New Holland Pilgrims Dole

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Holland, Michigan USA

Nice rich and sweet barleywine with a hint of something different. Not much head, full body, great bourbon/cinnamon/vanilla complexity on both nose and mouth. I enjoyed this beer.

Bottle. White small head with poor lacing, hazy, minimal carbonation, and a light orange hue. Sweet caramel, malt, vinuous but not overly so flavor. Smooth palate. Medium body.

This was a nice suprise. The pour was a yellowish/orange color with a decent head. The aroma was of sweet malts, and a definite bourbon type smell--I thought for sure this was bourbon aged when I smelled it. The taste confirms that--as you get the heavy bourbon type alcohol tastes followed by the brown sugar flavors. Definitely a sipper--and one that would do good with some aging.

Draught at 2006 MBG Summer Festival. Pours a clear orange-copper with a small diminishing white head. Very nice sweet aroma of fruit, malt, wood and alcohol. Flavour’s also sweet and fruity with some wood, malt, sugar and alcohol. Alcohol is well hidden, it’s definitely there but never too much. Medium bodied. Wheatwine eh? Not sure I could tell the difference between this and a Barley Wine but either way I really liked it.

Draught. At 2006 Michigan Brewers’ Guild Festival . 2005 vintage. Clear deep orange with an average white head. Woody, boozy dry citrus aroma, surprisingly sweet, lots of fruit and toasty malt. Tastes very much the same - sweet juicy malt, solid booziness, soft slightly resiny hardwood character, citrus pith bitterness more than balanced by the malt sweetness, finishing off tasty and fairly mild. Solid bw body, light astringency, not overly assertive alcohol character, and nicely carbonated - very solid, easy-drinking barleywine - I think the year of aging did it wonders.

Pour is a nice copper color with a really tight and small head and lots of floaties. Pineapple and caramel are present in the nose, and the flavor is big, syrupy and silky with caramel, pineapple, alcohol warmth, and a creamy flavor as highlights. This one started a bit weak with the aroma, but flavor and blend are better than initial judgment would have indicated.

Pours a cloudy amber hue with a white head. Aromas of moldy cheese, yeast, gouda and goat chesse. Flavors are fruity with a ligering funk and finishes sweet and tart.

Pours a lightly hazed pink-hued amber with a thin white head and... chunks! Sans chunks, this would’ve fared better in appearance. The nose is pleasant, though it has some interesting characters. Big and sweet with obvious alcohol and hops, akin to Bigfoot, though not quite as well executed. There’s a bit of bubblegum, but also a touch of something herbal, bearing a striking resemblance to cooked leafy greens. The mouthfeel is fairly thick, smooth and creamy with nice low CO2 and alcohol burn. The flavors are nice, though not outstanding for the style. Big sweet malt, a good bit of bubble gum, with reasonable hops, and very dominant alcohol. There’s a slight off flavor resembling mint, that I king of enjoy. The lingering bitterness was mostly alcohol, and slowly the off flavors become more dominant, hurting this beer slightly. All in all, not a bad beer, though certainly full of character.