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AQUILAS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2015
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Location
Sacramento, more specifically Elk Grove
I'm getting ready to brew up a peanut butter milk stout within the next couple of weeks. I'm checking out my recipe and wondered about the addition of lactose. Is adding the lactose at flameout appropriate or is there a different way to do it? Or does adding them at different times give them a different property in the resulting beer?

Here's the recipe

PB Milk Stout
9lbs 3.2oz Maris Otter
10.5oz Crystal 10L
10.5oz Chocolate Malt
7oz Flaked Barley
7oz Special B Malt
Mash @ 155F
1oz Challenger @ 60min
0.33oz EKG @ 15min
2tsp Irish Moss @ 10min
1.1lb Lactose Sugar @ 0min
19.5oz (3 jars) PB2 Powder @ 0min
Wyeast 1318 w/ 2L starter
Ferment in ferm chamber @ 67F for 1 week then ramp to 74F
 
I usually add it with 15 min to go just for the usual sanitation reasons. Looks like an interesting brew. Will be curious to see how it turns out.
 
I usually add it with 15 min to go just for the usual sanitation reasons. Looks like an interesting brew. Will be curious to see how it turns out.

Right on, right on. I'm assuming the lactose sugar pretty much just acts like sugar and aside from giving some texture to the beer, adds a bit of gravity points, so it won't really matter when to add it, then?
 
lactose will add the same amount to both your OG and FG. +0.008 for 1lb/5gal if i remember right. Whereas sugars will add sigcificantly to the OG but not very much to the FG since it all ferments out. Lactose is intirely unfermentable so its adds sweetness and body. I usually add it at flameout, but you can dissolve in water, boil, cool, and add to the fermentor

BTW, Ive made a PB stout 3 times now and ive had good results using captain crunch in the mash and as a dry hop to boost PB flavor. The massive amounts of preservatives in those breakfast cereals are key to locking in that precious aroma. recipes in some thread somewhere if you want to compare. I started with 1lb lactose but cut it down to half since the PB and chocolate adds sweetness
 
Right on, right on. I'm assuming the lactose sugar pretty much just acts like sugar and aside from giving some texture to the beer, adds a bit of gravity points, so it won't really matter when to add it, then?

Yes, it won't matter. I just made a sweet stout yesterday and added 1 lb of lactose with 10 minutes left in the boil. I scooped out a half gallon of hot wort, poured the lactose in, stirred to get it dissolved and then poured it all back into the brew pot. Took maybe a minute for it come back up to a boil and I stirred to make sure there was no scorching or carmelization on the pot's bottom.

Good luck with your brew!
 
Yes, it won't matter. I just made a sweet stout yesterday and added 1 lb of lactose with 10 minutes left in the boil. I scooped out a half gallon of hot wort, poured the lactose in, stirred to get it dissolved and then poured it all back into the brew pot. Took maybe a minute for it come back up to a boil and I stirred to make sure there was no scorching or carmelization on the pot's bottom.

Good luck with your brew!

Right on! Thanks!
 

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