Lactose and Dextrine

Ingredients
1

Looking to gain some insight from the experts online here…

1.) Lactose - A milk-based sugar that is not fully fermentable by beer yeast.

  • Is this the primary way to make Sweet Beers? (yeast eats everything else)
  • e.g. Dragon’s Milk Clone (High Alcohol, sweet beer)

2.) Dextrine (e.g Carapils) - used to increase foam, head retention, sweetness, and body.

  • Is this stuff used a lot and when? Dextrine is also used to make glue (Wiki)…, any bad side effects?
  • Have read not to use more than .5 lbs in a 5 gallon batch else it affects the taste.
2

Really, multiple things will lead to perceived sweetness. Namely:

  1. adding lactose
  2. using crystal malts
  3. using dextrine malts
  4. higher mash temp
  5. using a yeast with lower attenuation
  6. lower hopping rates

Lactose will add sweetness but it’s not the “sweet” you think. Not like sugar, but like… well, milk.

For a sweeter beer I would use a combination of dextrine malt and crystal malts at a higher mash temp. I would also try to use a judicious level of hopping.

2 Likes
3

I forgot my thoughts on this. First, you can’t go by a determined amount per 5 gal batch. Your better off going by percentage. For example 1/2lb in a 10lb grist is 5%. Yet 1/2lb in a 5lb grist is 10%.

Carapils says 5%, carafoam says 40% max. I don’t think I would ever go near as high as 40%!

4

  1. Lactose does what you say.

  2. Carapils does not. It is worthless.

1 Like
5

Thanks guys,
Great feedback!!!

6

Just to clarify, you’re saying Carapils won’t help with head retention and body Dave, or just the perceived sweetness aspects, or all the above?

7

Just to add to what some of the other folks have already said, the sweetness you get from a beer like Dragon’s Milk doesn’t come from lactose. Lactose gives you a heavy mouthfeel and a bit of sweetness, but not sugary sweet. To me it’s mostly the mouthfeel. But ethanol by itself is sweet, at least to some people. Once you get upwards of 10% ABV, it starts to get more noticeable. Add to that a bunch of caramel or crystal malts and a high mash temperature, and that’s how you get to a sweeter high-alcohol beer without the flabbiness of lactose.

1 Like
8

Here’s a little light reading:

http://scottjanish.com/dextrins-and-mouthfeel/

9

Caramel hops…I don’t know if I should be excited or depressed.

10

I get your comments now, thanks. I’ve never thought of them much other than helping with head retention which Mr. Janish alludes to anyway. Damn brewing… always gottta learn stuff! :joy: