Lactose question

[Eric87]

Hey guys I’m going to be brewing a sour coming up real soon. I’ve been throwing around the idea of adding lactose but I have a concern that it will take away from the flavors of the fruit. Has anyone made a beer like this. Here is what I’m working with.

6lbs of Pilsner malt
3.5lbs of white wheat
Omega lacto blend for kettle souring
Imperial A44 keviking
6lbs of dark sweet cherry purée
1lb of lactose
1oz of Nelson sauvin

 

[dmtaylor]

The lactose will improve the balance, not hurt it. Fruit sugars are nearly 100% fermentable. The beer, without lactose, would be very dry and very tart. The lactose can help balance the acidity and dry finish.

One piece of advice: sweet cherries do not have nearly the amount of flavor as tart cherries. In either case, I would recommend about 3 times as much as your recipe has, about 3 lb/gallon. With the recipe as is, the cherries will add red color, a bit of acidity... and not a lot else.

 

[Funky Frank]

Most of this boils down to personal preference. Go to the store and pick up a lindemans framboise (it’s raspberry but close enough). If that’s perfect for your taste then I’d say grab the extra can of cherry and keep the pound of lactose. If it comes off like thick cough syrup, then stick to the 2 cans and lose the lactose.

If I was brewing this, I’d do a copitch instead of a kettle sour with 1-2 cans of cherry purée, and no lactose. I like my quick sours to be very sour, dry, and the fruit to be an accent.