There's Milk in my Beer?

I know that many of you are avid beer drinkers or simply enjoy a pint or two, so you might find yourself saying, "Excuse me bartender, there's milk in my beer."

I know that beer sounds like an unusual place for milk to hide and I must say that I was quite surprised to learn this myself. For those 'no-moo'ers like myself, don't fret just yet. The milk sugar lactose is only thus far found in certain stouts such as Sweet Stout or the more obvious Cream Stout or Milk Stout. A list of "milk stouts" can be found at The Beer Advocate.

But why would they add milk to a beer?
Lactose is unfermentable, meaning that it cannot be broken down. Therefore, its sugar-sweet taste is added to the stout to contrast the flavor of the roasted malt or barley, making it sweeter on the palate.

While that sounds like a nice idea from the beer makers, I can't say that I'll ever know what this stout tastes like. If you are dairy-free like me, make sure you know what you're drinking when you need a nice cold beer.