New Holland Dragons Milk

The beer piles forth from the brown silk screened bottle a deep brown with a large creamy tan head that slowly fades to nothingness leaving a fine thick sheet of lace to cover the glass. Nose is a hodge-podge of aromas, vanilla, Oak, caramel, toasted malt, hops, very complex to say the least, start is slightly sweet with a tinge of tartness, grain profile decent, and the top light to middling in feel. Finish has a moderate acidity, the hops delightful with the Oak flavor lasting to the very dry end, also a bit of tummy warming from the 9 percent ABV, certainly a beer to age.

On tap at the brewery. Pours dark brown with thin tan head. Aroma is beautiful blend of chocolate, bourbon and oak. Roasted malts are balanced very nicely. An excellent brew.

This bottled brew poured a very large sized head of foamy finely sized brown colored long lasting bubbles that left behind an opaque black colored body with no visible carbonation. The aroma was smooth with dark malty milk stout like notes. The mouth feel was strongly tingly at the start and medium in its finish. The flavor was thin at the start but started to come on in the finish with a malt hop dark malt syrupy flavor.

Pours dark, almost black with tan head. Aroma is malty, grape, sweet fruits. Taste is malt slight hops charater almost unnoticable. Very wine like. Palate is soft and light. Drinkable and tasty.

From 22oz Bottle. Pours a dark brown opaque color with a creamy layer of toasted tan head. Gentle aromas of coffee and freshly baked walnut brownies slowly drift to my nostrils. A hint of anise and a whiff of black cherry fruits round out the bouquet. Medium bodied mouthfeel with a somewhat creamy texture thats a sharp contrast to the tart toasted malts that greet the tongue. Expecting a malty chocolate flavor after appreciating the aroma, I am a bit taken aback by the tart oaky currant flavor waves that wash over my tongue. A few sips later and my senses settle, allowing my enjoyment to resume. The beer’s sour cherry flavors eventually give way to an oaky chocolate malt character that I expected from the aroma. Final smack of molasses dipped cranberries. Interesting brew overall - well crafted and makes me think, so kudos for that. Thanks, Tom!

17-Jun-06 (12 oz bottle: Obtained 25-Oct-05 in trade with Pailhead, thanks Kevin!) I wasn’t planning on rerating this beer, but my experience with this is considerably different from the first time I had it. Before, it was a fairly sweet beer to me but this is decidedly not a sweet beer this time around. Sure, there’s an underlying sweetness to the rich, roasty malts, but the sour cherry and oaky character of barrel-aging is easily superceding all else. I’m reminded of eating a tasty dessert of lightly-sweet chocolate and tart berries. Bitterness is mild, which keeps the focus squarely on the barrel-aged aspects. Alcohol isn’t at all noticeable this time around. The tart fruit nose also projects a significant oakiness. Not at all heavy on the palate, but it has a great mouthfeel, lively, effervescent, surprisingly refreshing for such a dark beer. Deep ruddy mahogany color, slightly translucent at the edges. Half an inch of light tan head settles to a wide ring. Some streaky lacing on the glass. Amazing how night and day two bottles can be. I really liked it the first time around, but it’s totally turning me on this time around.

05-Apr-05 (12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with goldtwins, thanks Larry!) After reading the label notes and then pouring this beautiful beer, I was expecting to be blown away. It’s still a pretty decent beer, but it’s not living up to my expectations initially. What I’m getting mostly is a very sweet and sugary beer with some mild dark roasted maltiness and forward alcohol, and I’m very much reminded of a foreign stout. However, as the beer has warmed to room temperature and opened up, the transformation has been amazing. The oak aging has decidedly come to the forefront, and the dark roasted malts and the alcohol have supplanted the sugary sweetness for dominance as well. Hops seems to have a pretty minimal impact throughout the session. The lightly sweet and malty aroma is initially offset by the surprising presence of a spicy, chili-like aroma, but that seems to fade after awhile, leaving an oaky, sweet, and mildly roasty nose. Rich and full bodied, smooth and lightly carbonated on the palate. Very dark brown in color is opaque in normal lighting, but slightly ruddy and translucent when held up to a bright light source. The dark tan head is large and bubbly on the pour and shows exceptional retention right through to the final drop of beer in my glass. The head remains one large body, however, and lacing is unable to form on the glass. I think this would be an incredible beer on cask as serving it cold clearly affected this beer negatively in my tasting session. (7, 4, 8, 4, 15 = 3.8)

Nice frothy beige head, well carbonated and not syrupy. Pleasing malt aromas and flavors make this seem more like a milkshake than a beer. Very satisfying, rich, and delicious.

22oz bomber, no date. Overcarbonation pisses me off. I managed to get about 6 ounces into my Duvel glass before it almost overflowed. Aroma of sour funk, bourbon, oak, vanilla. 10 minutes later, I think I may be able to attempt a drink at this. Very carbonated, sour cherries up front, the bourbon is there, but takes a back seat. oak also evident, dry finish. Alcohol is noticeable. Very sour. An OK beer.