Why We Picked It: By far the most expensive selection, we decided to reach a bit on this one and try some that is a bit more high shelf and
What New Holland Says About It: Throughout the ages, Dragon’s Milk has been used as a term to describe potent ales and elixirs worth of celebration – a reward at the end of the journey. We are proud to be stewards of that ancient tradition today, hand-crafting each batch of Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout in Holland, Michigan. The best liquid in our house is now yours.
Style: Stout - Imperial/Double / /
ABV: 11%
IBU: 30
Website: https://dragonsmilk.com/
To Better Know A Brewery: It all started for us in 1997 when Brett VanderKamp believed that his hometown and the brewing industry were due for a shakeup. And so, New Holland Brewing Company was born in Holland, Michigan near the shores of Lake Michigan.
Today, New Holland is recognized as one of the leading innovators in the revolution of craft brewing and distilling. With nearly 500 team members, New Holland’s craft beer and spirits are sold across the country, and around the globe. Our retail presence continues to grow with two full-service restaurants, a spirits tasting room, two brick-and-mortar stores and an online store.
We look forward to finding moments to connect and enhancing the lives of people around the world.
Dragon's Milk - Share a Legend from New Holland Brewing Co. on Vimeo.
Drinking this on my deck on a relatively hot day for December at 3pm seems wrong. Both parts of that sentence are wrong but I see the temperature as being more wrong. I had this a long time ago when I was a wee lad without much craft beer experience but still love it today. I’m going to give Siren Noire a slight edge on taste (Siren’s more bourbony I think) but this delivers more on ABV. Might stumble getting out of my chair but I have zero regrets.
ReplyDeleteLove the high ABV path this year’s beers have taken btw
This is like a better version of yesterday’s beer. I’m very pleasantly surprised- I thought the 11% ABV would make it too boozy tasting. But somehow it tastes bourbon-y while still being easy to drink and smooth. (Although if we take the name literally it would imply that dragons produce milk, and other sources have them producing eggs, making them members of the platypus family).
ReplyDeleteWhich are mammals and the only ones that also produce venom.
DeleteBack to back, ok...
ReplyDeleteThis makes for a more accurate comparison of Siren vs. Dragon milk:
As mentioned above, this has a higher ABV that leads to the assumption that it would be harsher then Siren, but it is not. It is actually smoother on the palette.
Siren wins on the choco-café-vanilli flavor/balance front but was a tiny bit to sweet.
On a pure taste comparison, I think Dragon wins with Siren very, very close.
I don't know what degree of "splurging" occured on this one vs siren, but if it's more than a couple bucks, Siren wins.
3.47/5 Platypus venom eggs.
I saw another strong dark beer and thought. Ugh. Ok here we go.
ReplyDeleteI poured this into a nice glass and it smelled like a spiked coffee to me which I like! This put me in a kind of excited mode, alright let’s go a nice spiked coffee type beer. I took a sip, looked down at my glass, took another confused sip .... I got almost no discernible flavors. It was just kind of there in my glass and I tried but it gave me nothing. Took a few more sips and just got nothing, 🤷♂️ 2.5 out of 5 maybe I missed it’s?
This is Joelle, my Google account is acting up on this computer...so for the second time:
ReplyDeleteThis one and last night's were basically the same to me...and I can't say I enjoyed either of them. Especially after Jay pointing out the soy sauce flavor. I think maybe in the right setting or with the right food I might like these more, but they were just too boozy without the good flavor to go along. Take me back to the breakfast stouts!
Normally, on a Saturday, I would have the 24DOB in the afternoon, but the 11 percent scared me off until the evening.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one while watching Simpsons Christmas episodes with my boys. That may have helped the enjoyment. This was rich and smooth, but (as Adam noted) not overly flavorful. A hint of whiskey gives it a slight nod over Siren, but I think I agree with Joelle and prefer the breakfast stouts. This one earns 3 out of 5 Rhaegal (bonus points for those who get that reference).
What I like in a stout and none of what I don’t. Yummy. 4/4
ReplyDeleteExcellent! As others have said, a better version of yesterday’s beer. A bit less of the Bourbon taste which makes it just right.
ReplyDeleteI thought that maybe last night had turned me onto barrel-aged beer. I mean, it may come as a shock to many of you, but I'm not really a fan of booze. I like beer. I like to drink beer. Not booze. I blame my dad for not being a drinker. Anyway, I pretty much agree with what everyone else said above. This is deceptively smooth for 11%. No harshness at all. Except that it tastes like a glass of straight-up bourbon. Which makes me think of booze. If forced into an alcohol-filled corner, I'll take bourbon over most other liquors, but I'm still not a fan. So I liked the Siren better since it was boozy but without the taste of booze. This is just not my thing. 2.5 out of 5 on the 5th horse in the 6th race.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites. Really nice and smooth stout. Slightly sweeter than what I tend to like, but it that bourbon aging is so so good. Another winner!
ReplyDeleteGreg -- Agree that this one was even better than yesterday's (Siren Noire), and I liked yesterday's very much. This time I felt like the bourbon barrel aging delivered on the vanilla and oakiness, as well as some sweetness, though not cloyingly so. The main stout was also solid. I like it a lot. More please!
ReplyDeleteI once had tp walk home from stable because of this beer. The END
ReplyDelete-Sam
When looking at this beer, all I could think of was this really terrible looking movie called "Dragonheart" from the 90's that I never saw, but me and all of my friends were sort of obsessed on it based on the trailer alone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRjSw-4qcgM
ReplyDeleteApparently, the movie stars Dennis Quaid as a knight or something who either slays or saves dragons. And the dragon in the movie is voiced by Sean Connery. For months (or years) my friends and I would take turns doing our best Sean Connery impression exclaiming "I AM THE LAST DRAGON!" It never got old.
Anyway, these dark and bourbon-y beers are not really my bag, but I sorta liked this one. Had a nice flavor, and thought it was smooth and warm. A nice winter beer, and in that sense, a perfect DOB selection. 3.5/5.00 dragonhearts from me.