Since Lactose is unfermentable it provides a distinctive sweetness as well as body for the finished beer. Corn, treacle, wheat or other off-beat malts are sometimes (though rarely) used.įor a true milk stout, lactose is often added. To that, we add a mix of crystal/caramel malts (roughly 10-15%), and chocolate, black and roasted malts (10% or more in total) to provide color and flavor. Sweet stouts start with an English Pale Malt base which makes up 60-80% of the grain bill. The color should be dark brown to black (30-40 SRM). The hops should balance the malt, but hops is not a major flavor in this style. They are moderatly hopped at 20-40 IBUs for a bitterness ratio of around 0.6. They have low to medium esters and little to no diacytl. Many English examples use a relatively low starting gravity, while US examples tend to be brewed at a higher starting gravity. Original gravity starts at 1.044-1.060 and finishes at 1.012-1.024 for a 4-6% alcohol by volume.
Pale chocolate malt beersmith full#
These stouts are full bodied and creamy, and have low levels of carbonation. Some (though not all) sweet stouts include lactose, an unfermentable sugar that enhances sweetness and body. Unlike Dry Stout, Sweet stouts have a medium to high sweetness (malt or lactose) that provides a counterpoint to the bitterness of hops and roast malt. Like Dry Irish Stout, they may have roast coffee-like flavors. Sweet stouts use dark roasted malts to create the dominant flavor which is a malty, dark, roasted chocolate character. After World War II, the UK outlawed the use of the word and imagery for milk in association with beer, so many modern examples are labeled as Sweet stouts. Milk stouts were widely marketed in the 1800's as nutritious - even to nursing mothers. The iconic example of milk stout, Makeson's stout, was first brewed in 1801 in the Southern United Kingdom. Milk stout and Sweet stouts push the sweet end of the spectrum by using lactose - which is unfermentable. Still others, like Oatmeal stout pushed in other directions. Other stout variations such as Russian Imperial Stout pushed the limits on the malty or sweet end. Dry Irish stouts (like Guinness) pushed the limits of using heavily roasted malts to create a dry coffee-like flavor. Eventually the Porter name was dropped in the 1800's to become simply Stout. Strong Porters which were widely popular in the 1700's were often labeled as Stout Porter. Milk Stout (also called Cream or Sweet Stout) traces its origins back to Porters.
Pale chocolate malt beersmith how to#
This week we take a look at the history of Sweet Stout, how to brew it and recipes for making it. Sweet stout and milk stouts are increasingly popular beers that form a counterpoint to Dry Irish Stouts.