Brewed By: New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan
Purchased: Single 12oz bottle purchased at Binny's in IL; 2011
Style/ABV: American Stout? American Strong Ale?, 10%
I've already introduced New Holland Brewing when I reviewed Ichabod. So I'm going to skip some of the formalities, because there is a much more interesting conversation we need to have.
Dragon's Milk is a barrel-aged beer that is part of New Holland's High Gravity Series. High Gravity beers are usually made with craft ingredients, they typically represent the more extreme beer styles, and they usually clock in at a higher ABV than your standard ale. Many already established craft breweries are now rolling out exclusive beers that sit on the more extreme spectrum. New Belgium's Lips of Faith series comes to mind. I welcome these extreme and unique beers. So it is with arms wide open that I welcome Dragon's Milk.
But what is Dragon's Milk? Is this beer a Stout? A Strong Ale? Ratebeer has decided to lump Dragon's Milk into the American Strong Ale category. American Strong Ale is a catch-all category for amped up American beers. These are beers that are intense, malty, hoppy, and potent (big ABV%). BeerAdvocate has dumped Dragon's Milk into the American Stout category. BeerAdvocate describes an American Stout as an American take on the traditional Irish or English Stout, often with more hops, extra ingredients like coffee or chocolate, or barrel-aging. They then say the average American Stout is between 4% to 7% ABV.
I can't decide which categorization is more lazy. BeerAdvocate in particular has a category called "American Double / Imperial Stout" for beers that are like Imperial Stouts, often aged in barrels, and clocking in at an ABV between 7% and 12%. So they actually have a category for the higher ABV Stouts, like Dragon's Milk. Why this is not an American Double is beyond me.
Ratebeer's categorization screams suspect, and it's not like they have a great history regarding their American Strong Ale category. This is an oak-aged ale...called Dragon's Milk. I've seen pictures of it, and it looks like a stout. It's called Dragon's Milk so it conjures up thoughts of Milk Stouts or even Imperial Stouts. But nevertheless, they are rolling with the Strong Ale categorization.
A couple things, and then I'll crack it open and see how I feel about this beer. First, this beer has been around for several years. It is possible that when it was first released it was less dark in color and was more like a Strong Ale. Reading through some of the old reviews of this beer on Ratebeer leads me to think this is entirely possible. If this is true, it really highlights a flaw with Ratebeer's rating system.
Finally, while the BJCP does in fact have an American Stout category, the current trend in America is to continue to amp up and brew extreme beers. It becomes tricky when you have an American Stout vs. an Imperial Stout vs. an Imperial Russian Stout vs. an American Imperial Russian Stout. It just becomes an obnoxious challenge to pin a beer down and figure out what standards you hold it to and what competition you compare it to.
But what is Dragon's Milk? Is this beer a Stout? A Strong Ale? Ratebeer has decided to lump Dragon's Milk into the American Strong Ale category. American Strong Ale is a catch-all category for amped up American beers. These are beers that are intense, malty, hoppy, and potent (big ABV%). BeerAdvocate has dumped Dragon's Milk into the American Stout category. BeerAdvocate describes an American Stout as an American take on the traditional Irish or English Stout, often with more hops, extra ingredients like coffee or chocolate, or barrel-aging. They then say the average American Stout is between 4% to 7% ABV.
I can't decide which categorization is more lazy. BeerAdvocate in particular has a category called "American Double / Imperial Stout" for beers that are like Imperial Stouts, often aged in barrels, and clocking in at an ABV between 7% and 12%. So they actually have a category for the higher ABV Stouts, like Dragon's Milk. Why this is not an American Double is beyond me.
Ratebeer's categorization screams suspect, and it's not like they have a great history regarding their American Strong Ale category. This is an oak-aged ale...called Dragon's Milk. I've seen pictures of it, and it looks like a stout. It's called Dragon's Milk so it conjures up thoughts of Milk Stouts or even Imperial Stouts. But nevertheless, they are rolling with the Strong Ale categorization.
A couple things, and then I'll crack it open and see how I feel about this beer. First, this beer has been around for several years. It is possible that when it was first released it was less dark in color and was more like a Strong Ale. Reading through some of the old reviews of this beer on Ratebeer leads me to think this is entirely possible. If this is true, it really highlights a flaw with Ratebeer's rating system.
