How Much Lactose Do You Use in Cream Stout?

Cream stout is also known as sweet stout or milk stout. In the United States and in England there are strict laws regarding the use of the word "milk" on beer bottle labels as it creates confusion amongst consumers.

Sweetness & Calories

Cream stout is fortified with lactose, a sugar derived from milk. Lactose cannot be fermented by beer yeast and so adds sweetness to the finished stout, along with body and calories. A typical cream stout contains between 200 and 250 calories per 12 oz. serving.

Recipe

According to Homebrew.com, a typical cream stout recipe requires 1 lb. of lactose for 2 gallons of brew. Following the steeping of malted barley and flaked oats in hot water, malt extract, hops and lactose are added to the mixture.

Bitterness

The sweetness of lactose in cream stout is balanced by the bitterness of hops and malted barley. Nevertheless, cream stout is generally considered less bitter and more full-bodied than dry stouts.

References

• Sally's Place: Stout Beers
• Homebrew.com: Cream of the Crop Milk Stout
• ireallylikefood: Bell's Special Double Cream Stout