IPAs with Lactic Sugars

Milkshake IPA's, rage might be the right term and will likely produce some rage posts very shortly...

 

Please stop making IPA's with lactose. That is all.

 

I had a few and they were ok. I don't care either way if they include it, bottom line for me is taste. If its a good beer I will drink it regardless. At the end of the day I don't seek them out or feel they are superior, least from what I had to date.
Cheers

 

They are the “has science gone too far?” of beer. In Philly they are just yet another way to price gouge people on half-assed beer. If people like them, fine, but they are priced as if combining things that don’t go together, don’t reflect the label, and really create a shit beer somehow warrants a higher cost. My rant was longer, but I realize taste is subjective. They really are terrible though.

 

No, they are not.

I will never understand the desire to merge the sweetness of lactose with the taste profile of IPA. I have never once seen a lacto-IPA stand on it's own; it's always done as part of a murky/milkshake IPA. The entire point of these beers seems to be to mask the taste profile of IPA...at which point I don't understand why they just don't use a pale or blonde ale.

 

Agree, they are attempting to tamp down the bitterness and give it a smoother edge.

 

Purely speculation on my part, but I think lactose is being used as a quicker, cheaper alternative to bumping up the malt bill in order to balance the massive hop load used in so many of these NEIPAs (milkshake or not).

 

Brewers can add lactose (milk sugar) to any beer to make it sweeter and make the mouthfeel/texture thicker. If that's what you want, then it's an improvement, and let's face it most people like sweet things. There are many out-spoken critics against the practice around here though. I don't personally like them. Also, if you're lactose intolerant you won't be too happy about it being in your beer.

Most sugars are broken down by brewer's yeast into alcohol during fermentation, but lactose is not easily broken down by yeast, so it persists through fermentation and makes a sweeter, thicker end beer. Brewers have been doing this for 100+ years with the milk stout style, but adding lactose to IPAs is a relatively new thing. Also if you see an American craft beer that is supposed to taste like a dessert item (there are lots of them) it's usually a good bet there is lactose in it.

 

If you prefer sweeter and creamier then it’s good. Personally I prefer my IPAs crisper, drier and with some bitterness. On occasion an ipa with lactose and fruit is good for a switch up beer but too sweet for me to drink many or make it a purchase very often.

 

I’ve never had one I liked. I’ve ordered a beer multiple times not realizing there was lactose in it, hated it, then looked it up and found out lactose was added.

Not just gross. Undrinkable. I’ve finished maybe two IPAs with lactose, and it was a struggle both times. The rest I’ve not even been able to finish.

Honestly, around here, you’re better off not ordering anything advertised as a hazy IPA if you want to avoid lactose. Really ruined the style for me.

 

I personally don’t care for them, Made double worse when they add mango or strawberries, etc, to the mix.

 

Half Acre Now and Then is an example of a Lactose IPA that is neither a NEIPA or a Milkshake IPA. The lactose does contribute to mouthfeel and overall sweetness, but they are not going for a smoothie-like character.

 

I'm not a fan of lactose in general and definitely dont want that shit in my beer.

 

Not lactic sugar... never heard of that.

Lactose is milk sugar.
Or lactic acid is tartness produced by lactic acid producing bacteria (most notably lactobacillus).


Milkshake IPA I don’t think is separated out on here... it is on Untappd though. It’s used to add sweetness and make the IPA taste more like a fruit smoothie than a traditional IPA. These milkshake IPA are usually also treated with additions of vanilla bean and fruit purée.

 

IPAs with lactose is all the rage right now because craft beer culture has largely gravitated towards sweeter, more dessert-like beers.

I will admit that I have had a few IPAs with lactose that I did greatly enjoy, but honestly, only maybe two of them I felt actually benefited from having it. Most of the time I think it's unnecessary at best. You want your IPA sweeter? Fine. Use crystal or honey malts like many of the classic West Coast IPAs use and it'll be plenty sweet enough. All that excess unfermentable sugar tends to become cloying to me. So I guess my advice is, if you like your beer sweet, go for it--but if you're like me and don't like cloying beer, generally stay away from it unless you just want to try sips and samples.

 

I’ve had one lactose IPA and it also had peach and vanilla. It’s part of a glitter series but I don’t think it had glitter in it. I thought it was good but not something I could drink often. It wreaked havoc on my stomach the next day.

Enjoy

 

They are their own types of beers altogether. I’d never grab a milkshake IPA if I were looking for a classic hoppy IPA. IMO, milkshake/lactose IPAs shouldn’t even have the “IPA” moniker in the name. Just call them what they are: American Strong Ales

That being said, there’s a can of Barrier pumpkin milkshake IPA w/ coconut & vanilla bean in my fridge that sounds pretty damn tasty....