Finally, while the BJCP does in fact have an American Stout category, the current trend in America is to continue to amp up and brew extreme beers. It becomes tricky when you have an American Stout vs. an Imperial Stout vs. an Imperial Russian Stout vs. an American Imperial Russian Stout. It just becomes an obnoxious challenge to pin a beer down and figure out what standards you hold it to and what competition you compare it to.
* * * * * *
With that said...into this review we go. I fully expect this beer to be a Stout and to show Stout features. I want to add that this beer is 10% ABV and supposedly pretty viscous. This beer seems like a good candidate for aging. I will investigate that thought further.
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| "cauldron effect" |
This thing has been aged in oak barrels for 120 days. And holy shit, this beer smells hot. I can pick up giant alcohol notes, and I'm not done pouring this beer or going out of my way to smell it. This is going to be a heated beer. I'm also extracting giant bourbon and whiskey notes off the nose. It smells roasty and smokey like a good smokey whiskey.
I poured this beer into a giant snifter so that I could swirl it around and try to pull out colors. I have a couple of really immediate observations: there is a good amount of carbonation in this beer. There is quite a bit of lacing on my glass, and there are also very noticeable alcohol legs. Alcohol kills heads, and this beer didn't even get one finger's worth of head despite how aggressive I poured it. I can stir up some head when I swirl the beer in my glass, but I mostly get some hazy bubbles on the surface of the beer. I call this the "cauldron effect." This beer is dark and not transparent. I would say this is a very dark brown color or lighter black color. When you tip the beer in the glass and hold it to the bright light you do see some red and brown. This beer doesn't seem to have the "oily" or "thick" quality associated with giant stouts that push 9+ ABV%. But you can tell this is a monster beer based on the alcohol legs and the lack of head.
The bad news regarding the aroma is that it is sharp and potent. I am immediately getting huge whiskey and alcohol notes. If you don't drink a lot of beer or distilled spirits, this is going to be a one-dimensional smelling beer. When I dig a little further I can pull out definite oak notes, some vanilla, maybe even some chocolate, and some wood. There are complex aroma profiles in this beer, but they are behind a wall of heat and whiskey.
Based on the smell, I was actually a little bit concerned going into this beer. The good news is that this beer tastes a little bit more balanced than it smells. I'm also beginning to see the light at the end of the styling tunnel: this beer does not have the oily or dense complexion of a stout. It reminds me of a Doppelbock or an American Strong Ale with a sharp licorice-type bite. I'm pulling out huge whiskey notes, big oak notes, some spiced rum notes even, some vanilla, lots of wood, and some smoke or peat. I pulled this out of my fridge so I'm going to let it warm up and then give my final thoughts.
I poured this beer into a giant snifter so that I could swirl it around and try to pull out colors. I have a couple of really immediate observations: there is a good amount of carbonation in this beer. There is quite a bit of lacing on my glass, and there are also very noticeable alcohol legs. Alcohol kills heads, and this beer didn't even get one finger's worth of head despite how aggressive I poured it. I can stir up some head when I swirl the beer in my glass, but I mostly get some hazy bubbles on the surface of the beer. I call this the "cauldron effect." This beer is dark and not transparent. I would say this is a very dark brown color or lighter black color. When you tip the beer in the glass and hold it to the bright light you do see some red and brown. This beer doesn't seem to have the "oily" or "thick" quality associated with giant stouts that push 9+ ABV%. But you can tell this is a monster beer based on the alcohol legs and the lack of head.
The bad news regarding the aroma is that it is sharp and potent. I am immediately getting huge whiskey and alcohol notes. If you don't drink a lot of beer or distilled spirits, this is going to be a one-dimensional smelling beer. When I dig a little further I can pull out definite oak notes, some vanilla, maybe even some chocolate, and some wood. There are complex aroma profiles in this beer, but they are behind a wall of heat and whiskey.
Based on the smell, I was actually a little bit concerned going into this beer. The good news is that this beer tastes a little bit more balanced than it smells. I'm also beginning to see the light at the end of the styling tunnel: this beer does not have the oily or dense complexion of a stout. It reminds me of a Doppelbock or an American Strong Ale with a sharp licorice-type bite. I'm pulling out huge whiskey notes, big oak notes, some spiced rum notes even, some vanilla, lots of wood, and some smoke or peat. I pulled this out of my fridge so I'm going to let it warm up and then give my final thoughts.
[Intermission...just roll with it. o_O]
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| New Holland |
As this beer warms up and I work my way through the rest of the glass I am noticing a few things. First, this beer is more of a clear red or brown in color than I originally thought. At this point I'm starting to feel the Strong Ale vibe more than the Stout vibe.
