or cream. It doesn't feel the same on the palate as a similar amount of maltose.
I find that you can have far more lactose remaining in the final product than unfermented maltose, before the beer starts to be too sweet. I haven't used lactose in years though, and I can't really comment upon exact percentages of it. But the mouthfeel of a beer with crystal in place of lactose will have a different mouthfeel.
