Oat Cream IPAs are a fairly recent phenomenon that came about as an offshoot of the Hazy IPA trend that started about 10 years ago. Most Oat Cream IPAs start off with a recipe very similar to a Hazy IPA—lots of oats, wheat, and other malts designed to boost body and mouthfeel. To make an Oat Cream IPA lactose sugar is added to the Hazy IPA base to further boost the creamy flavour and body of the beer.
Lactose is a simple sugar that our brewing yeast cannot digest. That means if we add lactose to the brew then it remains in the final beer. This adds a mild sweetness (lactose tastes about 1/6 as sweet as table sugar) and a fuller body to the final beer.
Beyond the extra malts and lactose sugar, the rest of the recipe is pretty straightforward—hops, hops, hops! In this recipe we feature some Australian and American hops that bring fresh tropical fruit and citrus vibes to the beer. The end result is an IPA with a punchy aroma and creamy mouthfeel.
