This was my first time brewing with lactose. In addition to my base malt (70% of grain bill), I used an Irish brown stout malt (10%), some flaked oats and wheat (10%), and a little dark crystal (5%) and carafa (5%) malts for a nice dark color and rich aromas. I mashed at around 152F for 45 minutes.
I added a small amount of magnum hops towards the start of the boil. No late hop additions for this one – as I wanted to ensure this drinks very much like a stout and not a black IPA. The lactose went in 10 mins before the end of the boil. I used 2 oz per gallon.
This beer turned out great – smooth drinking and the coffee flavor from the carafa malt really comes through. Next time I would really ramp up on the oats and lactose, as a slightly creamier mouthfeel would make this even better.
Globe Hops 