I'm still tasting a lot of alcohol and bourbon-whiskey notes as this warms up. There are notes of grain, peat, some meatiness even, and they all extend from the bourbon-whiskey flavors. There is oak and wood in here, and some vanilla from the oakiness. The only new flavor really emerging as this warms up is some nuttiness, and possibly some fruits. I'm picking up hints of really viscious pears and viscous dark dried fruits. I'm also getting some burnt molasses and maybe pulls towards licorice.
Alcohol and whiskey hit your palate up front, the middle features some fruits and more whiskey, and the back end is drying and woody. The back end is fantabulous as you get dry wood and warming booze. I love the way this beer finishes, and I can 100% guarantee you that a fresh bottle of this beer would easily compliment a cigar. This is full-bodied beer that is quite heavy. It has big depth and, dare I say, big complexity. Yeah, this is complex and really nice, but it really needs to settle down in my opinion. At 10% ABV, this is a sipper; and given the amount of heat this brings I'm guessing it will remain a sipper down the road.
I'm still tasting a lot of alcohol and bourbon-whiskey notes as this warms up. There are notes of grain, peat, some meatiness even, and they all extend from the bourbon-whiskey flavors. There is oak and wood in here, and some vanilla from the oakiness. The only new flavor really emerging as this warms up is some nuttiness, and possibly some fruits. I'm picking up hints of really viscious pears and viscous dark dried fruits. I'm also getting some burnt molasses and maybe pulls towards licorice.
Alcohol and whiskey hit your palate up front, the middle features some fruits and more whiskey, and the back end is drying and woody. The back end is fantabulous as you get dry wood and warming booze. I love the way this beer finishes, and I can 100% guarantee you that a fresh bottle of this beer would easily compliment a cigar. This is full-bodied beer that is quite heavy. It has big depth and, dare I say, big complexity. Yeah, this is complex and really nice, but it really needs to settle down in my opinion. At 10% ABV, this is a sipper; and given the amount of heat this brings I'm guessing it will remain a sipper down the road.
Rating: Average
Score: 60%
Score: 60%
I have no imagination for this stuff. Right now I am tasting a heat bomb that is pretty one-dimensional in favor of whiskey. I enjoy whiskey and the flavors it can bring to beer, but when it distracts from the other flavors it becomes less desirable. I don't want to drink a beer and think about what it could taste like.
There is a simple solution for this. The bourbon, wood, and oak in this beer rock. I want to see how this beer stacks up after it has had some time to mellow out. This is a beer that needs to be put in "time-out" to think about why it is 10% ABV and 90% whiskey.
So having said that, in its current form - hot off the press and mean as hell - I find this beer to be enjoyable but not really outstanding. I'm really interested to see how this beer changes down the road. If you do want to drink this beer fresh...pair it with a cigar. I'm serious. This beer is all about the whiskey, and it even gives the back of your throat that "whiskey feel."
This is a really exciting and exotic beer, so I do think you should pick this beer up and try it out if you are a fan of big beers, whiskey, or oak-aged brews. If you do decide to buy this beer, purchase more than one bottle. That will give you an opportunity to try this beer fresh, and it will also give you an opportunity to throw this beer into your cellar for a couple of years.
There is a simple solution for this. The bourbon, wood, and oak in this beer rock. I want to see how this beer stacks up after it has had some time to mellow out. This is a beer that needs to be put in "time-out" to think about why it is 10% ABV and 90% whiskey.
So having said that, in its current form - hot off the press and mean as hell - I find this beer to be enjoyable but not really outstanding. I'm really interested to see how this beer changes down the road. If you do want to drink this beer fresh...pair it with a cigar. I'm serious. This beer is all about the whiskey, and it even gives the back of your throat that "whiskey feel."
This is a really exciting and exotic beer, so I do think you should pick this beer up and try it out if you are a fan of big beers, whiskey, or oak-aged brews. If you do decide to buy this beer, purchase more than one bottle. That will give you an opportunity to try this beer fresh, and it will also give you an opportunity to throw this beer into your cellar for a couple of years.
I'll be reporting back with a review of some aged Dragon's Milk...you know, down the road or whatever.
PS, it turns out this plays more like an American Strong Ale than a Stout. At least in my opinion. Apparently this beer could also be compared to an Old Ale which is a strong malty beer that is sort of the precursor to a Barley Wine. Interesting stuff; but definitely not a stout.
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