Should I add some lactose to my recipe at bottling?

[pirate252]

I was just reading through the winter warmers thread and one post i read inspired me...

I read one that called for adding some lactose at bottling time, can someone explain what this would add to the beer taste and mouth feel wise?

Here is the ingredients, would it work well with my recipe?

1.00 lb Wheat Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) 10.5 %
7.00 lb Munich LME (6.5 SRM) 73.7 %
1.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 15.8 %
1.53 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20%] (60 min) 18.6 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00%] (15 min) 1.9 IBU
0.25 tsp Nutmeg (Boil 15.0 min)
0.50 gm Sweet Gale (Boil 10.0 min)
1.00 tsp Cinnamon (Boil 15.0 min)
1.00 tsp Cloves (Boil 15.0 min)
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min)
3.00 tsp Ginger Root (Boil 12.0 min)
1 Pkgs East Coast Ale (White Labs #WLP008)

Thanks!

 

[Jer]

As far as I understand, it's just an unfermentable sugar.. So it should sweeten it up..

Maybe adding it during bottling (before adding your priming sugars) gives you the option of sweetening to taste..

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Adding lactose will increase the overall sweetness of your beer and add a creamier mouth-feel. It doesn't really matter when you add it. If you add it at bottling time, I advise adding it just like you add your priming sugar - usually by dissolving it in hot (almost boiling water), cooling the solution, and gently stirring it into the beer.

It's used in milk stouts and some cream ale recipes to achieve the body and sweetness desired in those styles.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Don't let it replace your priming sugar though, then you wouldn't have any carbonation . Also, I don't know about adding to a winter warmer... I thought those were hoppy/spicy beers... I guess you could if you want though.

 

[pirate252]

It is a pretty hoppy spicy beer, I was just trying to imation how it would taste with a little creaminess added in there... Not sure if it is appropriate or not, or how it might taste...

And yeah I know it unfermentable and to still use priming sugar, but thats for saying it anyways, that would sure suck if I didn't know that and wasn't told lol.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

It is a pretty hoppy spicy beer, I was just trying to imation how it would taste with a little creaminess added in there... Not sure if it is appropriate or not, or how it might taste...

And yeah I know it unfermentable and to still use priming sugar, but thats for saying it anyways, that would sure suck if I didn't know that and wasn't told lol.

Its a completely different beer, but I'm brewing a porter right now. Its fermenting away and when I first put the recipe together I was going to add some lactose to before bottling.

I don't think porter's really need the creaminess either. A stout, or a cream ale sure, but I wanted to try it anyway, because I love creamy beers and figured I could do it.

I tasted my porter yesterday, after racking it to secondary and its fekkin awesome. There's no way I'm gonna add any lactose, because I like it just how it is.

Basically, take samples as the beers fermenting, if you feel it could use something else, throw in some lactose, but definitely, since it can be added anytime, I advise tasting after the fermentation has been going for a while before making a decision.

... my 2 cents.

 

[pirate252]

Hmm, sounds like a good idea, I will have a taste here soon and heck maybe add some lactose to a sample and see how that is lol.