When it comes to beer, there are seemingly endless choices. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry—we’re here to help. In this post, we’ll be taking a closer look at milk stout. Read on to learn everything you need to know about this unique style of beer, including its history, brewing process, and key characteristics.
What is Sweet Stout / Milk Stout?
Milk stout is a type of beer that gets its name from the lactose sugar that is used in the brewing process. Lactose is a sugar derived from milk, which gives milk stout its characteristic sweetness. In addition to lactose, milk stout also contains roasted malts, hops, water, and yeast.
The lactose sugar is what sets milk stout apart from other types of beer. Lactose is not fermentable by yeast, so it adds sweetness and body to the finished product. Milk stout is also characterized by its dark color, which comes from the roasted malts that are used in the brewing process.
Is milk stout vegan?
No. Milk stout gets its characteristic sweetness from lactose, which is a sugar derived from milk. Therefore, milk stout is not vegan-friendly. However, there are alternatives like almond milk stouts that avoid animal products, using almond flour, oat malt, and chocolate malt for a dairy-free experience. The use of animal products such as gelatin and isinglass in some beers affects their vegan status, but for those seeking beer vegan options, there are alternatives available that do not include non-vegan ingredients.
What does milk stout taste like?
Milk stout is characterized by its sweetness, due to the lactose sugar used in the brewing process, which contrasts with the roasted flavor from the malt. It also has a creamy mouthfeel and a rich flavor that comes from the roasted malt.
The History of Milk Stout
The first milk stouts were brewed in England in the early 1900s. At that time, many people believed that milk was good for your health and could help you recover from illness. As a result, milk was often added to beer as a way to make it more nutritious.
Over time, brewers began to experiment with different ways of making milk stout. One popular method was to add lactose directly to the wort (the unfermented liquid that becomes beer). This resulted in a sweeter, fuller-bodied beer. Another common method was to add milk to the finished product. This gave the beer a creamier texture and improved flavor stability.
Milk stout became increasingly popular in England throughout the first half of the 20th century. However, it began to decline in popularity after World War II due largely to changing attitudes towards nutrition and health. In recent years, though, milk stout has seen something of a renaissance thanks to the craft beer movement.
The Brewing Process of Milk Stout
Milk stout is brewed using roasted malt, hops, water, yeast—and lactose sugar. The first step in brewing milk stout is crushing the malt so that it can be boiled in water (this step is known as mashing). Once the malt has been mashed, hops are added for bitterness and flavor. The mixture is then boiled for about an hour before it’s cooled and transferred to a fermenter where yeast is added.
At this point, lactose sugar is added (either directly to the wort or during fermentation). Lactose does not ferment, so it adds sweetness and body to the finished beer, enhancing the overall richness and mouthfeel of the finished beer. For those seeking dairy-free options, alternatives like almond milk are being used in some brewing processes to create vegan-friendly versions of milk stout, maintaining the traditional creamy and sweet characteristics without using dairy. Depending on how much lactose is used, or its alternatives, milk stout can range from slightly sweet to very sweet. After fermentation is complete, the beer is bottled or kegged and allowed to condition for two weeks or more before it’s ready to drink.
Thanks for sticking with us until the end! We hope this post has helped you learn a little bit more about milk stout—including its history, brewing process, and key characteristics.