Key to creamy stouts

[mwhammer99]

Going to brew my first stout tomorrow. What tips do you guys have to have a creamy brew?

[erockrph]

Lactose for milk stouts, oatmeal for oatmeal stouts, and flaked barley for all other stouts.

[gymrat]

I put all 3 of those in my last stout. And I must say, it is damned good.

[anje]

Be aware that some folks may shy away from lactose...  I'm on the extreme end of the intolerance, where 3 M&Ms will cause me all sorts of fun gastric distress while clearing the room. So I stay clear of the milk stouts.

Slightly lower carbonation tends to be recommended for stouts, too. Fizzy and creamy don't really work together.

[kylekohlmorgen]

+1 Flaked barley/oats/wheat

[hokerer]

Be aware that some folks may shy away from lactose...  I'm on the extreme end of the intolerance, where 3 M&Ms will cause me all sorts of fun gastric distress while clearing the room. So I stay clear of the milk stouts.

Ah, so that's what your avatar is about.  It shows what happens when you eat M&Ms

[anje]

Be aware that some folks may shy away from lactose...  I'm on the extreme end of the intolerance, where 3 M&Ms will cause me all sorts of fun gastric distress while clearing the room. So I stay clear of the milk stouts.

Ah, so that's what your avatar is about.  It shows what happens when you eat M&Ms

Only if someone has an Aim-n-Flame.

[AmandaK]

Flaked barley works wonders.

[redbeerman]

Flaked barley works wonders.

Maltodextrine powder works too.  For those where lactose could be an issue.  I have used them both.  My experience is that neither lactose or maltodextrine are really sweet and both add body to the beer as both are unfermentable by saccharomyces.

[erockrph]

Flaked barley works wonders.

Maltodextrine powder works too.  For those where lactose could be an issue.  I have used them both.  My experience is that neither lactose or maltodextrine are really sweet and both add body to the beer as both are unfermentable by saccharomyces.

The times I've used maltodextrin I've been a bit underwhelmed by the end result. Flaked barley does a much better job at filling out mouthfeel to my tastes.