Dragon's Milk I new holland Brewing
New Holland, Michigan
ABV: 11.0%
IBU'S: 31
Style: Bourbon barrel-aged stout
Colour: The exact same colour as a dragon's milk. Crazy.
Price: $9.95/650ml bottle
ABV: 11.0%
IBU'S: 31
Style: Bourbon barrel-aged stout
Colour: The exact same colour as a dragon's milk. Crazy.
Price: $9.95/650ml bottle
I've heard of this beer before, and when it hit the shelves of my local LCBO I had to buy a bottle. Now $9.95 might seem pricey for an LCBO beer but realistically, that's what you're now paying for crusty-ass pint of dog-piss Keith's at an Ottawa bar anyways, so you should have no problem spending it on 650 glorious ml of ass-kicking 11% bourbon barrel-aged stout. One bottle of Dragon's Milk is basically the equivalent of a 6-pack of Coors Light, except Coors Light tastes like the mud puddle in the corner of my shed, whereas this beer tastes really damn good.
Now let's get something straight right off the bat. I like this beer, but it's clearly not for everybody. In fact, after draining this bottle I came to the conclusion that despite it's wonderful decadence and complexity, I still prefer a good ole-fashioned and well crafted plain stout or porter, because sometimes there's such a thing as "too much of a good thing." First off, 650ml of 11% stout on an empty stomach can get you whirling pretty quickly, so there might be an issue of overkill here in the ABV department. Secondly, the barrel aging adds some serious character to the beer, but it also could be considered a wee bit too conspicuous. For me, I taste the bourbon first and the stout second, which kind of takes away from the roasty elements of a good stout. In fact, many of the characteristics of a stout, like chocolate, coffee and vanilla, are almost totally replaced here by the characteristics of the bourbon. The good news is that if bourbon tickles your fancy at a higher rate than stout, Dragon's Milk might be your new BFF. The bad news is that the average beer drinker might experience some serious palate fatigue. And yes, I'm fully aware that the average beer drinker isn't gonna get a huge boner for a bourbon barrel-aged stout, but I routinely get boners for barrel-aged stouts like this, and even I had a hard time powering through this bottle. Not because it doesn't taste good, but because this is a serious fucking beer that goes after your taste buds like a goddamn spider monkey. Now, upon reading this review so far I realize that most of this may sound negative, but I did in fact enjoy this beer. In the winter there's nothing quite like a nice heavy stout, and the constant sting of liquor that highlights every sip is very enjoyable. Having said that, I highly recommend some food "chasers" while you're drinking this beer, namely something sweet and heavy, like cookies or squares. You really do need the food to break up the lingering boozy flavour and aftertaste of this beer. Another recommendation is to let it warm up a bit, as it becomes it mellows out and becomes a tiny bit softer at warmer temperatures. Now go out and buy a bottle, but don't say I didn't warn ya.
Now let's get something straight right off the bat. I like this beer, but it's clearly not for everybody. In fact, after draining this bottle I came to the conclusion that despite it's wonderful decadence and complexity, I still prefer a good ole-fashioned and well crafted plain stout or porter, because sometimes there's such a thing as "too much of a good thing." First off, 650ml of 11% stout on an empty stomach can get you whirling pretty quickly, so there might be an issue of overkill here in the ABV department. Secondly, the barrel aging adds some serious character to the beer, but it also could be considered a wee bit too conspicuous. For me, I taste the bourbon first and the stout second, which kind of takes away from the roasty elements of a good stout. In fact, many of the characteristics of a stout, like chocolate, coffee and vanilla, are almost totally replaced here by the characteristics of the bourbon. The good news is that if bourbon tickles your fancy at a higher rate than stout, Dragon's Milk might be your new BFF. The bad news is that the average beer drinker might experience some serious palate fatigue. And yes, I'm fully aware that the average beer drinker isn't gonna get a huge boner for a bourbon barrel-aged stout, but I routinely get boners for barrel-aged stouts like this, and even I had a hard time powering through this bottle. Not because it doesn't taste good, but because this is a serious fucking beer that goes after your taste buds like a goddamn spider monkey. Now, upon reading this review so far I realize that most of this may sound negative, but I did in fact enjoy this beer. In the winter there's nothing quite like a nice heavy stout, and the constant sting of liquor that highlights every sip is very enjoyable. Having said that, I highly recommend some food "chasers" while you're drinking this beer, namely something sweet and heavy, like cookies or squares. You really do need the food to break up the lingering boozy flavour and aftertaste of this beer. Another recommendation is to let it warm up a bit, as it becomes it mellows out and becomes a tiny bit softer at warmer temperatures. Now go out and buy a bottle, but don't say I didn't warn ya.
