Lactose for Pumpkin Ale?

Hello,

I'm trying to make a creamy Pumpkin Ale (AHS Mini-Mash recipe) and I was thinking if I added lactose at either Secondary racking or bottling that this could do the trick. Has anyone tried this before? My assumption is that the lactose helps make stouts pretty creamy, so it could do the same thing for an ale.

If it's OK to do this, should I add at racking or bottling?

Thanks!

You are right, lactose will help ad some creaminess and sweetness to a beer. I know a couple commercial examples of pumpkin beers that do add lactose.

For your addition you can add it at either time. You can add lactose anytime from the boil thru bottling and it will be fine. Just make sure you dissolve it in water like your priming sugar. Also remember that since it unfetmentable milk sugar, it will raise the gravity of your beer a bit. So take yourhydrometer reading then add

Thanks for the help! I will make sure to add.

adslania said:

Thanks for the help! I will make sure to add.

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Cool, let me know how it comes out! Im probably adding it to mine as well. How much were you planning on adding??

chode720 said:

I know a couple commercial examples of pumpkin beers that do add lactose.

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Please divulge.

passedpawn said:

Please divulge.

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The only one that I can think of is Southern Tier Pumpking. I am not 100% sure if they add it, but have read several reviews that they do. It is a very tasty pumpkin ale!

chode720 said:

The only one that I can think of is Southern Tier Pumpking. I am not 100% sure if they add it, but have read several reviews that they do. It is a very tasty pumpkin ale!

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Passedpawn Brewing does, also.

I'm about to add the lactose prior to bottling and I purchased 1 lb of lactose sugar from my local HBS. Would using the whole 1 lb in my 5 gallon batch be overkill?

6 oz was the perfect amount to add to my Pumpkin Ale but it really depends on your final gravity before adding. I had a target FG in mind of .014-15 and I fermented down to .012 so it was a bit dry. 6 oz bumped me up to .014.