New Holland Dragons Milk

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Holland, Michigan USA

[GABF, Denver Co - 2006] Dark brown in color almost like a stout. This had a lot of strong flavors and the alcohol was very high. This was a very good brew. Strong Oak presence and a great dry finish.

Mmmm, this one is tasty! Pours a dark mahogany color with a small, bubbly tan head. Minimal traces of lacing noted. The nose reveals bourbon kissed chocolate and mocha, with maple covered pecans and alot of oaky vanilla. The bourbon fumes are just enough to let you know its there. The flavor follows suit, with subtle bourbon pervasive throughout the malty, chocolaty, coffee goodness. A mild, earthy hop character adds balance. The vanilla component is such that it leads me to believe new American oak was used, as the woodsy character is similar to what a bold Napa Chardonnay might employ. Medium bodied and smooth, this one drinks easy for 9% ABV and shows no alcohol burn on the way down. This reminds me of Barley Johns’ Dark Knight, though much more tame in its use of the barrel. Great brew! I’ll be seeking out more for sure.

on tap at NH brewpub. pours dark red-brown with small white head. aroma is roasty, coffee. flavor is chocolate, coffee, caramel, oak. a bit hot, med body. a bit prickly. not too shabby.

dark brown, sweet aroma and flavor of brown sugar. The alcohol is well hidden. lots of sweet, dark fruit (cherry, plum) in the flavor too. nice.

Poured a black, with some ruby tints; medium to small light brown head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, roasted malt, caramel and bourbon. Smooth and creamy on the palate; good mouthfeel. Flavor of roasted malt, some bitter chocolate, a hint of vanilla and bourbon. Some lingering sweetness.

New Holland Dragon’s Milk pours an opaque dark brown color. It looks nearly black in the glass with a tan head. It has a roasted malt aroma with a hint of charred wood. The flavor is rich malt and cocoa with some vanilla and bourbon sneaking around in there as well. The finish is smooth and creamy and the alcohol content is nearly invisible! Toward the end there is a nice bitterness that transitions to a dry coffee-like flavor. Very nice. This beer has a medium to full body and is mildly carbonated. The barrel aging is noticeable without overpowering the other flavors in this brew. There is definitely a level of complexity in this beer that makes it interesting and worth trying... 22 oz bottle, $6.99+tax from River’s Bend.

Appearance: frightfully dark, deep plum color, with a generous, frothy, creamy, light tan head above, lace-leaving, slowly subsiding. Aroma: chocolate, cream, vanilla...interesting...buttery, with a whiskeyish tinge, as well. Taste: unusual, the vanilla lingers, a woody, chocolatey character dominates. Small hops, rich malt, and the 10% Abv is sneaky, not kicking into the flavor in the least. Oh, here it comes...fruitiness comes in toward the end, raisiny, plummy, ...such a nice little brew, a great buttress against this ridiculous sub-zero January chill. I’ve had this on-tap before, at the Autumn Brew Review lat fall, and wasn’t so charmed...this bottle changed my mind. Were I a Michiganite, Dragon’s Milk would have a coveted spot in the icebox.

Somehow I almost forgot to put in my rating for this! Thanks to BBB63 for this one! Pours a very dark brown, almost porter like, hint of ruby at the edges, small head. Aroma was quite woody, with a roasted note. Flavor was dominated by tannic wood qualities. Not totally over the top, but definitely to the point of a tinge of sourness that you find in very young red wines. Bit of coffee as well. A bit more subtetly with the oak would make this a real winner.