New Holland Brewery Dragon's Milk Review

Yesterday, my wife and I were doing our usual weekly shopping at Whole Paycheck (err. Whole Foods). We were cycling through the usual tasting. I told Mrs. Saxguy that I wanted to share a large bottle of some great beer as part of my birthday celebratin, and she was game.

I enjoy the syrupy stouts with the high abv (alcohol by volume) and I was hoping I could find one that was oak-aged at a moderate price. Oak again add a bourbon flavor to the taste. While there are bourbon-flavored beers, many are really expensive.

So, when the Whole Foods beer person recommended Dragon's Milk from the New Holland Brewing Co.,  this, I was intrigued. It was $8.99 for a 22 oz bottle and was from the (nearly) local New Holland, MI.

At home, we decided to enjoy this as an after-dinner drink, even though it isn't quite as sweet as the Belgian Ales that I enjoy and she doesn't. She also dislikes the very bitter India Pale Ale tyoes.

This poured dark brown, nearly black. There was a nice head, which my wife enjoys (I don't) that lasted very long.

Out of the bottle, it smelled like coffee, with faint hints of chocolate and fruit.

The initial taste was coffee and malt, although there was a bit of fruit and some sweetness as a result of the oak aging. It had a bit of carbonation but not too much. The mouthfeel was, agaion, syrupy. This is a big, think been and tastes like it. There was slight hop bitterness on the finish but not enough to detract for either of us.

Also noticeable was the alcohol burn from the 9% alcohol by volume (abv). Therefore, sharing a 22oz bottle was ideal.

With the high abv and syrupiness, this was ideal for sipping. My wife wanted it a bit colder, but I enjoyed the flavors intensifying as it warmed a bit. I would estimate that it was around 50 degrees when I poured it.

This was an excellent beer. We will be having it again on another special occasion