Milk Stout (also Sweet Stout) gets its name from lactose -- milk sugar that yeast can't ferment -- added to the brew to leave residual sweetness and a fuller, creamier body than a typical stout. The result is noticeably less bitter and more dessert-like than American Stout, often with pronounced chocolate or vanilla character, usually 4.5-6% ABV -- gentler in strength than an Imperial Stout and gentler in bitterness than an American Stout, trading roast intensity for sweetness and smoothness.