New Holland Dragons Milk

Pours a beautiful, thick, dark brown, developing a tan-colored creamy-frothy head. The head settled down to 1/4 inch and persisted. The initial and subsequent nose is full of vanilla, chocolate, coffee, nuts and anticipation. Well-formed Belgian lace. Very rich, chocolaty, caramel, and vanilla bean on the palate. Delicious malt with perfectly balanced bitter notes. Lingers long and very pleasantly. The alcohol and wood is evident, but in a round, gentle, yet full way. Warmth - yet not too potent for a summer day. Definitely moreish. If you favor large, tannic red wines with your food, this would be an excellent ale alternative. Use some in your marinade/sauce. The ale has enough body and flavor to accompany rich foods and food off the grill. Port wine comes to mind, but it doesn’t taste like Port - rather this is a reflection on the complexity of the ale. I will definitely return to this ale throughout the year. Pours a beautiful, thick, dark brown, developing a tan-colored creamy-frothy head. The head settled down to 1/4 inch and persisted. The initial and subsequent nose is full of vanilla, chocolate, coffee, nuts and anticipation. Well-formed Belgian lace. Very rich, chocolaty, caramel, and vanilla bean on the palate. Delicious malt with perfectly balanced bitter notes. Lingers long and very pleasantly. The alcohol and wood is evident, but in a round, gentle, yet full way. Warmth - yet not too potent for a summer day. Definitely moreish. If you favor large, tannic red wines with your food, this would be an excellent ale alternative. Use some in your marinade/sauce. The ale has enough body and flavor to accompany rich foods and food off the grill. Port wine comes to mind, but it doesn’t taste like Port - rather this is a reflection on the complexity of the ale. I will definitely return to this ale throughout the year.

On tap at MBG Summer Festival. Poured black with a light brown head. Aroma consisted of sweet malty notes as well as an alcoholic undertone, perhaps bourbon. Flavor began quite dry but sweet and oak flavors take over. Good but not great.

bottle, very dark brown color with some tan foam, aroma has a lot of chocolate and vanilla oak, flavor is great chocolate, maple syrup, molasses, some honey, very nice lasting finish

Bottle sample at the Green Flash/New Holland tasting at Blacklick Wine & Spirits on 7.23.09. Pours dark brown with a thin tan head. Nice aroma of vanilla and chocolate and honey sweetness. Oaky vanilla flavor up front with some chocolate and alchol. Smells like a stout, but doesn’t quite taste as roasty. Aroma was definitely better, but still a decent overall beer.

Bottle thanks to Jonas at the Bruery. Pours with a khaki head over a deep brown body. Aroma of chocolate, brown sugar, oak, and darkfruits/berries. Taste is fruit, leather, biscuit, vanilla, chocolate, sugar cookie and lactose. Light bubbles.

Jet black pour. Smells like ice cream, oak, vanilla, toffe, caramel, some earthy hops, toasted grain. Flavor is much the same with a more pronounced wood flavor and booze. Awesome beer.

Aroma is interesting - somewhat smoky like a stout, but with a strong alcohol bite like a barleywine and a decided overtone of oak. It pours a dark, warm, chocolaty brown with a fairly thick beige head that is not all that persistent. Flavor is somewhere between a stout and a barleywine - oak dominates, and there is some "stouty" smoke-coffee-chocolate flavor plus quite a strong alcohol bite like a good brandy. Texture is sharp, edgy and tingly, going down more like hard liquor than beer.

Bottle. Dark brown/amber pour, little carbonation and a great oak and molasses aroma. Flavor was roasty malts, vanilla, rum and oaky on the finish. Solid beer, hope to try this on tap someday