[DLowrie]

I was thinking: What would happen if I added soy milk to my sparge water? I've done it with honey  or apple cider with pretty good results. But does soy milk curdle? Would it make your beer  weird?

[klickitat jim]

Is there fat in it?

[bernardsmith]

There is a traditional drink called koumis which is made of fermented milk (traditionally mare's milk) . I have made one batch using fat free lactose free milk and one batch of lactose free free milk mixed with honey to make a mead called a lactomel I am planning on experimenting with regular milk. The flavors are quite  er... interesting... Drinkable, ... yes,  but certainly not something I would reach for as my drink of choice in a quiet evening. but both the koumis and the lactomel are very young. The curds, by the way are deliciously sweet and alcoholic. Soy, I have not tried, so I apologize if I have hi-jacked your post

[pete b]

Is there a benefit you have in mind when thinking of adding soy milk? I've never had the thought " this would be so much better with soy milk".

[DLowrie]

 Hmm. The koumis sounds interesting- I  like to discover new things- so thanks for posting this. I had a good experience when adding lactose to an oatmeal stout. I liked the mouth feel and sweetness. I was thinking perhaps almond or vanilla soy milk might sweeten the beer slightly- like a cream ale only lighter. I did get a suggestion using dry rice flour(?) but I think this might clog up my mash. Why do that if i can use a liquid already to go? And I don't think soy milk or rice milk has fat in it- but I will have to check. 

[Jimmy K]

The sweetness in soymilk (at least in Silk Original Soymilk) comes from added cane sugar. Cane sugar (regular old sugar) is completely fermentable and won't add any sweetness. It also has fat and protein.

[pete b]

Hmm. The koumis sounds interesting- I  like to discover new things- so thanks for posting this. I had a good experience when adding lactose to an oatmeal stout. I liked the mouth feel and sweetness. I was thinking perhaps almond or vanilla soy milk might sweeten the beer slightly- like a cream ale only lighter. I did get a suggestion using dry rice flour(?) but I think this might clog up my mash. Why do that if i can use a liquid already to go? And I don't think soy milk or rice milk has fat in it- but I will have to check.

I think for this purpose unsweetened rice milk might work except that it usually has oils added for mouthfeel. Maybe look up how to make your own rice milk? Sweetened rice milk would probably do the opposite of what your looking for: the completely fermentable added sugars would make it a little drier and thinner.

[HoosierBrew]

Trying hard to think of any possible scenario where that would taste good or even drinkable..........................................I got nothin'.   

[pete b]

I read a biography of Marco Polo and he said that some versions of Koumis he had at Kublai Khan's court rivaled fine white wines of Italy. Still sounds a little too interesting though.

[denny]

Is there a benefit you have in mind when thinking of adding soy milk? I've never had the thought " this would be so much better with soy milk".

So much THIS^^^^^

[denny]

Hmm. The koumis sounds interesting- I  like to discover new things- so thanks for posting this. I had a good experience when adding lactose to an oatmeal stout. I liked the mouth feel and sweetness. I was thinking perhaps almond or vanilla soy milk might sweeten the beer slightly- like a cream ale only lighter. I did get a suggestion using dry rice flour(?) but I think this might clog up my mash. Why do that if i can use a liquid already to go? And I don't think soy milk or rice milk has fat in it- but I will have to check.

Are you aware that a cream ale isn't creamy?

[pete b]

Hmm. The koumis sounds interesting- I  like to discover new things- so thanks for posting this. I had a good experience when adding lactose to an oatmeal stout. I liked the mouth feel and sweetness. I was thinking perhaps almond or vanilla soy milk might sweeten the beer slightly- like a cream ale only lighter. I did get a suggestion using dry rice flour(?) but I think this might clog up my mash. Why do that if i can use a liquid already to go? And I don't think soy milk or rice milk has fat in it- but I will have to check.

Are you aware that a cream ale isn't creamy?

The vanilla soy milk reference made me wonder if they are referring to "cream Soda" as opposed to "cream ale' the beer type.

[reverseapachemaster]

I have tried adding soy milk to coffee in the past and it does curdle in a very unpleasant way. It doesn't do that when cooked in a wok (while making Thai food). I'm not sure what the difference is but adding soy milk in the brewing process seems much more like adding soy milk to hot coffee than cooking it in a wok so I would expect it to curdle.

I am at a loss to figure out what one would expect from soy milk in a beer. Most soy milk is sweetened and the sugar will ferment out. Unsweetened soy milk tastes a lot like soybeans (unsurprisingly), which isn't a bad flavor but I would opt for using soybeans or soy nuts if you are after that flavor.

[erockrph]

I have tried adding soy milk to coffee in the past and it does curdle in a very unpleasant way. It doesn't do that when cooked in a wok (while making Thai food). I'm not sure what the difference is but adding soy milk in the brewing process seems much more like adding soy milk to hot coffee than cooking it in a wok so I would expect it to curdle.

Gypsum is commonly used as a coagulant for making tofu. I'm thinking IPA is probably not a wise choice for adding soy milk to.