While lactose is much less sweet than table sugar (about 84% less sweet to be specific) it can provide a more subtle sweetness and creamy, fuller body. What started as sweet porters and milk stouts has given rise to some of the delicious abominations we see today in adjuncted-to-the-teeth pastry stouts and dessert porters.

Brewers have made the jump out of the dark beers and have been using lactose to round out some of the harsher aspects of heavily hopped IPAs, giving rise to new substyles like milkshake and oat cream IPAs. They also have used it in sours to sweeten an otherwise acidic brew to create smoothie and pastry sours.

READ MORE: Udderly Delicious: How Milk Sugar (Lactose) Made Its Whey Into Beer