If you are talking about pimping a normal beer kit then you could add lactose to the beer but I would add it on top of any other fermentables that you are using. Lactose does not ferment so will raise your final gravity and add sweetness but no alcohol.
The other thing to bear in mind when using lactose is that you have to be really good with your cleaning and sanitisation. The lactose is a ready source of food for bacteria which can eat it. I would make sure you boil all of your brewing water, not just a small portion as is usual with kits.
But isnt DME too? I just used to chuck the DME in with the kit add tap water unboiled and never had any problems
Yes DME is too but the yeast can quickly ferment that. I think the point is that the lactose leaves a pool of sugars that bacteria can tuck into. I am really only repeating advice that I've read elsewhere but it seemed to make sense to me.
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